IEH committee members

Julie Hogg, Group Chief Nurse of University Hospitals of Leicester (UHL) NHS Trust, and University Hospitals of Northamptonshire (UHN) NHS Group, Honorary Professor, University of Leicester.

Julie Hogg is Chief Nurse at UHL and Interim Group Chief Nurse at UHN NHS Group. She is a registered Nurse and Midwife and has 20 years of experience in the acute sector. Julie has completed her Nye Bevan NHS Leadership Academy Award in Executive Leadership and was awarded a Daisy Leadership Award in 2022. In March 2024, Julie was appointed as an Honorary Professor with the School of Healthcare at the University of Leicester.

Professor Nigel Brunskill is Professor of Renal Medicine at the University of Leicester, and an Honorary Consultant Nephrologist at UHL, where he remains clinically active and jointly leads the Renal Obstetrics service. Nigel has been active in clinical research for over 30 years. He is Director of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Leicester Clinical Research Facility (CRF), Director of Research and Innovation for UHL, Director of Clinical Research for the University of Leicester’s College of Life Sciences, and Director of the Leicestershire Academic Health Partners group.

Professor Debi Bhattacharya is a Professor of Behavioural Medicine at the University of Leicester and a Primary Care Pharmacist. She leads a portfolio of research that applies behavioural science to medicine-related challenges. Her work focuses on deprescribing and medication adherence. She is currently leading two research programmes: CHARMER, a £2.4m funded research programme to design and test a deprescribing intervention, and IMAB-Qi, a £2.7m funded research programme to design and test a medication adherence intervention.

Professor David Wright is Head of the School of Healthcare at the University of Leicester, with research expertise in the development and evaluation of complex interventions, feasibility studies and the delivery of definitive trials. He has secured over £8m in research funding as Principal Investigator, operating as a lead or co-applicant on a wide range of grants. He has secured two studentships and has published over 100 peer-reviewed papers.

Danielle is a registered Midwife and has 20 years of experience in the NHS. Danni has held operational and leadership roles across the acute, community, ambulance, and commissioning sector. Danni has also worked for NHS England in a variety of regional posts. Danni has completed her MSc in Health and Social Care alongside several leadership programmes such as Getting to Equity and the NHS Director of Nursing Talent Pipeline. Danni joined UHL in January 2023 as Director of Midwifery and Deputy Chief Nurse with a portfolio spanning Women’s & Children’s services, as well as Genomics. She has also supported Nursing and Midwifery recruitment, retention, and pastoral support projects. Danni is one of three Patient Safety Specialists for the Trust. 

Clare is a registered Physiotherapist with more than 25 years of experience of working within the NHS. Her clinical interest are in musculoskeletal and orthopedics cases, working across acute, community and primary care services as a clinician. Throughout her career, she has supported research activity and advocated for others to develop the skills and knowledge required to deliver research activity in their areas of expertise. Completing her MSc in Healthcare Leadership, she then moved into operational management, overseeing a wide range of services and taking up a strategic leadership position in an acute teaching hospital and then an integrated care system before moving into her role at UHL in March 2023.

Hayley Grafton is the Chief Nursing Information Officer for UHL, and has been a registered Nurse for over 20 years. Hayley has a clinical background in Intensive Care Nursing and Practice Education. In her role, Hayley leads the digital agenda for the Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professionals area, striving to improve healthcare and research capabilities with technology. Hayley has a Master’s Degree in Digital Health Leadership from Imperial College London. She has a keen interest in research and evidence-based practice and has contributed to this field as the editor of the latest Royal Marsden Manual for Clinical Nursing Procedures. 

Professor Joseph Manning is a leading clinical academic in Nursing and Child Health, holding joint appointments at the University of Leicester and Nottingham Children’s Hospital. He is known for his strategic leadership and dedication to improving outcomes for children and families through multidisciplinary research and education.

Joseph’s research focuses on harm-free care, healthcare transitions, and optimising health outcomes, attracting over £8m in grants. He has received numerous accolades, including the Chief Nursing Officer for England Gold Lifetime Award and an MBE in the Queen’s 2021 Birthday Honours

Duncan Macdonald is Associate Chief Pharmacist at UHL. He has worked within Pharmacy services in acute Trusts for 18 years, including roles in cancer, clinical trials, professional development, clinical assurance, and medicines optimisation. Duncan has Masters degrees in both Oncology and Healthcare Leadership. He has an interest in promoting and supporting Consultant and advanced-level Pharmacy practice.

Mohamed Rahman is the Chief Pharmacist and Controlled Drugs Accountable Officer at UHL. Mohamed is a registered Pharmacist with over 25 years experience in the acute sector. He has worked in and held senior leadership or Chief Pharmacist roles at several large acute NHS Trusts in England, including Royal Liverpool University Hospitals, Nottingham University Hospitals, United Lincolnshire Hospitals, Sherwood Forest Hospitals and UHL. Mohamed was a member of the UK Commission on Pharmacy Professional Leadership (report published in 2023). He holds a prominent role nationally including being the Chair of the United Kingdom Clinical Pharmacy Association (UKCPA) and is a member of the UK Pharmacy Professional Leadership Advisory Board.

Dr. Seth O’Neill is the Research Director for the School of Healthcare, and an Associate Professor of Physiotherapy, at the University of Leicester. He has a PhD in Tendinopathy and a strong interest in lower limb musculoskeletal injuries in athletic and non-athletic individuals, crossing from sporting cohorts to NHS patient populations. His current work examines epidemiology, risk factors and rehabilitation in achilles tendon ruptures, tendinopathy and calf injuries, alongside wider research into rugby, football and lacrosse injuries and injury risk.

Professor Sally Singh is Professor of Pulmonary and Cardiac Rehabilitation at the University of Leicester, as well as Head of Pulmonary and Cardiac Rehabilitation at UHL and Director of the Centre for Exercise and Rehabilitation Science. She is a Senior Investigator and Director of Training for the Leicester NIHR Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), as well as Principal Investigator for a Global Research Group exploring culturally appropriate rehabilitation in low- and middle-income countries, and a project exploring rehabilitation in the multimorbid population. She is also the Director of a Wellcome Trust-funded Doctoral Training Programme.

Linzy has worked in the field of rehabilitation for over 18 years and is a Senior Research Physiotherapist within the Centre for Exercise and Rehabilitation Science (CERS) at Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, as well as an Honorary Senior Lecturer in the Department of Respiratory Sciences at the University of Leicester. Linzy has experience of supporting clinical academic careers for Physiotherapists and Occupational therapists in her role as Research Lead for therapies at UHL since 2017. This has included creating and implementing the Trust’s Therapy Research Strategy. She has mentored several therapists with NIHR academy awards. Linzy is also the Leicester Clinical Academic Practitioner Network (LCAPN) Co-Chair and regionally is the secretary for the Council for Allied Health Professionals in Research (East Midlands CAHPR). Linzy has successfully implemented clinical academic placements for Undergraduate Physiotherapy students at UHL, which have been showcased by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy in their Placement Profiles.