John joined the Insight Panel in 2020. He is the chair of LIVErNORTH, a national liver patient support charity that has been established 30 years. John is also a patient advocate, counsellor and editor of LIVErNEWS national patient support newsletter. His wide experience as a Charity Chair, NHS FT hospital governor, St. John Ambulance Commissioner and Fire & Rescue Commander has provided him with a large network of contacts, colleagues and the public to call upon for opinions, views and advice.
John Simpson is Professor of Respiratory Medicine at Newcastle University, an honorary consultant in Respiratory Medicine at Newcastle Hospitals, and an NIHR Senior Investigator. John has been a Director of the NIHR HRC in Diagnostic and Technology Evaluation since its origins in 2012 as the previously named NIHR Newcastle Diagnostics Evidence Co-operative (DEC) Newcastle. He led the DEC’s successful bid to become an NIHR MIC in 2017 and HRC in 2024.
John is also a founding member of Diagnostics North East, a coordinated network of organisations that aim to improve patient care through the development, evaluation and adoption of most promising new diagnostics.
His research interests largely focus on infection in critically ill patients. He has been chief investigator for four successfully completed randomised controlled trials, one of which studied a novel diagnostic strategy for ventilator-associated pneumonia in 22 UK intensive care units. His main clinical interests are in pneumonia, pulmonary embolism and interstitial lung disease.
Andrew is Head of Department, Northern Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals. He is co-director of the NIHR HealthTech Research Centre in Diagnostic and Technology Evaluation, hosted by Newcastle Hospitals and Newcastle University, and was Deputy Director of its predecessor, the NIHR MIC, from 2017 to 2024. He was Director of the Newcastle NICE External Assessment Group from 2011 to 2025, which supported NICE committees in guidance development for med-tech, diagnostic and digital products. He is a member of the NIHR Product Development Award Panel A. Andrew’s current research interest is in the use of real-world data for outcomes research, service improvement and technology assessment.
Now retired, I worked for 40 years in Education in the Grammar, Comprehensive, FE and HE sectors initially as a teacher/lecturer in the Sciences and then in senior management roles involving both quality and audit systems. Throughout this time I have developed a wide range of skill sets.
With a scientific background I have always had a passion for the benefits of research. The last two decades have seen incredible advances in medical research. It is essential that the public at large can contribute to this by bringing opinions and ideas to the research community. In addition, I have personal experience of acting as a carer and as such can bring a patient and carer perspective to discussions.
I therefore believe I can bring a logical, scientific, common sense, and above all a supportive approach as a public contributor with the Health Tech Research Centre. Finally, last but by no means least, it’s rewarding on a personal level to put something back, however small into the scientific community.
Rachel joined the HRC as a methodologist in 2024. She has a PhD specialising in Bayesian statistics and an integrated Master’s degree in mathematics and statistics, both from Newcastle University. In addition to working within the HRC, Rachel she half her time working within Newcastle University’s School of Mathematics, Statistics and Physics.
Within the HRC, Rachel specialises in quantitative evidence generation for novel diagnostic tests. This involves conducting statistical analyses at all stages of the evidence generation pathway. She also has an interest in improving the statistical methodology used within diagnostic studies, with a particular interest in incorporating Bayesian designs and analyses into the diagnostic development pathway.
Ella joined the team in September 2025 as a Technical Specialist – Diagnostic Analyst. In this role, she supports evidence‑generation projects through the assessment and evaluation of emerging diagnostic tests and technologies using approaches such as care pathway analysis.
Before starting her position in 2025, Ella completed a four‑month summer internship with the HRC, formerly the MIC, in 2023, where she gained experience in qualitative research methodologies and multiple long‑term conditions following her undergraduate degree in Psychology. She went on to complete an MSc in Clinical Psychology at Newcastle University, developing a strong foundation in both qualitative and quantitative research methods. Alongside her postgraduate studies, Ella worked as a mental health support worker, further strengthening her practical clinical experience. Her research interests span mental health, neurodegenerative conditions, women’s health, and public and patient involvement and engagement.
Chloe oversees MedConnect North. This service supports medical technology companies and individuals seeking to conduct research within health and care settings. MedConnect North offers a comprehensive range of support, including horizon scanning, the development of patient-facing documentation, guidance with regulatory approvals, and the identification of appropriate research sites.
