Jon Cole, Assistant Director, Public Involvement & External Engagement, NIHR Evaluation, Trials and Studies Coordinating Centre (NETSCC)

Jon trained as a journalist and worked for a healthcare publisher to launch their first online publication for the pharmaceutical industry. For the last 20 years, Jon has been based at the University of Southampton, initially as their first Web Editor in the early days of the Web. In 2005, he joined the National Coordinating Centre for Health Technology Assessment (NCCHTA) (based at the university) as Senior Communications Manager for the Health Technology Assessment Programme just before the creation of NIHR. NCCHTA evolved into NETSCC following Best Research for Best Health and Jon's role broadened to leading communications across NETSCC's funding programmes. With the growth of NIHR, Jon is now a member of NIHR's Communications Programme Board, part of its Digital Engagement Group and NIHR's Information and Digital Board. Jon also leads on patient and public involvement (PPI) for NETSCC and is a member of NIHR's PPI Senior Leadership Team, working closely with the National Director for Patients, Carers and the Public.

Jon has always been passionate about the use and benefits of digital technologies in communications, research and PPI. In his spare time, he writes fiction with strong digital and online themes running throughout!

Twitter: @jmec73

Simon Douglas, Director of Research Innovation and Clinical Effectiveness at Northumberland Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust

Simon Douglas is currently the Director of Research Innovation and Clinical Effectiveness at Northumberland Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust. Previous positions have included managerial roles in NIHR Mental Health and Comprehensive research networks and research in dementia. Also co-Applicant on the NIHR Research Design Service (RDS) and part of the leadership team of the NENC Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) bid.

Sharon Dorgan, Senior Strategic Manager, NIHR Clinical Research Network North East and North Cumbria

Sharon Dorgan’s nursing career began in the 1990's in Leeds. Having developed a passion for research from the outset, Sharon’s successful applications for research bursaries afforded her opportunities to explore in the UK and USA the impact on patient care of Integrated Care Pathways within a vascular care setting. Her clinical career culminated in the role of Nurse Consultant, during which time she wrote for a variety of health care publications, co-edited a book regarding nursing care for patients with peripheral vascular disease and undertook a major piece of research regarding exercise therapy for this patient group as part of her MPhil.

Sharon joined the Clinical Research Network in 2008 where she has worked in a variety of senior research management roles as Lead Research Management & Governance Manager, Research Operations Manager, Strategy Development Lead and now has the role of Senior Strategic Manager. This current post focuses on the implementation of the joint Clinical Research Network: North East North Cumbria (CRN NENC) / Health Education England North East (HEE NE) strategy for the research Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professional (NMAHP) workforce. She is also the regional Workforce Development Lead and plays a major supporting link role with the NIHR Coordinating Centre, Health Education England, regional NHS research offices and NHS and HEI research teams.

Ben Gordon, Programme Director for Digital Innovation Hubs, Health Data Research UK

Ben Gordon is the Programme Director for Digital Innovation Hubs at Health Data Research UK where he is responsible for creating a UK-wide infrastructure for health data research and innovation. Formerly Deputy Head of Mental Health at NHS England, where he lead the New Care Models programme for mental health. Prior to this, Ben was Deputy Head of Mental Health at NHS England, where he led the New Care Models programme for mental health, a national transformation programme redesigning mental health services to increase clinical input. Ben brings experience from across the public sector, having worked at the UK’s leading public services management consultancy and on the frontline as a classroom teacher.

Sue Jacques, Chief Executive, County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust

Sue Jacques is Chief Executive at County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, and is a past president and trustee of HFMA.

County Durham & Darlington NHS FT is a large integrated acute and community provider that works closely with partners in local authorities and primary care. It employs almost 8000 staff and serves a population of some 650,000.

Sue chairs the NIHR CRN NENC Partnership Group, sits on the Boards of the Radiology School and Foundation Programme and is chair of the NHS Pension Scheme, Scheme Advisory Board.

Zena Jones, Lay Representative, NIHR Clinical Research Network North East and North Cumbria

Zena Jones is a patient lay rep with NENC CRN. Following a stroke and heart attack Zena now focuses on different patient roles including as a patient advocate for Healthwatch County Durham, part of patient advisory groups reviewing research proposals for Heart Voices the BHF and Stroke Voices the Stroke Association. Zena has also been a trial participant in two clinical trials one of which was a drug trial. She is passionate about all patients being offered the opportunity to participate in a trial when appropriate.

