PEOPLE - APPOINTMENTS

Dr Melanie Davies, Chair of Diabetes Medicine

Inaugural Chair in Diabetes Medicine appointed at University of Leicester

Dr Melanie Davies appointed to head Diabetes Medicine in the University's Cardiovascular Sciences Department

Dr Melanie Davies was appointed as Chair of Diabetes Medicine at the University of Leicester in September 2005, and took up her post on 6th February 2006. Having trained and qualified at Sheffield University, she developed an early interest in diabetes and did her training in Sheffield, Ipswich and Cambridge before moving to Leicester in 1993. She had previously been a consultant physician with an interest in diabetes at University Hospitals of Leicester since 1996, and served as Head of Service for Metabolic Medicine from March 2001. Her main research interests are screening and early detection of type 2 diabetes, prevention of type 2 diabetes, pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes, and evaluating complex interventions including education initiatives in diabetes.

Since 1996 she has developed a research team in the NHS and has successfully obtained over £3.5 million in peer reviewed grant funding. Her research experience spans clinical research in both specialist and primary care, and she has a wealth of experience in successfully running clinical trials.

She has been an expert member of the panel for the MRC and Department of Health regarding diabetes research in the UK, and is an active member of key committees for Diabetes UK. She is Chair of the first NHS R&D programme for diabetes within the Trust, which was established in 2002 and for the past 2 years has received the highest possible rating from the Department of Health.

Her national work includes contributing to the work of the National Screening Committee, the Department of Health Steering Group on Structured Education in England and Wales, and membership of the Diabetes UK Research Committee. She served on the NICE Guidelines for the technology on appraising glitazones for the Type 1 Guidelines Consensus Reference Group. Internationally, she has done work with the WHO and IDF, and has been invited to speak at many international congresses.

Professor Davies was recently successful, along with Dr Kamlesh Khunti in the Department of Health Sciences, in obtaining the South East Midlands Research Network for Diabetes which will generate £2 million of funding over the next 5 years.

Professor Davies is married with 3 children. Her hobbies include skiing and horse riding, and she has a smallholding with a wide variety of animals.

She is delighted to be joining the Cardiovascular Sciences Department at the University of Leicester, and to be appointed to this inaugural Chair of Diabetes Medicine.