Dr Helen Munn OBE becomes new chair of Maudsley BRC External Scientific Advisory Board

 

 

Dr Helen Munn OBE has today been announced as chair of the NIHR Maudsley BRC external scientific advisory board (SAB). She takes over from Professor Nick Hastie CBE, who has chaired the SAB since 2007 and will continue to serve as a SAB member taking a specific role advising on our career pathways for early career researchers.

The role of the SAB is to provide scrutiny and independent expert advice on our scientific strategy, including monitoring performance against objectives, identifying emerging opportunities and new developments in the external environment and advising on how to promote the impact of our research.  Membership of the SAB is currently drawn from academia, industry and the charity sectors.

Professor Matthew Hotopf CBE, Director of the NIHR Maudsley BRC, said:

“I am delighted that Helen has accepted the role and am really looking forward to working with her. She has an outstanding grasp of science policy, is hugely committed to mental health research and will be a superb chair.  It’s an exciting time for the BRC as we develop a new strategy in preparation for the next NIHR BRC competition in 2021 and I wish her a warm welcome.

Nick has been a tremendous source of support and encouragement to the BRC generally and to me in particular. He is a great advocate for mental health research, and we are indebted to him for his longstanding service as chair of the SAB. I am delighted that he has agreed to stay on the SAB and will take a particular interest in training and capacity development – a topic about which he is particularly passionate.”

Dr Helen Munn OBE said: 

“It’s a real privilege to serve as Chair of the Maudsley BRC Scientific Advisory Board, and to support the excellent work of the Centre’s researchers, clinicians, health professionals and service users. The world needs outstanding mental health research now more than ever, and the Maudsley BRC is a beacon of the high-quality, innovative and impactful work we need to transform our understanding and treatment of mental disorders.”

About Dr Helen Munn OBE

Helen is currently serving as Interim Chair of the UK Research Integrity Committee, a new body being set up under UK Research & Innovation to promote leadership and assurance around UK research integrity.

Since 2017 Helen has been a Trustee of MQ, a mental health charity that supports research into the nature, cause, diagnosis, treatment, cure and prevention of all forms of mental illness. She stepped in to serve as CEO of MQ in June 2019 before returning to the Board of Trustees and Research Committee in June 2020.

From 2009-2019 Helen served as the Executive Director of the Academy of Medical Sciences – the UK’s national academy representing the full spectrum of medical science, from basic research through clinical application to healthcare delivery. During her tenure Helen oversaw a major expansion in the Academy’s resources, profile and impact, including influential policy reports, public dialogue exercises, a successful £5 million fundraising appeal to establish the Academy’s first headquarters in 2010, and a portfolio of innovative grant and mentoring schemes to support early career researchers in the UK and overseas.

She was awarded an OBE for services to medical science in the 2020 New Year’s Honours List.


Tags: Staff News -

By NIHR Maudsley BRC at 5 Nov 2020, 17:00 PM


Back to Blog List