Meet the team

Background

Adam is a clinical academic geriatrician with a focus on implementing evidence-based models of care to improve health outcomes for older people living with frailty. He has been predominantly involved in research that addresses healthcare delivery in care homes. His research has shaped national policy to ensure an evidence-based, multidisciplinary approach to care for residents. His work has also focussed on the development of surgical liaison services and emergency care for older people. Adam was previously Professor of Care of Older People at the University of Nottingham and was President of the British Geriatrics Society until November 2024.

ACHA

“I am thrilled to join the Academic Centre for Healthy Ageing and to lead efforts in improving rehabilitation and recovery for older people in north east London. I am looking forward to working with the teams across Barts Health NHS Trust and Queen Mary University of London to advance research and create impactful strategies that support the recovery and resilience of older people. We intend to establish a centre in this part of London that delivers some of the best care in the world.”

Background

Liz is a highly experienced clinical academic with an international reputation, focusing on conditions such as delirium, dementia, and cognitive frailty in acute hospital patients. Her work spans cross-disciplinary epidemiology and big data studies, aiming to better understand and manage complex interactions between physical and mental health in older people. Liz previously worked at University College London (UCL) and more recently served as Honorary Clinical Professor in the Centre for Psychiatry and Mental Health at the Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London. Since joining the ACHA team, she has continued her clinical work in Liaison Psychiatry for East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT).

ACHA

“This is a great opportunity to join the Academic Centre for Healthy Ageing and to lead its research on cognition and mental health. By addressing these critical aspects of ageing, we can make significant strides in improving the quality of life for older adults. I am excited to be working in this team and the diverse research and clinical collaboration networks that ACHA will support.”

Background

Hamish is an internationally renowned expert in orthopaedics and trauma, brings extensive experience in clinical research, with a focus on musculoskeletal infection, limb reconstruction, paediatric deformity and non-arthroplasty treatments for osteoarthritis. He has a distinguished career with research interests in osteoporosis, impaired bone healing, novel cutting methodologies and stem cells for musculoskeletal repair. He is the first orthopaedic surgeon to be awarded the Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE). Hamish has held the George Harrison Low Chair and been Head of the Department of Orthopaedics & Trauma at the University of Edinburgh and Honorary Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon. He was previously Professor of Orthopaedics at the University of Oxford. He is Immediate Past President of the ORS International Section of Fracture Repair (ORS ISFR) and will take up Presidency of the International Combined Orthopaedic Research Societies in October this year.

ACHA

“I am honoured to join the Academic Centre for Healthy Ageing and contribute to its groundbreaking work in addressing the challenges of multi-morbidity and long-term conditions. I look forward to leading research into maintaining mobility in adults and enhancing return of function after injury in older individuals and collaborating with colleagues in Barts Health NHS Trust, Queen Mary University and the local community to develop innovative solutions that promote healthy ageing of all adults, compress morbidity and enhance the health and wellbeing of older adults.”

Background

Alastair is the redevelopment director for Whipps Cross Hospital. He also leads the Integrated Delivery Framework (IDF) for Waltham Forest, Redbridge and Whipps Cross Hospital. Prior to working for Barts Health, Alastair was a portfolio director in the NHS Trust Development Authority (TDA), with responsibility for providing leadership and support to NHS trusts in north and east London. Alastair also previously worked as deputy director for strategy and provider development at NHS London and before that for the Department of Health in a number of policy and executive roles.

ACHA

Alastair is chair of the Integrated Delivery Framework Executive and responsible for connecting the ACHA Board to local transformation, and as the Whipps Cross Hospital redevelopment director, he was instrumental in progressing the ACHA application from the initial concept to where it is today.

Background

Amanjit is a doctor by background and he first joined the NHS 12 years ago. He has worked in hospitals in both Scotland and England, gaining experience in a wide variety of medical specialties. Amanjit is a Harvard trained Epidemiologist, former expert on healthcare systems and services at McKinsey, award winning entrepreneur and former parliamentary candidate at the 2010 and 2015 general elections and the CEO of Whipps Cross Hospital, within Barts Health Trust.

ACHA

Amanjit is the Chair of the ACHA Board, overseeing the strategic direction of the centre and ensuring that ACHA is managed according to the required standards of accountability, regularity and propriety, achieving high standards of efficiency, effectiveness, and economy.

Background

Claudia leads the Centre for Psychiatry and Mental Health at Queen Mary University of London and is a practicing consultant old age psychiatrist with East London NHS Foundation Trust Memory Services.

Claudia leads the Alzheimer’s Society Centre of Excellence for Independence at home, developing interventions to support people living with dementia at home and the NIHR/ESRC APPLE-Tree programme (Active Prevention in People at risk of dementia: Lifestyle, bEhaviour change/Technology to REducE cognitive decline), investigating how lifestyle and behavioural change can prevent dementia in older people.

