UCL and UCLH’s Professor Laura Shallcross will lead large scale research to reduce the impact of infections in care homes after being awarded a prestigious NIHR Research Professorship.
She is one of just six researchers across the UK to receive a five-year award of up to £2 million as part of the NIHR scheme, which promotes the effective translation of research and strengthens research leadership at the highest academic levels.
Professor Shallcross, who is Professor of Public Health and Translational Data Science at UCL, and Co-Director of the BRC’s Computational Medicine theme, will lead a project called CHERISH – 'Care Home Evidence-based 'Interventions to Reduce Infection that are Sustainable and Holistic.'
The work will build on research she led during the pandemic called VIVALDI – the largest UK study looking at the impact of Covid-19 on care homes and how best to protect care home residents and staff.
In England, around 410,000 people live in 11,000 care homes for older adults. Care home residents are prone to many infections like flu, urine infections and COVID-19, which affect their well-being, physical and mental health, and impact on the delivery of health and social care services.
Many infections can be prevented by simple measures such as vaccination or wearing masks, but these are hard to implement because care homes are very different to healthcare settings.
Professor Shallcross said: “In my research professorship I aim to build on what we have learned in the pandemic to reduce the impact of common infections in care homes. I will start by focusing on flu – the leading cause of care home outbreaks, and urinary tract infections – a major cause of illness, preventable hospital admissions and drug-resistance. Importantly, all our work will be delivered in partnership with people who live and work in care homes.”
NIHR Academy Dean Professor Waljit Dhillo said: “It is an honour to welcome these six outstanding researchers as the latest cohort of NIHR Research Professors. They all have excellent research records and will play a crucial role in improving the health and wealth of the nation through their research.”
NIHR Chief Executive Professor Lucy Chappell said: “The NIHR Research Professorship is the flagship award for the NIHR. It funds researchers to translate new discoveries into improved diagnostics and treatments, and improvements in health and care. This year, our Research Professors are working in a breadth of areas that are relevant and topical, including digital health, clinical trials, population health, and social care research. I am delighted to welcome them and look forward to seeing their research progress and the difference it will make to the lives of people and communities across the UK.”
