Claudia Hurducas was appointed as Lead for Strategic Liaison and will continue with her Deputy Head of R&D and Oxford Health Clinical Research Facility (OH CRF) Manager responsibilities.

Following a period of transition, in her new role, Claudia will identify and coordinate responses to strategic national opportunities, including research and infrastructure funding.

Claudia Hurducas

Speaking about her appointment, Claudia said: “I am honoured to take on the role of Lead for Strategic Liaison, as well as continuing as Deputy Head of R&D to help support the Trust’s strategic aims and grow R&D.

“I am excited to further develop collaborations with our colleagues across R&D, the wider Trust, as well as the OHFT research infrastructure to coordinate and deliver on our shared objectives.

“Our goal is to maximise the opportunities presented by the specialised knowledge and strong links within the Oxford research community to achieve significant local and national health and social benefits, as well as drive economic growth.

“I am excited about the potential impact of our collaborative efforts in fostering a strong research culture and delivering outstanding care to the people who use our services.”

Adam Pill and Nnenna Omeje will begin a job-share secondment this month as Acting Joint Head of Research Informatics (RI), each working 0.3 WTE.

Adam Pill

Adam will also continue his current role as RI Systems Manager, while Nnenna will continue in her role as Governance and Contracting Lead for the NIHR Mental Health Translational Research Collaboration Mission.

Adam and Nnenna bring complimentary skills in technical and governance expertise, which will bring greater integration across the infrastructure.

Speaking about the priorities of his new role, Adam said: “I am privileged to be given the opportunity to work alongside Nnenna as Acting Joint Head of Research Informatics at OHFT.

“I look forward to working with and learning from the many talented and dedicated colleagues across R&D and the wider Trust to continue to support the development of a strong research culture across OHFT.

“In this new role and my continuing role as RI Systems Manager I hope to support R&D priorities via the “Research, collaboration and insight” theme of the Trust’s Digital Health & Care Strategy as well as continue to support the provision of healthcare data for research via the Clinical Record Interactive Search (CRIS) platform.

“In supporting the development of our research, collaboration and innovation capabilities my aim is to contribute to the delivery of outstanding care to the people who use our services.”

Nnenna Omeje

Speaking about her plans for the role, Nnenna said: “My vision as the Acting Joint Head of Research Informatics is to align our processes and be more pragmatic around data access for research purposes without compromising on the existing high standards set by the Trust.

“I am looking forward to working alongside Adam and all Trust colleagues to maintain our Trust’s standards on research data and study governance.”

Tanya Smith, previously Head of Research Informatics at the Trust, will continue her secondment with Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust as Mental Health Data Lead to the Thames Valley and Surrey Secure Data Environment, providing expertise and specialisation to develop the region’s strengths in this domain.

Avinash Sabbarwal

Avinash Sabbarwal has joined the team as R&D Administrator, having previously held a Team Administrator role at the Kidlington Keystone Mental Health & Wellbeing Hub.

His role includes supporting the R&D team with tasks including minute taking in meetings, managing colleagues’ diaries and assisting with ad hoc requests.

Speaking about his new role, Avinash said: “I’m excited to contribute to the innovative work happening in R&D and to support a team that’s at the forefront of mental health research!

“Mental health is incredibly important to me, and I’m looking forward to assisting the team in their efforts to explore new ways to support mental health and improve lives. Helping to facilitate this is important and something I truly value.”

For any queries relating to Strategic Liaison contact claudia.hurducas@oxfordhealth.nhs.uk.

For any queries relating to Research Informatics, please contact Adam.Pill@oxfordhealth.nhs.uk and Nnenna.Omeje@oxfordhealth.nhs.uk.

For R&D administrator queries please Avinash.Sabbarwal@oxfordhealth.nhs.uk.