ACHA

Claudia is an ACHA co-applicant and key member of the original ACHA Application Team who designed and developed the Centre in 2021

Background

Lauren has worked within NHS Transformation for 13 years; she began her career in NHS Commissioning and discovered her passion for Healthy Ageing as Transformation Lead for Frailty in south east Essex. Lauren’s previous role as Strategy Manager for the Redevelopment of Whipps Cross involved the successful delivery of interdependent service transformation programmes. This included the design of ACHA, which as Programme Management Lead, Lauren developed together with the original applicant team.

ACHA

As the ACHA Director, Lauren is responsible for facilitating the knowledge exchange between academic and NHS leaders, promoting the unique opportunity ACHA presents to our local health and care system and supporting the Board and the Chairs to fully realise the potential of ACHA.

Background

Mark is a practising consultant doctor at Whipps Cross Hospital, specialising in geriatrics and general (internal) medicine. He is a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians with full FRCP(UK) accreditation. He is research lead for older person’s services in Barts Health and has a special interest in cognitive health, including Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia, and polypharmacy. Skilled in epidemiological research within both longitudinal cohorts and electronic health records, his work centres on the effects of prescribed medications in older age. Mark currently holds a fellowship in ageing research at the Medical Research Council Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing (MRC LHA) at UCL.

ACHA

Mark is an ACHA co-applicant and a key member of the original ACHA Application Team, who designed and developed the Centre in 2021.

Background

Martin qualified as a doctor in Manchester in 1988 and trained as a Geriatrician and General Internal Physician in the North West of England and London. He has been a full-time NHS Consultant in Greater Manchester since 1999 where he currently delivers same day emergency care for older people with clinical frailty. He has a MA in Medical Ethics and Law from King’s College London, teaches these subjects at Salford University, has been a Visiting Professor at University of Chester since 2016 and is Chair of the British Geriatrics Society Ethics and Law Special Interest Group. His current research interests focus on clinical frailty, cross-sector workforce development and care home policy and practice. He is a specialist collaborator with the NIHR Older People and Frailty Policy Research Unit and a specialist member of the NICE Indicator Advisory Committee.

Between 2016 and 2019 he was the National Clinical Director for Older People at NHS England. He has led multiple national workstreams including development of the 2019 NHS Long Term Plan Ageing Well Programme. In addition to his clinical role Martin is clinical lead for older people at the Greater Manchester Strategic Clinical Network where he Chairs a system wide advisory Frailty Care Reference Group. Since 2020 Martin has worked as a senior clinical advisor to the Whipps Cross Hospital redevelopment programme where he Chairs a system level Clinical and Professional Advisory Group. Since 2021 Martin has been Chair of the North West Clinical Senate

ACHA

Martin is the ACHA Lead Collaborator and external clinical advisor to the mobilisation of ACHA.

Background

Maurice is Head of Research Funding at Barts Charity, which provided funding to establish ACHA. Maurice has a PhD in cancer research, and prior to working for Barts Charity he worked in research funding at Cancer Research UK. Before that, Maurice worked as a post-doctoral researcher at University College London.

ACHA

Maurice worked closely with the applicant team who designed and delivered the Barts Charity bid to establish ACHA. He now acts as a steward for the delivery of the vision and the effective deployment of the Barts Charity Grant as a key member of the Board.

Background

As Director of Research in the Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Steph is responsible for directing and coordinating the promotion of research activity and supporting strategic decision making around research in the Institute. Steph also co-leads the Centre for Primary Care.

Steph’s background and specialty training is in both public health and primary care and she leads a group of researchers conducting applied health services research directed at improving the lives of people living with long term conditions, particularly those living with multiple long-term conditions.

ACHA

Steph is the Academic Lead for the ACHA and a key member of the original application team.

Background

Professor Xavier Griffin spearheads academic orthopaedics at Queen Mary and Barts Health. Xavier’s vision is for world class excellence in research and clinical academic training; providing opportunity for the next generation of clinician scientists to realise their aspirations.

Xavier’s clinical expertise is orthopaedic trauma surgery specialising in pelvic and acetabular fractures. Having graduated from the University of Cambridge in 1999 before attending medical school at the University of Oxford, Xavier trained in orthopaedic surgery as a National Institute of Health Research integrated clinical academic fellow. Xavier completed a world-renowned clinical fellowship in Melbourne, Australia specialising in complex fractures of the pelvis and hip.

ACHA

Xavier is a co-applicant of the ACHA Grant and key member of the original ACHA Application Team who designed and developed the Centre in 2021.