New Director appointed to build on research ambition
Birmingham Women’s and Children’s (BWC) NHS Foundation Trust has appointed Kelly Hard as Director of Research Operations.
Kelly arrives at a critical point, just a few months after the release of the Trust’s strategy covering investigation, innovation, improvement, and information (known as the 4is), which has ambitions of contributing to research on a global stage.
On the appointment, Kelly said: “The priority of research across all organisations has been different but has always been highest at this Trust. I am a naturally inquisitive person and so helping, facilitating and supporting others to take part in research is fascinating and motivating.
“I’m hugely excited to be back at this Trust who have a great ambition and a strong strategy in place to become a huge contributor to research locally, nationally and internationally.
“The ‘4i’s’ are the cornerstones of all great research organisations. It is a great opportunity to be able to play a part towards this Trust achieving its ambition.”
Returning to the Trust after leaving in 2019, Kelly is delighted to be back and working with colleagues who she’s described as “friendly, helpful and fully engaged in research”.
Starting her career working for the Office for National Statistics, Kelly started in research by working at a nearby mental health provider as a research and audit assistant.
She said: “I worked on national trials recruiting patients, I wrote protocols, publications and applied for funding alongside the clinical team.”
“From there I moved to Birmingham Women’s Hospital as Research and Development (R&D) Manager and built up the department from a team of one to more than 30 people. I took the team through the merger with our Children’s Hospital and then acted as Head of R&D for the newly formed Trust until April 2019.”
Kelly brings a wealth of experience and knowledge. Two clinical trials in particular stand out for her.
“I started at our Women’s Hospital just as recruitment to closed for the Pulse Ox study, which involved the development of a screening tool for detecting critical congenital heart defects in newborns,” explained Kelly.
“I watched as Professor Andrew Ewer championed this across the world and the UK for newborn screening but was able to see the benefits of this when I had my own three children who were all screened.
“The peace of mind was fantastic and it’s such a simple test. To think that some hospitals couldn’t offer this and yet some had already implemented based on the initial results and feedback was brilliant.”
She was also involved in setting standards to assess, monitor and improve the symptoms in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).
“Working nationally, this was implemented and meant that the provider was able to continue and still do, offer a comprehensive CFS service,” added Kelly.
Kelly took up roles at two more Trusts in the Midlands before returning to the Women’s and Children’s.