TMED11 Conference
Shaping Future Healthcare with Clinical Research and Personalised Prescribing
Join us at the historic Guildhall, Derry-Londonderry for the 11th TMED Conference – a leading international event in translational medicine bringing together clinical researchers, academics, industry partners and healthcare innovators from across the UK and Europe.
MEET THE SPEAKERS
Dr Frances Burns
Lead for the HSC Data Institute Northern Ireland Trusted Research Environment (NITRE)
Dr Frances Burns is an expert in privacy and governance in the secondary use of data for research and evaluation, and Secure Data environments. She is lead for the HSC Data Institute Northern Ireland Trusted Research Environment (NITRE), and legislation and statutory regulation for secondary use of health and social care data. She is Co-founder and Director of the Northern Ireland Public Data Panel (NIPDP) a cross-sectoral infrastructure for public dialogue in Northern Ireland.
Dr Nazia Chaudhuri
Clinical Senior Lecturer in Medicine / Consultant in Respiratory Medicine
Dr Nazia Chaudhuri is a respiratory physician with a specialist interest in interstitial lung disease (ILD). She is senior clinical lecturer at Ulster University and is lead of the Northern Ireland ILD network. She is chair of the British Thoracic Society (BTS) ILD registry working group and was chair of the BTS interstitial and rare lung disease specialist advisory group from Nov 2020 to 2023. She is also a member of the European Respiratory Society (ERS) ILD long range planning committee, an ERS ILD mentor and the secretary of the ERS idiopathic interstitial pneumonia ILD assembly. She is the secretary of the Irish Thoracic Society and member of the ILD working group. She is a trustee of the patient charity Pulmonary Fibrosis Northern Ireland (PFNI) and the NI rare disease partnership.
Prof David Gibson
Professor of Medicine
Professor David Gibson is Professor of Personalised Medicine and Translational Research Cluster Lead of the Personalised Medicine Centre, within the School of Medicine, at Ulster University.
Dr Sophie Harding
All Wales Consultant Pharmacist for Pharmacogenomics
Sophie registered as a pharmacist in 2004 and has 17 years' experience within oncology services. In 2020, Sophie co-led the implementation of DPYD testing alongside senior medical colleagues which was later spread across Wales by the All-Wales Medical Genomics Service (AWMGS) winning a MediWales award (2021). The first pharmacist Genomics Champion in Wales, Sophie also co-led the set-up of the National Pharmacogenomics Group (NPGG) in Wales in 2022.
Prof Cathy Harrison
Chief Pharmaceutical Officer
Professor Cathy Harrison is the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer for Northern Ireland, working at the Department of Health.
Prof Nigel Hart
Clinical Professor
QUB Professor of General Practice and Primary Care, GP, Medical Education, Primary Care Research, Inclusion Health, Mountaineer, QCommunity
Prof Henk-Jan Guchelaar
Professor of Clinical Pharmacy
Henk-Jan Guchelaar studied Pharmacy at the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen (RuG) and specialized as a hospital pharmacist and clinical pharmacologist. Since 2003, he is employed as a clinical pharmacist and clinical pharmacologist and professor of clinical pharmacy. From 2003-2025 he was chair of the department of Clinical Pharmacy & Toxicology, and since 2018 also chair of the board of one (Research and Diagnostics) of the four Divisions at Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC). In 2023-2024 he served as board member a.i. at LUMC and dean Medical Faculty at Leiden University. From 2025 he is vice-chair of the board of LUMC. Since october 2008, he is also appointed professor of Clinical Pharmacy at the Faculty of Science, Leiden Academic Center for Drug Research, University Leiden and chair of the Leiden University focus area ‘Translational Drug Discovery and Development’. Pharmaceutical patientcare in oncology is his main area of clinical interest. He is program leader of the research program ‘Personalised Therapeutics’ investigating interindividual variability of drug response with an emphasis on pharmacogenomics. He is (co-)author of more than 700 (Web of Science indexed) articles (Pubmed: 500) in international peer reviewed scientific journals (H-index= 74). Guchelaar was coordinator of the EU funded Horizon 2020 project Ubiquitous Pharmacogenomics (www.upgx.eu) aimed at implementing pre-emptive pharmacogenomic testing in the EU. From 2010-2016 he was a member of the national Central Committee on Research Involving Human Subjects, from 2003-2017, he was vice-chair of the Dutch Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Biopharmacy, and in 2016-2022 he was member of the Dutch Medicines Evaluation Board. From 2017-2023, he was member of Council for Medical Sciences of the Royal Dutch Academy of Science and since 2020 member of the Academia Europea. Henk-Jan is founder of the new Master of Pharmacy, Leiden University Medical Center, University of Leiden.
Jessica Keen
Wellcome 4Ward North Clinical PhD Fellow
Jessica Keen is a Wellcome 4Ward North clinical doctoral fellow, whose research focusses on the implementation of pharmacogenomic panel testing into systemic anti-cancer treatment pathways. Her PhD builds on the MSc in Genomic Medicine she completed in 2022 and a pre-doctoral research fellowship with the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Greater Manchester. Previously, Jess was the Pharmacy Lead at the NHS NorthWest Genomic Medicines Service Alliance, working to embed genomic medicine into routine clinical pathways and ensure equity of access to genomic testing and treatments for patients. She has particular interest in the role of pharmacy teams and the wider workforce in the implementation of pharmacogenomics in the NHS. Within the NHS England Network of Excellence in Pharmacogenomics and Medicines Optimisation, she led a collaboration with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society to develop a pharmacogenomic competency resource aligned to the Competency Framework for all prescribers. Her background is as an oncology pharmacist prescriber at the Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester, where she specialises in gastrointestinal cancers. She is co-chair of the British Oncology Pharmacy Association (BOPA) Genomic Medicine Advisory Group.
