Sheffield Hospitals Charity announces new ambassadors
Posted: 17th January 2025
Health research is vital to unlocking the potential of new ideas that can significantly improve people’s health and wellbeing. Sheffield Hospitals Charity plays a critical role in funding research projects and innovations that enhance the lives of people across Sheffield.
We are pleased to announce that our CEO Richard Stubbs will join the charity as an ambassador alongside Professor Bola Owolabi, Director of the National Healthcare Inequalities Improvement Programme at NHS England. These new roles form part of the charity’s new strategy, and will see Richard draw on his extensive experience in health innovation to help shape the charity’s approach and further its work across the city.
Talking about his new role, Richard commented: “I am pleased to support Sheffield Hospitals Charity by accepting the role of ambassador for maximising technology, research and innovation – one of the charity’s four funding priorities.
“My experience in working with the NHS, academic partners and health innovators will allow me to share specialist information, help to shape the charity’s approach to funding in this space and to champion their work across the city. I’ve also worked closely with Bola and share her passion and enthusiasm for tackling health inequalities and within that, the digital divide which is prevalent here in Sheffield.”
Richard recently led the launch of our YHealth for Growth white paper, ‘Empowering Local Places for Health and Prosperity: Perspectives from Yorkshire and the Humber’, in collaboration with NHS Confed and Yorkshire Universities. The white paper highlights how addressing health inequalities can drive both economic growth and community wellbeing, a theme which aligns closely with his work as an ambassador. Richard’s focus on innovation, research and development as a means to improve health outcomes is also echoed as part of the white paper’s recommendations, reinforcing his commitment to bridging the gap between health and economic prosperity for the benefit of local communities.
As Chief Executive of Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber and Chair of the national Health Innovation Network, Richard’s role as an ambassador complements his broader efforts to champion the role of life sciences and technology in enhancing patient care across the region.
Sheffield Hospitals Charity CEO Beth Crackles added: “We have funded many excellent research projects and innovations, working in collaboration with colleagues in the Clinical Research and Innovation Office at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS FT. We’re now thinking more strategically about what we fund across technology, research and innovation, so it’s more cohesive as a programme and delivers more for Sheffield’s NHS and its patients. Richard’s contribution will be game-changing for us.
“From researching potential links between the immune system and epilepsy, to funding bone drills for less painful bone marrow extraction and virtual reality and environmental controls for spinal cord injury patients, we’re covering a lot of ground. With Richard’s input, this area of our funding will only get better.”
If you would like to find out more about our work or have any questions about the white paper, please email info@healthinnovationyh.com
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