Congratulations to Caroline Saunders, winner of the NIHR Outstanding Research Leader Award
NIHR proudly announced the winners of the NIHR20 Research Leaders Prizes. These awards, are a part of NIHR twentieth anniversary celebrations, divided into two categories of awards recognising outstanding individuals who lead and deliver research across health and social care.
The NIHR20 Rising Research Leaders prize recognises exceptional early to mid-career researchers, while the NIHR20 Research Delivery Leaders prize recognises individuals who showed exceptional leadership in delivering research. The awards continue NIHR’s commitment to supporting talent across health and care research careers.
The prizes attracted a strong and diverse field of applicants from across the NIHR community. Winners were selected for their contributions to research leadership, innovation, inclusion and impact. Together, they showcase the breadth of careers that underpin health and care research, from clinical academia and social care research to research delivery and community-based research.
We are delighted to share the news that Caroline Saunders, our Director of Operations (below) has won a NIHR20 Research Leaders Prize for her exceptional leadership in delivering NIHR portfolio research and championing participation across health and care settings.
Caroline Saunders, NIHR Cambridge CRF Director of Operations
For the past 25 years, Caroline’s work and dedication have been instrumental in establishing and developing a first-class NIHR Clinical Research Facility (CRF) at the Cambridge Biomedical Campus.
Her impressive career includes co-founding the UKCRF Network, implementing a Children’s Executive Board and leading urgent Covid-19 research studies.
Caroline also managed the development of the five-story Cambridge Clinical Research Centre and expansion of the CRF to a seven-unit facility with its own endoscopy suite, labs, early phase trial ward, metabolic suite and inpatient and outpatient wards for both children and adults.
Caroline’s strategic and operational delivery expertise is recognised nationally and internationally. Under her exceptional leadership, the NIHR CRF: Cambridge has supported more than 200,000 patient visits, contributed to securing £43m in NIHR funding and seen ground-breaking research, including the artificial pancreas, capsule sponge and Covid-19 trials.
Caroline said:
“It’s a great honour to receive this award and to place Clinical Research Facilities front and centre.
“My thanks go to CRF staff past and present and the many investigators who go the extra mile to support patients taking part in research. It’s a fabulous environment to work in.”
Professor Lucy Chappell, Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department of Health and Social Care and Chief Executive Officer of NIHR, said: “These prizes highlight the exceptional talent and dedication found across our health and care research community. Our winners represent the best of research leadership, driving life-changing improvements for patients – nationally and internationally – and tackling inequalities head-on.
“Our research workforce is critical to sustaining UK research capability and ensuring innovation is translated into better care and outcomes for patients. The UK’s strength in research depends on the people who lead, deliver and apply it.
“As we mark 20 years of the NIHR, we are proud to celebrate these outstanding individuals who are strengthening health and social care and making research more inclusive. The quality of the field was outstanding, and every winner should be immensely proud.”
The NIHR funds the training and development of health and care research careers, supporting a pipeline of talent from early career researchers through to established research leaders and helping build the workforce needed to deliver research and adopt innovation.
Find out more about the NIHR20 Research Leaders Prizes
