12th May 2022

New Health and Care Research Wales Faculty Director appointed

Professor Monica Busse has been appointed as the Director of the new Health and Care Research Wales Faculty, set up to make sure health and social care researchers have the right training and support to develop their careers.

Over the last 15 years, Professor Busse’s research has contributed to the first evidenced based international physiotherapy clinical guidelines for Huntington’s Disease, and she is currently one of the lead investigators on a study that’s testing a personalised self-management support programme for people living with long-COVID.

Professor Busse, who is based in the Centre for Trials Research at Cardiff University, is also part of the new group of Health and Care Research Wales Senior Research Leaders.

Creating a Welsh research culture

The Health and Care Research Wales Faculty is one of the recommendations in a recent report – Making research careers work: a review of career pathways in health and social care in Wales – which reviewed the current research training and development opportunities available in Wales.

The report highlighted the enablers and barriers and identified recommendations to improve the support and encourage more health and social care professionals to embark on research careers.

Professor Kieran Walshe, Director of Health and Care Research Wales, said:

“Our new Faculty brings together all of our training and development and personal funding award schemes in one place.

“We really want to support the talented people already working in research here in Wales and to also attract the next generation of researchers.

“Professor Busse has a great track record in developing and mentoring early career researchers and she has a high level of expertise in her field of research. I’m looking forward to working with her in this new role.”

Professor Monica Busse, Health and Care Research Wales Faculty Director, said:

“I’m delighted to be appointed as the new Health and Care Research Wales Faculty Director, not least because I’ve been so fortunate in my own research career to benefit from the inspiration and mentorship of truly excellent Welsh researchers and funding support from Welsh Government, and I see this as an opportunity to contribute to the research environment in Wales.

“I have personally experienced many of the highs and lows of a developing research career and hope that I can make a difference to those Welsh health and social care practitioners, educators and researchers who are currently navigating a similar pathway.

“The Making research careers work report highlights the role support, guidance, mentoring schemes and role models can have in the creation of a nationwide research culture. The Faculty, along with the newly appointed Senior Research Leaders, will strive to ensure access to the kind of support, guidance and mentoring, that researchers from all backgrounds want and need in order to progress along their chosen research pathway.”

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