Our Chief Executive Maria Kane OBE has been appointed as the substantive Chair of Bristol Health Partners Academic Health Science Centre (AHSC) until 2025.
Maria had been interim Chair since April, when Robert Woolley retired from his post of Chief Executive at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust.
At her first Bristol Health Partners’ conference as Chair in October, Maria addressed more than 100 researchers, health and care professionals and public contributors from across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG).
She highlighted recent progress made by our Health Integration Teams, from developing community research which led to relocation of a clinic to improve continence care for Somali women, to implementing an evidence-based exercise programme to reduce frailty in two BNSSG locality partnerships.
Maria said: “I’m so pleased to have the opportunity to continue as Bristol Health Partners Chair for the next three years, to help carry on the fantastic work that the partnership started some ten years ago.
"System-wide working, which draws on the best available evidence, will ultimately achieve better health and care outcomes, and reduce health inequalities, for people in our region and I look forward to building on the progress we are making in this area.”
Bristol Health Partners AHSC Director, Professor David Wynick, added: “This is wonderful news. I speak on behalf of all the organisations involved in Bristol Health Partners in being delighted to continue working with Maria for the partnership’s ongoing development.”