Launch of the NIHR's largest Clinical Research Network Specialty Hub
The Division of Health & Social Care Research celebrated the launch of the NIHR’s largest Clinical Research Network (CRN) Specialty Hub, hosted here at King’s College London under the leadership of Professor Charles Wolfe. The large number of specialties assigned to King’s reflects our strong expertise in these areas.
Specialty Hubs
The NIHR CRN is the research delivery arm of the NHS, providing support, expertise and infrastructure to ensure the high-quality delivery of clinical trials funded by the NIHR. The CRN supports researchers to set up clinical studies quickly and effectively, provides health professionals with research training, and works with patients to ensure their needs are at the very centre of all research activity.
Within the CRN are Specialty Hubs, which bring together multidisciplinary experts in each field to provide strategic oversight on "how best to deliver" clinical research in the NHS for each Specialty. They keep up to date knowledge of the broader clinical research environment and translate changes into CRN strategy to ensure we remain at the forefront of clinical specialty research internationally.
KCL Hub
The KCL Specialty Hub has been awarded £2.1 million of NIHR funding over five years. It has three Cluster Leads: Dr Philip Evans, Professor Stephen Smye and Professor Paul Wallace. The Hub provides clinical leadership for eight Specialties: Anaesthesia, Perioperative Medicine and Pain Management; Critical Care; Health Services and Delivery Research; Injuries and Emergencies; Dermatology; Mental Health; Primary Care; and Public Health.
A new aspect of CRN work led by the Specialty Hubs is harnessing and exploiting areas of emerging technology and innovation. The KCL Hub is leading in the areas of Genomics, Imaging and Translational Medicine. This aspect of its work will be enriched by current KCL infrastructure and partnerships (for example, NIHR BRCs, King’s Genomic Centre, and CLAHRC), thus helping to ensure King’s continues to play a leading role in shaping the world’s largest integrated health research system – the NIHR.
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