New appointments to NIHR Manchester Clinical Research Facility leadership team

Following the recent departure of Professor Nick Webb, to take up a new role in the pharmaceutical industry, Professor Jacky Smith has been appointed as Director of the Manchester Clinical Research Facility (CRF) for an interim 12 month period.

Jacky Smith is a Professor of Respiratory Medicine at the University of Manchester and an Honorary Consultant at the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. She runs a multi-disciplinary research team whose focus is on understanding mechanisms underlying pathological cough and a regional clinical service seeing patients with refractory chronic cough.

Jacky previously held the post of Director of the Wythenshawe Respiratory CRF (2012-2017) prior to the amalgamation of the three CRFs in the latest funding round. In her new role she will now lead all four CRF sites across Manchester under a single strategy, as well continuing with the post of Medical Director at the Wythenshawe CRF.

I am excited to take up the role of interim Director for the NIHR Manchester CRF. Being a unique CRF with four sites across Manchester allows us to conduct a diverse range of experimental medicine research, as well as offer more patients the opportunity to get involved with research.  

Professor Jacky Smith

The following interim appointments have also been made:

Manchester CRF at Manchester Royal Infirmary Medical Director – Dr Ben Parker

Ben is a Consultant Rheumatologist at Manchester Royal Infirmary (MRI) and has held the post of Assistant Director at the CRF at MRI for a number of years. He also holds the post of Training Lead for the NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre and Manchester CRF.

Manchester CRF at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital Medical Director – Dr Simon Jones

Simon is a Consultant in Paediatric Inherited Metabolic Disease at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital (RMCH) and has been Principal Investigator on many early phase studies being delivered at Manchester CRF.