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Rebecca Maier is head of the Academic Cardiovascular Unit. She was previously a member of the senior leadership team in the UKCRC Registered Clinical Trials Unit at Newcastle University, and prior to that was co-director of the Clinical Trials Unit at Durham University.
Rebecca regularly collaborates with clinicians, statisticians, and health economists, and her work has enabled growth in the number of clinical trials led by clinical investigators from across the North East.
She is co-applicant on a number of multi-centre national, peer-reviewed clinical trials, including RESTORE, AFFECT, PROACT, UK Mini Mitral, and PrEPS. Rebecca is also a member of National Cardiac Surgery Clinical Trial Initiative heart valve intervention and minimally invasive techniques clinical study group and chairs the National Cardiac Surgery Clinical Trials Initiative Clinical Trials Unit Group.
She is passionate about well designed and robust research that answers questions that are important to patient and clinical communities, and enables medical practice to be evidence based. Over the last decade, the critical importance of patient and public involvement in research has become embedded in every aspect of the research process.
Her work in designing clinical trials has been enhanced by working closely with patient and clinical groups to build and shape proposals that are informed by, and retain, a focus on patients. As a member of the national NIHR CRN ‘Improving Inclusion of Under-Served Groups in Clinical Research’ Steering Group (INCLUDE), Rebecca contributed to national guidance in this area. This work provides a framework that expands PPI work and guides researchers to ensure inclusivity when designing and conducting trials and research; this is a key area of strategic focus for ACU.