Siobhan Creanor, Associate Professor (Reader) in Clinical Trials and Medical Statistics at Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry (PUPSMD) and Director of the Peninsula Clinical Trials Unit (PenCTU), has been appointed NIHR Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB) Regional Advisory Panel Chair for the South West Region.
The RfPB is a programme of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), the research arm of the NHS. Siobhan has been an expert member of the RfPB South West Regional Advisory Panel for the past four years. In her new role, Siobhan will work closely with the RfPB Programme Director and RfPB South West Programme Manager to assess the scope of applications, ensuring that fellow panel members including the public are able to review applications and that the panel arrives at clear recommendations on funding.
Siobhan will also oversee the monitoring of funded research and the outputs of the RfPB programme in the South West. She will also ensure that the Regional Advisory Panel reflects the needs and views of RfPB’s stakeholders (including the Department of Health, NHS service providers, patients and the public) and plays an important role in communicating NIHR’s aims for the programme.
Siobhan will hold this post until the end of April 2019.
PenCTU, of which Siobhan is Director, came into being from a local clinical trials group which started life from a single large randomised trial investigating the role of cannabinoids in multiple sclerosis in 2000. It became known as the Peninsula Clinical Trials Unit when its UK Clinical Research Collaboration (UKCRC) registration was confirmed almost ten years ago.
Part of PUPSMD, PenCTU has provided vital support to over 40 clinical trials across the country for a wide range of studies investigating topics such as: drug therapies for brain and nervous system tumours; home-based support for patients with heart problems; using a cholesterol-busting statin to treat Parkinson’s disease; alternatives to chemotherapy for those with a form of leukaemia; various treatments and therapies for multiple sclerosis; support for prisoners with mental health problems near to and after release; and more.
Siobhan also leads the medical statistics group at PUPSMD, which undertakes research, commercial projects, consultancy and teaching, within PUPSMD and beyond. An example is the Down’s syndrome screening Quality Assurance Support Service (DQASS) which has been run within the group since its inception in 2006 and the internationally-renowned EarlyBird study. The group also takes pride in encouraging and nurturing talented and enthusiastic junior statisticians, providing them with opportunities to develop their careers, take part in impactful projects and enabling them to apply for chartered status in the future.
Siobhan said:
“I am looking forward to working with the NIHR and the other members of the RfPB Regional Advisory Panel to ensure the continued development of health research in the South West is of high quality and effective benefit to patients.”
Professor Adrian Taylor, Associate Dean of Research at PUPSMD, added:
“Siobhan is greatly deserving of this role and we are immensely proud of her achievement.”
