HRI’s Director of Cardiovascular Research, Professor Shaun Jackson, recently travelled to the UK to hold discussions with scientific and clinical colleagues in the UK as well as members of the British Heart Foundation (BHF) about the global state of cardiovascular disease, its impact on the community, and how we can best fight it.
Discussions were held with his host Professor Willem Ouwehand (Professor of Experimental Haematology at the School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge), Professor Sir Nilesh Samani (Medical Director, BHF) and Professor Metin Avkiran (Deputy Director, BHF).
To foster collaborations and funding opportunities for Phase IIa clinical trials investigating novel therapies for ischaemic stroke – a leading cause of disability – Professor Jackson met with Professor Bryan Williams (Chair of Medicine, University College London) and other members of the BHF.
Professor Jackson also travelled to Trinity College, Cambridge, where he met with Professor Hugh Markus (Professor of Stroke Medicine, Honorary Consultant Neurologist) and Professor John Bradley (Director of Research and Development at Cambridge University Hospitals, and Director of the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre). He also attended a special dinner held at Trinity College, hosted by Professor Ouwehand and Dame Sally Davies, Chief Medical Officer for England, Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department of Health, and recently announced 39th Master elect of Trinity College, the first woman to hold the appointment.
The visit was a success, further cementing the relationship between HRI and cardiovascular research organisations in the UK and our joint goal to fight cardiovascular disease – the world’s number one killer.