20 January 2009

Dundee professor appointed chair of research network for ageing

Professor Marion McMurdo, Head of Ageing and Health at the University of Dundee, has been appointed Chair of the Age and Ageing specialty group of the UK Clinical Research Network (UK CRN).

This newly formed specialty group will bring together researchers from throughout the United Kingdom to improve the delivery of UK CRN portfolio of research.

This is the first clinical ageing network with full UK coverage and offers collaborative research organisation and working in a way which has been lacking to date.

Professor McMurdo commented: 'This new network provides a great opportunity to increase both the quantity and quality of ageing research in the UK. It will allow researchers to work more collaboratively to address the many pressing questions about how to improve the health and wellbeing of our growing older population.'

The Age and Ageing group’s first task will be to obtain an overview of ageing research in the UK via the CRN portfolio and then to work with researchers to reduce barriers to successful trial recruitment. The group can use evidence of research activity to justify the allocation of additional resource to ageing research via NHS support costs. Staff involved in trials featured on the portfolio have free access to national training and education programmes run via the UK CRN.

In the first instance, Clinical Leads from the Comprehensive Local Research Networks in England, together with research leaders from Scotland and Wales will form the core specialty group. The intention is to expand membership to include researchers from non-medical disciplines as well as lay representation.

NOTES TO EDITORS
Professor McMurdo is head of Ageing and Health within the Medical Sciences Division at the University of Dundee. Ageing and Health dedicates its research effort to evaluating ways to delay the onset of disability and to improve health in later life. The group is multidisciplinary with 16 staff currently working on a range of externally funded projects including: using pedometers to help sedentary older women become more active; exercise training in older heart failure patients; giving vitamin D to improve blood pressure control; improving nutrition in older people on discharge from hospital; and using medicines to boost muscles in frail older people.

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