Portsmouth academic appointed to new health research committee

A Reader in Bioethics at the University of Portsmouth has been appointed to a newly formed Health Research Authority (HRA) community committee. 

Dr Simon Kolstoe from the School of Health and Care Professions is one of 11 members of the new committee, which will advise the HRA board on how it operates in practice and on bigger strategic ambitions. 

Dr Kolstoe said: “The NHS provides a fantastic opportunity to develop healthcare through research, but there must be accountability. 

“The Health Research Authority plays a critical regulatory role, and I look forward to this opportunity of helping the HRA apply lessons learned during COVID in order to shape the future health research landscape.”

Dr Kolstoe’s work looks at the role of ethics committees and governance structures in promoting research integrity. He chairs ethics committees for the HRA, UK Health Security Agency and UK Ministry of Defence. 

He is also a trustee of the UK Research Integrity Office (UKRIO), and was the UK adapting author of the popular Oxford University Press 'Research Integrity' online course.

The HRA community supports health and social care research to improve people’s health and wellbeing. The community committee has been set up in response to feedback from the HRA Community Insight Group, which acts on ongoing feedback from individual community members, discusses ideas for how experiences can be improved, and seeks early reactions to relevant policy or service changes that will affect members of the community.