Trio of appointments strengthen health partnership
The second city 's University-NHS partnership Birmingham Health Partners (BHP) has made three high-profile appointments to its leadership board.
Professor Sir Robert Lechler and Dame Yve Buckland have joined as non-executive directors, while former chairman of NHS Improvement and deputy chairman of NHS England, Ed Smith (pictured), becomes independent Chair.
BHP is a strategic alliance which aims to rapidly translate healthcare research findings into new diagnostics, drugs and devices for patients.
Its members are University Hospitals Birmingham, Birmingham Women 's and Children 's Hospitals, the University of Birmingham and the West Midlands Academic Health Science Network.
Having stepped down from his roles as senior vice-president (health) at King 's College London and executive director of King 's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre, Professor Sir Robert Lechler brings a wealth of health research experience to the role of non-executive director of BHP.
A strong advocate of university-NHS partnership, Sir Robert was awarded a knighthood for Services to Academic Medicine in 2012 following a research career focused on clinical transplantation tolerance.
His work has led to pioneering cell therapies to aid the immune tolerance of kidney and liver transplant recipients.
Also joining BHP as non-executive director is the outgoing chair of Birmingham 's Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Dame Yve Buckland.
Her appointment coincides with her new role as chair of Birmingham and Solihull integrated care system (ICS), which will forge closer links between primary, secondary and mental health care providers.
She was appointed Dame Commander for services to public health in 2003 and has held the chair of the Health Education Authority, Health Development Agency, and the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement.
Ed served as Pro Chancellor at the University of Birmingham for 10 years as well as leading roles with the NHS and holding the chair of a number of healthcare organisations and committees.
He said: “Excellence and innovation in the NHS is driven by research - from basic science in University laboratories to clinical trials in our hospitals. Birmingham Health Partners is a powerhouse of research at the heart of an ambitious city and region, with a strong track record of scaling innovation from the bench to the bedside at pace.
“Covid-19 has emphasised the critical importance of collaboration between NHS, academia and industry and, in these unprecedented times, the strength of the existing BHP alliance enabled us to adapt, collaborate and tackle the pandemic head-on.
“It is an incredibly challenging yet exciting time to join the partnership and direct its research strategy. ”