Clinical Research
Dr Steve McConchie
Operations & Partnership Director for Lean Life Science
Steve has nearly 30 years of hands-on clinical drug development experience including 25 years with AstraZeneca, where he gained valuable global experience delivering numerous oncology and haematology clinical development programmes with small molecules and biologics. In 2014 he co-founded an oncology-focused clinical CRO, Aptus Clinical based in Alderley Park. In his role as CEO, Steve led this business from a start-up of three Co-founder directors to a full-service clinical research organisation of more than 40 people supporting early phase patient studies in oncology, rare diseases and cell/gene therapies. The business was acquired by US-based CRO Catalyst Clinical Research in 2022. Since then, Steve has been working as an independent drug development consultant advising early-stage biotechnology companies with their clinical development plans and supporting their fundraising activities. He is currently part-time Operations & Partnership Director for Lean Life Science supporting ODP2 an oncology healthcare accelerator funded by Innovate UK. He is also a mentor for the Biospheric Network which is Bruntwood SciTech’s nationwide initiative to connect experienced mentors,
advisors and corporate partners with high-growth businesses in the UK life sciences sector.
Steve can advise on:
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Clinical drug development, particularly in oncology and cell therapies
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Use of biomarker in clinical trials
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Career development for early career researchers
Dr Matthew Reaney
Head of Patient Centered Endpoints, Science & Analytical Teams, IQVIA
Matthew is a Chartered and Practitioner Health Psychologist, a Chartered Scientist, a Fellow of both the Royal Societies of Medicine and Public Health, and an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society. Matt is currently the Head of the Patient-Centered Endpoint Scientific and Analytic teams at IQVIA, and a Guest Lecturer on the psychology program at Royal Holloway University of London. In addition, Matt is a co-chair of the Drug Information Association (DIA) Study Endpoints Group, an education advisor to the International Society of Quality of Life Research and an active member of the Psychosocial Aspects of Diabetes (PSAD) and Behavioural Research in Diabetes Group Exchange (BRIDGE) study groups. Matt is also on the editorial team at multiple journals and in the past few years has contributed as an invited speaker at several regulatory (FDA) advisory meetings in the USA. Previously, Matt held senior patient-centered research roles in the pharmaceutical industry (Sanofi, Eli Lilly), consulting (Oxford Outcomes, ERT, Applied Health Psychology Research), and across multiple NHS trusts.
Matt has previously lectured at several other universities (Warwick medical school, Southampton University, Brunel University, Kings College Hospital, University of Florida), was part of the UK Islet Transplantation Consortium Psychological Working Group, and has been on the Expert Advisory Board for the Annual Fleming Conference on Patient Engagement & Experience. Matt is very passionate about both listening to patients, and creating scientifically robust frameworks for measuring what he hears from them. Matt has been a keen adopter of technology to increase reliability, validity and feasibility of this measurement. Matt has published more than 70 peer-reviewed articles in medical and academic journals, and presented more that 100 research projects at conferences.
Matthew can advise on:
- The selection, development, implementation, validation and interpretation of clinical outcome assessment tools for research and routine clinical practice
- The integration of technology to improve the health and well-being of people with acute and chronic conditions
- The integration of the patient perspective throughout development and commercialisation activities using qualitative and/or quantitative techniques
- The in-human stages of the drug development lifecycle
Professor Jeremy Kirk
R&D Director Birmingham Women and Children’s Hospital and former CD NIHR Clinical Research Network for West Midlands
Jeremy did all of his training in London, initially in adult medicine before moving into paediatrics, subspecialising in endocrinology and diabetes. Moving to Birmingham Children’s Hospital in 1994, his unit is the largest of its type in the UK. He is now R&D Director for the Women’s and Children’s Hospital, writing the Trust strategy, supporting and developing research both within the hospital and also Birmingham Health Partners and academia.
Between 2014-21, Jeremy was R&D director of the NIHR Clinical Research Network for the West Midlands region, the largest network in England: 5.7 million population, 28 acute and specialist trusts, and 30 medical and surgical specialties supporting later-phase trials and device development across the whole breadth of health and social care, including during the COVID pandemic.
In all of his roles Jeremy has built close working relationships between the Life Sciences industry, academia, funding bodies (including charities) and the NHS. He has also established unique initiatives to develop early career researchers, including Principal and Chief Investigators, both medical and non-medical.
Jeremy is a Fellow of two Royal Colleges: Physicians (FRCP) and also Paediatrics and Child Heath (FRCPCH), sitting on Council of the latter for 5 years. He also holds 2 personal chairs: one with the University of Birmingham and one with the University of Wolverhampton.
Jeremy can advise on:
- Late phase clinical trials
- Industry/academic/clinical partnerships
- Paediatric requirements
- Career development for early career researchers
Please contact the Translational Research Office if you would like to arrange a meeting.