Guiding the Conversation: Meet the RDF27 Programme Content Committee

RDF27 is powered by community; and at the centre of that community is the Programme Content Committee.

Made up of passionate professionals from across the UK, the committee works together to design a programme that informs, inspires, and represents the full breadth of health and care research. From operational excellence and workforce development to patient voice and partnerships, their collective insight ensures that RDF27 remains a space where knowledge is shared, voices are amplified, and collaboration drives meaningful change. Their work is about more than building a programme. It’s about shaping the conversations that define the future of our research community.

Chair Carolyn Maloney

Carolyn Maloney is an experienced research management professional with over 23 years in the field. In her most recent role, she led the operational aspects of research at a major teaching hospital in the East Midlands, where she played a pivotal role in driving innovation and excellence. Carolyn also serves as a Trustee of the R&D Forum, where she has spent the past two years leading the team responsible for organising the national conference. A passionate advocate for psychological safety, she is committed to developing high-performing teams and empowering individuals to thrive. Outside of work, Carolyn channels her energy into weightlifting, indulging in her love for craft gins, and expressing her creativity through cooking and baking. She thrives on connection and cherishes time spent with inspiring and supportive people.

Dr. Philippa Brice

Associate Director for Research and Impact| NHS Cambridgeshire and Peterborough ICB

Read Philippa's Bio

Pippa is Associate Director for Research and Impact at NHS Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care Board, where she leads a specialist Research Office for primary and community care combining an RRDN-funded specialist R&D function alongside NIHR research hosting and management, and wider activity to maximise the system benefits of research, evidence and innovation. Her vision is People Powered Research – helping professionals, patients and the public to deliver inclusive, high-quality research that drives improvements in health and care services, experiences and outcomes.
A trustee of the Research & Development Forum, Pippa is also a member of the UK National Screening Committee Fetal, Maternal and Child Health group and a Non-Executive Director of Healthwatch Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. She joined the NHS in 2023, having previously worked in genomics and personalised medicine, most recently as Deputy Director of the PHG Foundation, a policy think tank with the mission making science work for health.

Dipak Patel

Associate Director Research & Innovation | Sheffield Teaching Hospitals

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Dipak has twenty years’ experience working in clinical research for the public sector, across both the NHS and HEIs. He is the Associate Director Research & Innovation at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals and has a wealth of experience in the set up and delivery of research and introduction of innovation to services, working closely with University partners, other NHS Trusts, the Clinical Research Networks and Pharma.

Bernie Pearson

Head of HSC R&D Governance | Public Health Agency (HSC R&D Division)

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Bernie Pearson is Head of Health and Social Care Northern Ireland (HSCNI) Research and Development Governance in the HSC R&D Division of Public Health Agency. She is responsible for leading research governance and research costing in Health and Social Care Northern Ireland. Bernie leads on the UK approvals for research, currently in development and a priority at UK policy level and the HSCNI wide research governance agenda. Bernie represents HSCNI on a number of UK wide forums including the Four Nations Policy group on research governance and ethics. Bernie led the WHSCT Cardiology and Respiratory Services though the extremely challenging pandemic characterised by crisis in the acute services. Bernie worked on the UK compatibility programme as change manager leading the changes within Northern Ireland and has led and implemented the UK Research National Contract Value Review for Northern Ireland. Bernie believes that research is essential for any improvements and innovation across Health and Social Care.

Helen Riding

Coordinator | RDF & Research Manager | North East & North Cumbria ICB

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Helen is the Research and Development Forum Coordinator and Research Manager for North East & North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB). As Research Manager, Helen supports and manages the delivery and development of primary care research and evaluations in the North East, North Cumbria. Prior to this role she worked clinically as a Midwife and as a Research Facilitator supporting GP practices in Newcastle and North Tyneside. Helen has also completed a Masters in Clinical Research (Leadership) from Newcastle University. Helen’s Dissertation was titled “Research activity and quality indicators in primary care” and this has been disseminated widely locally and at national conferences. Helen has been a member of the Programme Conference Committee since joining the Research and Development Forum in 2022 and has supported RDF conferences in Newcastle, Newport and Manchester.

Ganesh Sathyamoorthy

Deputy Director & Research Consultant | Ethnicity & Health Unit & Healthcare Central London

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Ganesh Sathyamoorthy is an influential health and research leader with over twenty years’ experience driving large scale innovation, community engagement, and system transformation across the NHS, academia, government, and the voluntary sector. Nationally recognised for championing equity, diversity and inclusion in health research, he has led programmes that have strengthened public trust, increased participation from underrepresented communities, and delivered measurable improvements in health outcomes. Ganesh is the architect of several nationally recognised initiatives, including the Ethnicity & Health Unit (EHU). His work within the EHU includes leading the Northwest London (NWL) Integrated Care System (ICS) Research Engagement Network (REN). This NHS England programme aims to increase diversity in research. The NWL ICS REN programme engaged more than 3,100 community members from diverse NWL communities through 38 Research Roadshows, conducting 1,200 health checks, trained 40 local Community Research Champions, with over 300 participants signing up directly to research trials. The ICS REN programme has helped shape national approaches to inclusive research design. A respected policy influencer, Ganesh has advised senior civil servants, contributed to national strategy through the NIHR’s Growth for Health report, and worked as a Trustee of the Sickle Cell Society, supporting the All Party Parliamentary Group inquiry No One’s Listening, which led to new investment and service improvements for people with Sickle Cell Disease. His research and thought leadership have been published in The Lancet, BMJ, Archives of Disease in Childhood, and the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. Ganesh was the Assistant Director for Partnership & Business Development at the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Northwest London and its predecessor programme, Collaboration for Applied Health Research Collaboration (CLAHRC) Northwest London, for 16 years. Ganesh now works as a Deputy Director for Imperial College London’s Ethnicity & Health Unit and as a Research Consultant for Central London Healthcare (CLH) (a research-active GP Federation located in Westminster).

Angela Topping

Director & Chair | RDF

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Angela has been a Trustee of R&D Forum Charity since 2022, and appointed Chair in 2023. In 2025, she also became Director of RDF Professional Development Limited. A Chartered Management Accountant by profession, she started her career in the NHS, moving in 1998 to Newcastle University to become the Faculty Accountant in the Faculty of Medical Sciences, a role which had close operational and strategic working relationships with the NHS, particularly with Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. In 2018, she took on a secondment opportunity as Head of Newcastle Joint Research Office (NJRO) and was appointed substantive in that role in September 2018 until August 2024. The COVID-19 research response taught Angela a lot about what matters, and in 2021 she became a Mental Health First Aider, a Listening Volunteer with Samaritans, a Qualified Personal Trainer and started her MSc in Coaching and Mentoring. She graduated from her MSc in December 2023, and in 2024 left her role as Head of NJRO to set up a Community Interest Company (CIC) – Conscience Coaching and Consulting. Through the CIC, Angela brings together her life and work experiences, her academic and volunteer work and commitment to social justice by providing coaching and consulting services to anyone who could benefit, where the ability to pay is not a barrier of access.

The RDF27 Call for Abstracts is Now Open

We are looking for practical experience, innovative approaches and examples of good practice from across health and care research. Share an initiative that has made a difference, explore a challenge you have addressed, or offer learning that could benefit colleagues across the research community.

Submissions are invited for:

Oral Presentations
Interactive Workshops
Poster Presentations

Oral abstract deadline: Friday 16 October 2026
Poster abstract deadline: Friday 13 November 2026

Submit your abstract