Her primary role is engaging with innovators to understand their needs and explaining ways that the team can provide support. Alongside this, Chloe has operational oversight of the service. She ensures it runs effectively while proactively identifying opportunities for networking, collaboration, and service improvement.
Chloe is also a Project Manager at Health Innovation North East and North Cumbria where she provides innovator support and is involved in a variety of projects.
I am, in active retirement, a patient and public voice advocate. I try to represent and amplify public involvement as a member of the Patient and Public Voice Assurance Group. This looks at specialised commissioning nationally. Here in Newcastle, I am a Public Governor at Newcastle Hospitals and lead my GP’s Patients’ Voice Group. My skills focus on improving communication. My aim is to ensure the public voice is heard and that we all understand what is happening so that we can respond in an informed and positive way. The HRC values clarity of communication and the public interest throughout its work, so it is a pleasure to support them.
Camille Carroll is a Professor of Clinical Neuroscience and Honorary Consultant Neurologist at Newcastle University. Her research is focused on disease modification and the use of digital health technologies for monitoring and personalised care in Parkinson’s disease. She is co-chief investigator of the Edmond J Safra ACT-PD. This is a multi-arm, multi-stage platform trial for disease modifying interventions in Parkinson’s disease. Camille has also led the development of a UK national web-based Parkinson’s research registry. She co-chairs the international Linked Clinical Trials Committee, which prioritises repurposed drugs for disease modification trials in Parkinson’s. She is also the joint clinical director of the Parkinson’s UK Parkinson’s Excellence Network.
Rachel is a geneticist with a passion for communicating health and care research. She joined the team in 2018 and was appointed as a Communications and Engagement Manager in 2022. She has a PhD in Genetics from the University of Birmingham and 12 years’ postdoctoral research experience at University of Edinburgh and Newcastle University. Over her academic career Rachel applied her genetics knowledge to advance different fields of medical research. As well as research she gained experience in a variety of activities including public engagement and teaching.
Her work at the HRC includes: developing and managing content for our website, social media and reports; organising training courses and championing Research Inclusion. She sees her role as a fantastic opportunity to help facilitate and communicate the activities and impact of our HRC.
Dr Jess Dyson is the deputy lead for our Precision Medicine and Rare Diseases theme. She is an NHS consultant hepatologist at Freeman Hospital in Newcastle. Her sub-specialty interests are in autoimmune liver disease and liver transplantation. Jess leads the clinical service for patients with autoimmune liver disease. She also runs the regional service for second-line therapies for patients with high risk primary biliary cholangitis (PBC). Jess is also an honorary clinical senior lecturer at Newcastle University. She undertakes translational clinical research with a particular focus on autoimmune liver disease, risk stratification and identification of disease biomarkers. Jess is principal investigator for the UK national study for patients with autoimmune hepatitis that focuses on improving therapy for patients. She is also a member of the BASL SIG for autoimmune liver disease and the IAIHG and IPSCSG. Jess completed her PhD in 2019. Her studies investigated the potential environmental risk factors related to autoimmune liver disease. She is also a co-author on the UK guidelines for PBC, primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) and autoimmune hepatitis (AIH).
Gary spent his career within H M Civil Service and Local Government, in finance, Benefits, Government grants and taxation roles. He most enjoyed dealing with the public and engaging with speciality interest groups within Newcastle at their own locations. This promoted access to services for those who are often excluded.
He has spent considerable time since 2017 working in a voluntary capacity with Newcastle Hospitals, in various roles. This expanded Gary’s knowledge of how a large hospital operates and how patients navigate NHS services – not always successfully.
Gary started working with the team in 2020, at the inception of the Insight Panel – during Covid. This presented some challenges in assembling as a group for a few years!
Acting as a ‘’sounding board’’ for prospective research proposals from scientific professionals was a key incentive for Gary to participate on the Insight Panel. The unique input and perspectives of the Insight Panel have influenced a huge variety of (successfully funded!) research projects.
Gary retains a keen interest in identifying how health research can become much more accessible to the wider public, especially those who are generally never invited or involved, thereby missing out on interesting opportunities because of barriers that can often be overcome.