Twitter: @zenajones166

Jan Lecouturier, Senior Research Methodologist, NIHR Research Design Service North East and North Cumbria

Jan Lecouturier is a senior research methodologist with the Research Design Service North East and North Cumbria (RDS NENC) and Senior Research Associate at the Institute of Health and Society, Newcastle University. Part of her time she works as an RDS NENC advisor supporting health professionals and academics to develop their research ideas into funding applications and the remainder as a researcher on health and social care related trials/studies where she is a co-applicant. Other activities include Module lead for Developing a Research Proposal which is part of the Masters in Clinical Research at Newcastle University, and funding panel member of the Health Research Grants Scientific Board.

She has over 20 years’ experience as a health services researcher and has worked on randomised controlled trials, postal and interview surveys, qualitative and mixed methods studies, with a variety of patient groups, from older people with stroke and hip fracture, to young wheelchair users. Her research interest include, evaluation of new technologies, shared decision-making and implementation science.

Mark Palmer, Google Cloud Head of Public Sector & Life Sciences, UK & Ireland

Mark joined Google Cloud in 2018 bringing 30+ years experience in the technology industry from across the Public Sector, Defence and Healthcare ecosystems. Google Cloud provides an extensive portfolio of infrastructure, data management, analytics and artificial intelligence capabilities to enterprise customers, as well as G-Suite & Chrome.

Prior to this role he was the UK Country General Manager for InterSystems, focused mainly in healthcare with Electronic Health Record and Interoperability solutions for the NHS.

He spent almost 20 years at IBM, where he was latterly their VP Public Sector, Europe. Prior to this, he led the UK’s Government and Defence businesses over 10 years, and was a member of the IBM UK leadership team.

Mark began his career in the 1980's as a Software Engineer designing and delivering complex real-time systems integration projects for the aerospace industry. He was one of the original start-up members of AeroSystems International; a joint venture between Sema Group and Westland Helicopters working to deliver airborne software systems.

Mark is a Chartered Engineer, and has a degree in Electronic Engineering as well as an MBA. He has had assignments in Italy and also Washington D.C. Mark has an interest in architecture and has built two houses for his family. When not ferrying his competitive kids to either swimming or equestrian events he can be found on the south coast sailing his boat.

Joe Reilly, Clinical Director of Research and Development, Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust

Joe is the Clinical Director of Research and Development for Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust, and Honorary Visiting Professor at the University of York. After studying undergraduate medicine at Nottingham, he trained in adult psychiatry in London and Newcastle, and has worked as a consultant psychiatrist in the North East since 1997. He has held regional leadership roles in the NIHR Clinical Research Network.

Professor Stephen Robson, Clinical Director, NIHR Clinical Research Network North East and North Cumbria

Professor Stephen Robson is Clinical Director of the Clinical Research Network North East and North Cumbria and a Consultant in Fetal Medicine at the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Stephen was appointed as Senior Lecturer at Newcastle University in 1992, being promoted to Professor the following year. He developed the Fetal Medicine Unit in Newcastle which provides fetal diagnostic and therapeutic services for all of the North East and Cumbria. Stephen is the lead clinician for highly specialised regional services providing care for pregnancies complicated by abnormally invasive placenta. He was the previous chair the NHS-England National Specialised Services Clinical Reference Group for Fetal Medicine and then Complex maternity.

He established the Newcastle Uteroplacental Tissue Bank and is the lead for the Reproductive and Vascular Biology Research Group which focuses on mechanisms of placental development and uterine smooth muscle contraction utilizing unique human tissue. He is also lead for the multi-disciplinary Reproductive Health Research Group which undertakes clinical trials in a variety of pregnancy-related disorders.

His main research interests are: uterine cell signalling, mechanisms of myometrial quiescence and clinical trials in the area of high risk pregnancy and prenatal screening. He has been involved in the development and audit of national guidelines relating to obstetric care.

Justine Smith, Senior Strategic Manager, NIHR Clinical Research Network North East and North Cumbria

Justine is passionate about clinical research and it's benefits for patients and the population as a whole, seeking opportunities to improve the way we work to provide a better service to patients, the NHS and researchers, attracting global Pharma to the North East and North Cumbria with high quality and performance. Justine also aims to make the Network a great place to work, to attract and retain an innovative and skilled workforce, enabling people to work digitally to share knowledge and experience.

A graduate in Biomedical Science, Justine entered the world of clinical research undertaking jobs from the bench to the bedside, into coordination and management of global clinical trials in academia, currently working in the National Institute for Health Research Clinical Research Network, managing and improving research infrastructure in the NHS and working on the Accelerating Digital initiative to increase the take up and confidence in using the digital tools we have all around us.

Justine currently leads two strategic areas looking at embedding research into the NHS and making sure financial resource is allocated based on performance and quality. Justine also leads the Engagement Team, including communications and patient and public involvement and engagement in the research network.