The NRC Senior Leadership Team are responsible for leading the centre and delivering the aim of transforming outcomes for people who have suffered potentially life-changing injury, trauma or illness.
The NRC Director is Miriam Duffy. A physiotherapist by background and specialising in neurological rehabilitation, Miriam has spent her career championing the positive impact of rehabilitation and specifically the roles that allied health professionals play in this service, including recently in the role of Chief Allied Health Professional at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust.
As NRC Director, Miriam is accountable for running the programme to time and budget, for delivering the new services and the capital funding for the NRC and for gaining approval of the case through NHS business case process.
Sandy is the NRC’s Director of Operations, responsible for preparing the NRC service and mobilising the future workforce. Sandy has more than 15 years’ NHS experience in various clinical roles, having started her career as a physiotherapist, then specialising in musculoskeletal rehabilitation. In previous roles, Sandy has worked on a number of service development pathway development projects, including driving forward the Outline Business Case and Full Business Case for the NRC. Sandy has also held the post of Rehabilitation Director of the East Midlands Major Trauma Network, inputting into national standards for major trauma.
Lucy began her nursing career at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) before moving to University Hospitals of Burton and Derby (UHDB), and has now returned home to NUH to take up the reins as Lead Nurse for the NRC.
Originally from Hertfordshire, Lucy studied at the University of Nottingham and for 10 years worked at NUH as a nurse in the Emergency Department and Major Trauma Service. Lucy then moved to UHDB to take up a position within the Strategy and Improvement and Corporate Nursing teams, before returning to NUH in her new role.
Dr Emma Salt is the NRC’s Allied Health Professional Consultant and Non-Medical Clinical Research Lead, responsible for ensuring that patients are receiving the best therapy rehabilitation possible in an evidence-based way. Emma is a Consultant Physiotherapist by background and has more than 30 years’ experience in the NHS, all with a core focus in musculoskeletal rehabilitation.
Emma has a PhD in neuro-musculoskeletal rehabilitation, she is passionate about clinically applicable research and improving rehabilitation, and is currently an Honorary Associate Professor at the University of Nottingham. In addition, Emma has previously held a role as a NICE Fellow and is now an associate editor for ‘Shoulder and Elbow’ which is a peer reviewed journal.
Dr Javvad Haider is the Rehabilitation Medicine Lead for the NRC and has worked in the NHS for 13 years. He completed his specialist Rehabilitation Medicine training in Wales and worked as a substantive consultant in Oxford and Cardiff before taking up his current position with NUH and the NRC.
Dr Haider is also a Trustee and Treasurer for the British Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine and Chair of the Neurorehabilitation Special Interest Group. He also sits on the editorial board for the journal Advances in Rehabilitation Sciences and Practice.
Alison is the very first Innovation Lead for the NRC, but has been involved with the project for the last three years in a variety of roles. Her focus as Innovation Lead is to enable everyone to be able to access the latest technology and advancements in rehab treatments. A physiotherapist by background and specialising in neurological rehab, Alison previously led the creation of the innovative Rehabilitation Assistant Practitioner Apprenticeship – a role which is instrumental in introducing more people to a rewarding career in rehabilitation.
Lal Russell is the very first Clinical Academic Lead for the NRC. Lal has worked as a physiotherapist at NUH for 23 years, predominantly with neurological and stroke patients across both NUH acute sites, including at the current rehabilitation unit Linden Lodge.
Lal also has a background in research, completing two Masters degrees and a PhD at the University of Nottingham in the last 20 years.
In her new role, Lal will be working as a physiotherapist at the NRC, whilst also leading on launching the groundbreaking NRC Academy which aims to transform rehabilitation training and education on a national level.