I am delighted to be writing my first blog post as the Academy’s new Executive Director.
These first few months will be an important period for me in which to meet our Fellows and partner organisations from across the sector; to gain a deeper understanding of the Academy’s programmes and initiatives, where we add value, and how we can improve what we do in the future.
I am looking forward to meeting Academy Fellows and grant awardees at our Winter Science Meeting on 1 November, and the AGM/Fellows dinner on 3 December. It will be an important opportunity for me to learn more about the issues and concerns that matter to you most. Given the Academy’s UK wide focus, I intend to spend time visiting colleagues in our regions and the devolved nations in an effort to hear as wide a range of perspectives as I can.
One of the reasons I was so honoured to be appointed Executive Director is that, having been an external partner of the Academy since 2006, I have seen it emerge to become an important centre of gravity and gravitas in our ever changing health research system. Nowhere is this better exemplified than in our work to represent the voice of medical science in key debates such as Brexit. Any hopes that Brexit might be over one way or the other by the time of my arrival have been dashed! You can find our latest update on Brexit here and as you’d expect ensuring the best outcome for research is something I will be working on closely with our President and Council.
In the conversations I have had with Fellows and external partners so far, one word has cropped up with remarkable regularity when I have asked people to describe the Academy - ‘potential’, a real sense of anticipation about what we may aspire to if we build wisely on the success of our first twenty years. Our new Royal Charter status, which you can learn more about here, cements our prestige as an organisation in the UK and internationally. But we are only as good as our day-to-day delivery and how it meets the needs of health research.
In thinking about realising this potential and ensuring the continued relevance of the Academy a number of key themes are also emerging in my conversations: the need to continue to invest in a cohesive portfolio of initiatives which will grow and support the research community; diversity and inclusion; building partnerships and collaborations that reflect the changing boundaries of health research and care; and ensuring our future sustainability as an organisation. No doubt I will be saying much more on these topics in future blogs.
Some of you may already know me from my time as CEO at the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC) and then as the NIHR National Director for Patients, Carers and the Public. I make no secret of my passion for public involvement and engagement; the partnership between basic and clinical academics, and patients, carers and wider publics is often the driving force behind the very best research. I am keen to see how we can mirror this partnership more generally in the work of the Academy on the back of our remarkable success with the ‘The Departure Lounge’ and in particular, in key areas such as multimorbidities where we have taken a lead.
I am thrilled to be here, and excited at the prospect of working with you in pursuit of the Academy’s mission.
Simon Denegri