Professor John Macleod awarded NIHR Senior Investigator status

3 March 2021

Professor John Macleod, joint Head of the Centre for Academic Primary Care at the University of Bristol and Director of the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) West, is one of 31 academics in the UK to be awarded Senior Investigator status by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) in 2021.

NIHR Senior Investigators are among the most prominent and prestigious researchers funded by the NIHR and the most outstanding leaders of patient and people-based research within the NIHR research community.

Following open competition, 31 researchers have been newly appointed as NIHR Senior Investigators this year, in the 14th annual round of appointments. They are joined by 15 current or previous holders of the award who have been reappointed as Senior Investigators for a second term, bringing the total number of appointments for 2021 to 46.

NIHR Senior Investigators are critical to augmenting the ongoing success of NIHR, and developing the health research capability fit for the challenges we must meet.

Collectively, Senior Investigators constitute the NIHR College of Senior Investigators, and are members of the NIHR Academy.

Professor Macleod said: "It's great to receive this recognition from the NIHR. It mainly reflects how lucky I've been to have the opportunity to work with fantastic and talented people, like my amazing colleagues at the Centre for Academic Primary Care and ARC West. I am looking forward to keeping on doing this, supporting the NIHR academy and trying to make a difference together".

An independent expert committee chaired by Professor Marion Walker advised on the 2021 appointments.

NIHR Senior Investigator status is awarded according to:

criteria of contribution to NIHR
quality and volume of internationally excellent research
its relevance to patients and the public
impact on improvements in healthcare and public health
research leadership
engagement of patients and the public
engagement of healthcare policy makers and planners with their research.

Emeritus Senior Investigator status has also been newly awarded to 21 researchers, giving a total of 188 Emeritus Senior Investigators.

Full details of the 2021 NIHR Senior Investigator and Senior Investigator Emeritus appointments are available on the NIHR website. Full details of all NIHR Senior Investigators are available on the NIHR Senior Investigators Directory, which is updated in April each year.

The 15th annual round of the NIHR Senior Investigators Competition will be announced in summer 2021. Leading researchers funded by the NIHR (and who are employed by an NHS Trust, university or charity based in England) are encouraged to apply. Further details about the competition will be made available on the NIHR website.

Further information

About the Centre for Academic Primary Care
The Centre for Academic Primary Care (CAPC) at the University of Bristol is a leading centre for primary care research in the UK, one of nine forming the NIHR School for Primary Care Research. It sits within Bristol Medical School, an internationally recognised centre of excellence for population health research and teaching. Follow us on Twitter: @capcbristol.

About NIHR ARC West
The NIHR Applied Research Collaboration West (ARC West) conducts applied health research with its partners and others in the health and care sector, alongside patients and members of the public. Applied health research aims to address the immediate issues facing the health and social care system. ARC West also helps bring research evidence into practice and provides training for the local workforce.

About the National Institute for Health Research
The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is the nation's largest funder of health and care research. The NIHR:

funds, supports and delivers high quality research that benefits the NHS, public health and social care
engages and involves patients, carers and the public in order to improve the reach, quality and impact of research
attracts, trains and supports the best researchers to tackle the complex health and care challenges of the future
invests in world-class infrastructure and a skilled delivery workforce to translate discoveries into improved treatments and services
partners with other public funders, charities and industry to maximise the value of research to patients and the economy.

The NIHR was established in 2006 to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research, and is funded by the Department of Health and Social Care. In addition to its national role, the NIHR supports applied health research for the direct and primary benefit of people in low- and middle-income countries, using UK aid from the UK government.