Professors Adam Gordon, Liz Sampson, and Hamish Simpson will chair The Academic Centre for Healthy Ageing (ACHA), a research partnership between Barts Health NHS Trust and Queen Mary University of London
Three professors have been chosen to lead a new research, education, and training centre from Barts Health NHS Trust and Queen Mary University of London.
Professors Adam Gordon, Liz Sampson, and Hamish Simpson have been chosen to chair The Academic Centre for Healthy Ageing (ACHA), which has funding from Barts Charity.
Barts Health NHS Trust runs five hospitals in central and East London, including Whipps Cross Hospital in Leytonstone.
Gordon, Sampson, and Simpson are renowned medical experts in the fields of geriatrics, cognition, and orthopaedics respectively. They will lead ACHA’s mission in addressing key local priorities in healthy ageing research.
ACHA’s specific aims include the generation of research evidence focused on preventing frailty, informing best-practice rehabilitation and recovery following trauma and acute illness, and the management of long term physical and cognitive health conditions including dementia.
In a press statement announcing the chair picks, a spokeswoman for ACHA commented: “Their significant track records, expertise and leadership will be instrumental in delivering an internationally leading and innovative research agenda, to better support healthy ageing across north east London and beyond.”
Professor Gordon, a clinical academic geriatrician who was previously professor of care of older people at the University of Nottingham, said: “I am thrilled to join ACHA and to lead efforts in improving rehabilitation and recovery for older people in north east London. I am looking forward to working with the teams across Barts Health NHS Trust and Queen Mary University of London to advance research and create impactful strategies that support the recovery and resilience of older people. We intend to establish a centre in this part of London that delivers some of the best care in the world.”
Professor Sampson, who previously worked at University College London (UCL) said: “This is a great opportunity to join ACHA and to lead its research on cognition and mental health. By addressing these critical aspects of ageing, we can make significant strides in improving the quality of life for older adults. I am excited to be working in this team and the diverse research and clinical collaboration networks that ACHA will support.”
Meanwhile, Professor Simpson, who is internationally renowned for his expertise in orthopaedics and trauma and previously taught orthopaedics at the University of Oxford, commented: “I am honoured to join the ACHA and contribute to its groundbreaking work in addressing the challenges of multi-morbidity and long-term conditions.
“I look forward to leading research into maintaining mobility in adults and enhancing return of function after injury in older individuals and collaborating with colleagues in Barts Health NHS Trust, Queen Mary University and the local community to develop innovative solutions that promote healthy ageing of all adults, compress morbidity and enhance the health and wellbeing of older adults.”
Earlier this week, Barts and Barking, Havering, and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust (BHRUT) announced they would each appoint different chairs, doing away with the “chair in common” role that was previously held by Jacqui Smith.
The move comes after plans to effectively merge the boards of Barts and BHRUT were indefinitely paused. The board merger was part of plans to form “one hospital group” called Barts NHS Group.
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