Northumbria University professor named among UK's most outstanding health and care research leaders

A Northumbria University professor has been appointed as one of the UK's most influential health and care researchers, joining a prestigious national college of senior research leaders.

Professor Tracy Finch, Professor of Nursing in the School of Healthcare and Nursing Sciences, has been appointed as an NIHR Senior Investigator — an award recognising outstanding leadership and exceptional contribution to applied health and care research.

Professor Finch is among 59 Senior Investigators appointed in NIHR's latest cohort, spanning a wide range of specialties and disciplines, including paediatrics, podiatry, dentistry, nursing and midwifery, statistics, discovery science and health services research. Of those, 43 are newly appointed — including Professor Finch — and 16 are reappointed. They join a College of NIHR Senior Investigators that now stands at approximately 200 active members.

Professor Finch's work focuses on implementation science — the study of how research evidence can be most effectively translated into real improvements in patient care and health services. Put simply, her expertise helps to bridge the gap between what research tells us works and what actually happens in practice. She is internationally recognised for her work on Normalisation Process Theory, a widely used framework for designing and evaluating complex health interventions.

Professor Finch said: "I am delighted and honoured to be appointed as an NIHR Senior Investigator. This recognises the collaborative work I do to ensure that research to improve health and care for patients and populations considers implementation from the start, and throughout. This prestigious award will help me to share my expertise in new ways, mentoring earlier career researchers, and extending my collaborations. I look forward to shaping NIHR's portfolio of activities and to learning from other leaders in the NIHR community."

The appointment brings with it discretionary funding of £15,000 per year for four years to support research activities. Professor Finch plans to use this to develop new training opportunities and masterclasses for researchers and health practitioners across the UK, as well as updated online resources to support those working on implementation projects in health and care settings. She will also contribute to NIHR's national leadership activities, including funding panels and career development programmes, and will mentor early-career researchers through the NIHR Academy.

The new cohort reflects NIHR's commitment to recognising excellence across the full breadth of health and care research.

Professor Lucy Chappell, Chief Executive Officer of NIHR and Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department of Health and Social Care, said the appointments reinforced "NIHR's commitment to supporting excellence wherever it is found and ensuring that research leadership mirrors the communities and professions it serves."

Professor Joanne Atkinson, Pro Vice-Chancellor for the Faculty of Health and Wellbeing at Northumbria University, added: "Tracy's appointment as an NIHR Senior Investigator is thoroughly deserved and a fitting recognition of the impact her work has on health and care research nationally and internationally.

“Her expertise in implementation science is genuinely distinctive — she has built a global reputation for helping researchers and practitioners ensure that evidence drives real change for patients and communities.

“We are enormously proud to have Tracy leading this work from Northumbria, and this appointment reflects the growing strength and ambition of health and life sciences research at our university.”