Seven new researchers appointed to prestigious positions

Seven new researchers have been appointed to the prestigious National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Global Health Professorships.

The initiative helps to promote effective translation of research and strengthen leadership within academia’s higher levels. The scheme centres around research that benefits those in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) and must benefit people in countries eligible for overseas aid. They will cover a wide range of topics, including HIV and AIDS, chronic respiratory disease, sexual health, mental health, and research practice.

The recipients of the professorships, include:

• Professor Moherndran Archary—a paediatric infectious disease specialist at the Africa Health Research Institute whose REFINE study will focus on improving outcomes for young people with HIV.
• Professor Nelesh Govender—a clinical microbiologist and ID epidemiologist at the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa whose research will focus on improving interventions to reduce AIDS mortality from bacterial and fungal infections in Africa.
• Professor John Hurst—a respiratory medicine expert at University College London whose research will focus on mitigating chronic respiratory disease through the lens of multi-morbidity.
• Dr Euphemia Lindelwe Sibanda—an implementation science researcher at the Centre for Sexual Health and HIV/AIDS Research Zimbabwe whose research will focus on mobile health supported self-care among tertiary education students in Zimbabwe.
• Professor Saeed Farooq—a psychiatry and public mental health specialist at Keele University whose research will focus on translating evidence for early intervention in psychosis in LMICs.
• Professor Sassy Molyneux—a global health expert at the University of Oxford whose research will focus on building fairer international research systems that minimise and manage moral distress.
• Dr Chelsea Morroni—a fellow in global sexual and reproductive health at the University of Edinburgh whose research topic will focus on improving sexual health in pregnancy in Africa.

"I’m delighted to warmly welcome these seven exemplary researchers as the latest cohort of NIHR Global Research Professors,” said the Dean of the NIHR Academy, Professor Waljit Dhillo.

“As leaders in their fields, these outstanding individuals will play a key role in improving the health and care of people around the world as well as developing early career researchers in their teams.”

The NIHR’s global health research programme director, Professor Kara Hanson, added: "The Global Research Professorship is our flagship award. It funds researchers to translate discoveries into enhanced interventions, diagnoses and treatments. This year, our Global Research Professors are working across a range of pertinent areas including sexual health, HIV/AIDS, mental health and multi-morbidities.”

The researchers will receive five-year awards of up to £2m, which includes funding for early-career research and support posts. They will also have access to a leadership and development programme. The next round of global research professorships will open in late September—19 people have received Global Research Professorships since 2018.

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