Professor Guru Aithal has been formally appointed as Deputy Director of the NIHR Nottingham BRC, following a competitive application process.
Professor Aithal is the East Genomics Medical and Rare Lead and Gastrointestinal & Liver Disorders Theme Co-Lead at the NIHR (National Institute for Health and Care Research) Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre (BRC),
Professor Aithal has been Lead and Co-lead of the GI & Liver Disorders Theme since the launch of Nottingham BRC in 2017 and has a distinguished research career in areas including drug-induced liver injury, metabolic liver disease and technology for life, as well as in clinical research leadership.
His new role has been formally approved by the NIHR. Professor Aithal has also been appointed as director designate for the Nottingham BRC.
I am absolutely delighted that Guru has been appointed to the role of Deputy Director and director designate. His track record in delivering collaborative translational research is outstanding. In addition, his commitment to working on long term conditions, and his focus on involving under-represented populations in research will be of major value to the future development of the BRC.
Professor Ian Hall, current Director of the NIHR Nottingham BRC
Professor Hall continues: “We have started planning for what we hope will be a successful renewal of the NIHR Nottingham BRC, but as I will be stepping down in 2028 having completed two terms as BRC Director, it is critical we have in place a director designate with a strong vision to help develop our plans. I have no doubt given his track record that Guru is ideally placed to take this forward.”
About NIHR Biomedical Research Centres
An NIHR BRC is a Biomedical Research Centre, which is a network of experts and facilities funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) (opens in a new tab). These centres are collaborations between NHS trusts and universities that focus on translating scientific discoveries into new treatments, diagnostics, and technologies to improve patient care, particularly for long-term conditions.
- Purpose: To accelerate the translation of early-stage experimental medicine from the lab to patient care.
- Structure: They are networks that bring together clinicians, academics, and other experts in partnerships between NHS trusts and universities.
- Focus: To develop improved treatments, diagnostics, and medical technologies, and to train the next generation of researchers.
- Patient involvement: Many BRCs emphasize involving the public and patients in their research design and execution.
In our region (East Midlands and East of England) there are three NIHR BRCs, each with their own research themes and programmes of work: