Bella Starling

Director of Public Programmes

email: bella.starling@cmft.nhs.uk

tel: +44 (0)161 276 3368
After studying for her BSc and PhD in Neurosciences at The University of Edinburgh, Bella pursued a career in stem cell research at King’s College London and the Institute of Psychiatry.

During this time, she became active in science communication and gained a Distinction in the Diploma for Science Communication at the University of London (Birkbeck). This led to a stint as an editor and science news writer at Elsevier Publishing before she joined the Wellcome Trust in 2002. There, she worked on several different programmes including the Biomedical Ethics, Medical Humanities and Public Engagement programmes, overseeing funding portfolios in these areas and including a secondment to the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology.

As Director of Public Programmes at Nowgen, she leads and directs Nowgen’s work in public engagement, involvement and education as well as patient-focused research.Bella is a member of the Emerging Sciences Bioethics Advisory Committee (ESBAC), the MHRA’s Patient and Public Engagement Expert Advisory Group and the North West People in Research Forum Executive Committee. She is also on the funding panel for Jeans for Genes and, until recently, was a member of the Human Genetics Commission.