Dr Joanna Jenkinson PhD OBE
Director of Research and Development Policy
Dr Joanna Jenkinson MBE is Director of Research and Development Policy at the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) where her remit spans discovery science, translational, pre-clinical and clinical research and development. Previously Jo was Director of the GW4 Alliance, a research alliance of the universities of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter and held various roles at the Medical Research Council (MRC). As Head of Infection and Immunity she co-led the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) / Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) / National Institute for Heath and Care Research (NIHR) rapid response calls for Covid-19 research.
Alex Matos
Specialist Clinical Pharmacist
Alex Matos, Specialist Clinical Pharmacist, Ninewells Hospital, Dundee – NHS Tayside Alex is a specialist clinical pharmacist and independent prescriber, with over 20 years of experience.
Dr Shane McKee
Consultant in Genetic and Genomic Medicine
Shane is a Consultant in Genetic and Genomic Medicine at the Northern Ireland Regional Genetics Service based at Belfast City Hospital.
Dr Damien McNally
GP Partner
Dr Damien McNally | Founder & Principal Investigator, Ormeau Clinical Trials With over 23 years of experience working alongside global pharmaceutical leaders, Dr Damien McNally is a driving force in Industry sponsored clinical research in Northern Ireland. As Founder of Ormeau Clinical Trials, he leads a high-performing research site recognised for delivering high-quality trials across multiple therapeutic areas, helping bring innovative treatments from early phase to regulatory approval. Under his leadership, the clinic has achieved major industry recognition, including becoming GSK’s first UK PEER site and being selected as part of Moderna’s UK strategic partnership, accelerating the delivery of commercial vaccine trials. Dr McNally has served as Principal Investigator on a wide range of studies, building a reputation for clinical excellence, reliability and patient-centred research. His work as a NHS GP and Principal Investigator bridges frontline medicine with global innovation, ensuring patients from all over Northern Ireland have access to the latest advancements in healthcare.
Prof Alex Miras
Professor of Endocrinology
Alex Miras is Professor of Endocrinology at Ulster University. His clinical and research work focus solely on Obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Edel O'Doherty
Chief Executive, Developing Healthy Communities
Edel O’Doherty is the current Chief Executive of Developing Healthy Communities (DHC), a role she stepped into in October 2022 after a distinguished career in health and social care.
Vivienne Parry OBE
Science Writer and Broadcaster
Vivienne Parry OBE is best known as a science writer and broadcaster and has hosted many programmes for the BBC including Tomorrow's World.
Professor Mahendra Patel OBE
Professor of Pharmacy / Pharmaceutical Practice
Professor Mahendra Patel OBE is a British pharmacist, academic, and healthcare leader. He is known for his work in advancing pharmacy practice, improving patient safety, and addressing health inequalities. He has held senior roles with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and contributed to global health initiatives with organizations such as the World Health Organization. He was awarded an OBE for his services to pharmacy and public health.
Prof Aaron Peace
Consultant Cardiologist / Director of Research and Development
Professor Aaron Peace is a practicing Cardiologist, who subspecialises in Interventional Cardiology with particular interest in performing Complex stent implantation procedures.
Prof Sir Munir Pirmohamed
David Weatherall Chair in Medicine
Professor Sir Munir Pirmohamed (MB ChB, PhD, FRCPE, FRCP, FFPM. FRSB, FBPhS, FMedSci) is David Weatherall Chair in Medicine at the University of Liverpool.
Dr Vanessa Quinn PhD
Clinical Programme Manager
Dr Vanessa Quinn is the Clinical Programme Manager for R&D at the Western Health and Social Care Trust, with strong expertise in research strategy, delivery, and stakeholder engagement. She leads the research component of the City Deal R&D Expansion Project and heads Northern Ireland’s first mobile research clinic, focusing on improving access to and integration of clinical research in healthcare.
Tim Sprosen
Director for Recruitment Strategy
Tim Sprosen is Director for Recruitment Strategy at Our Future Health, the world’s largest prospective cohort study, with over 2.5 million consented participants and 1.5 million blood samples.
Prof Jesse Swen
Professor of Clinical Pharmacy
Jesse Swen is a Professor of Clinical Pharmacy and Clinical Pharmacologist at Leiden University Medical Center, specialising in pharmacogenetics. His research focuses on how genetic variation affects drug response and how to apply pharmacogenomics in clinical care, with leadership roles in major European implementation projects and guidelines.
Dr Mark Watson PhD
Scientific Laboratory Manager
Mark Watson is Scientific Laboratory Manager at WHSCT’s Precision Diagnostic Laboratory in C-TRIC, specialising in clinical genomics and pharmacogenomics. He leads development of a new PGx testing service across Northern Ireland and Ireland, including UKAS ISO15189 accreditation, bringing advanced genomic technologies into routine patient care.
