All writings on here are done in a personal capacity and represent my own views and not those of organisations I do or have worked for.

I hope the following is helpful to those of you looking for biographical information about me.  There is a short ‘bio’ and photo of me at the very end just for conference organisers and other purposes!

Simon Denegri OBE, Executive Director, Academy of Medical Sciences (AMS)

I took up the role of Executive Director at the Academy of Medical Sciences in October 2019. This followed exhilarating years as the National Institute for Health Research’s (NIHR) National Director for Patients, Carers and the Public beginning in 2012. I was also Chair of INVOLVE – the national advisory group for the promotion and support of public involvement in research funded by NIHR – from 2011 to 2017 and was deeply honoured to be awarded the OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2018 for services to NHS, public health and social care research.

Prior to this I was Chief Executive of the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC) from 2006 until 2011.  This followed a three-year stint as director of corporate communications at the Royal College of Physicians of London from 2003 to 2006.  Before this I was assistant chief executive at the Alzheimer’s Society (UK) from 2002 to 2003.  I also worked for the Society from 1992 until 1997 becoming its first head of public affairs.  Between 1997 and 2000 I worked as Procter & Gamble’s Corporate and Financial PR Manager based at the company’s headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.   On my return I took up a post as director of communications at the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health.

I write and speak on issues concerning the public, health research and democracy.  Particular areas of interest include:  public involvement in research; co-production; public attitudes to science; approaches to public dialogue; use of online and digital media for public involvement and engagement; health research regulation; the pharma industry; dementia and mental health.

I love travelling and also enjoy writing poetry, listening to and playing music (guitar),  going to the cinema and theatre, tennis and gardening. I am a passionate supporter of Crystal Palace Football Club and have a season ticket in the Holmesdale Upper.

I studied politics and legislative studies at the University of Hull,

The following profile of me appeared in the BMJ in January 2018: Simon Denegri, ‘Piloting public involvement,’ profile in the BMJ, January 2018.https://www.bmj.com/content/360/bmj.j5782

I have tried to put the following in some sort of date order.

Chairmanships

• Chair of the UKCRC Clinical Trials Unit (CTU) Executive Group 2020 –
• Chair of the East of England NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Expert Advisory Group, 2020 –
• Co-Founder and Member of the Allies Group for the UCL Centre for Co-Production in Health Research 2017 –
• NIHR UCLH Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) Public Involvement Theme Lead, 2017 – 2019

• NIHR CLAHRC (Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care) North Thames International Expert Advisory Board 2014 – 2019
• Patient and Public Involvement Strategic Group, North Thames Genomic Medicine Centre (GMC) 2015 -2018

• UK Clinical Trials Gateway (UKCTG) (now called ‘Be Part of Research’) Project Board 2013 -2017

• Lay Champions Group, Join Dementia Research (JDR), 2012 –2016

• Chair, ‘Breaking the Boundaries’ strategic review of public involvement in NIHR research (2014/5); report and recommendations published as ‘Going the Extra Mile: a strategic review of public involvement in the NIHR,’ 2014 – 2015
• Chair, Review of the Coalition for Medical Progress (CMP)/Research Defence Society (RDS) future activities relating to animal research, 2008

Boards and Committee Memberships (current)

• Member, Understanding Patient Data Advisory Group, 2016 –

• Member, NIHR Greater Manchester Primary Care Patient Safety Translational Research Centre, 2013-2017, 2019 – 2019

• Member, COMET Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement Working Group, 2015 – 2019

• Member, National Screening Committee, Adult Reference Group, 2018 – 2019

• Member, NIHR Advisory Board, 2010 – 2019
• Member, NIHR Strategy Board, 2011 – 2019

• Member, UK Clinical Research Collaboration (UKCRC) Board, 2006 – 2019

• Member, Office for Strategic Co-ordination of Health Research, Data Sub-Group 2016 – 2019

• Member, EPSRC MeDe Innovation External Advisory Board, 2015 – 2018

• Member, Open Trials Advisory Board, 2015 – 2018

• Member, International Advisory Board for The Farr Institute of Health Informatics Research 2014 – 2017

• Member, WEB-RADR Project Advisory Board, 2015 – 2017

• Member, Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) External Advisory Group, 2013 – 2016
• Member, care.data Programme Board, 2014 – 2016

Editorial Boards

• Member, International Journal for Engagement and Involvement, 2015 – (also reviewer)
• Member, Research for All, 2015 –
• Member, BMJ Editorial Advisory Board 2014 – 2020

International Work 

• Member, Canadian Lyme Disease Network 2019 –
• Advisor, Neuro-SysMed Centre, Bergen, Norway 2019 –

• Reviewer, Newton Prize, 2017 – 2019

• Member, Ontario Strategic Support Unit (OSSU) Strategic Advisory Committee 2014 – 2019
• Member, Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR) Adjudication Panel for Support for Patient Orientated Research (SPOR) Units 2012 –2018
• Member, Patient and Public Involvement Advisory Board for the EU Joint Programme, Neurodegenerative Disease Research (JPND) 2014 – 2017
• Reviewer, ‘Violence and Abuse in Childhood and Adolescence’ Funding Initiative, German Federal Government, 2017

• Member, International Association for Participation (IAP) International Awards Judge 2015

• In 2017 I visited and presented at events in Canada, USA, Australia and France.
• In 2018 I visited and presented on public involvement in research at events in South Korea, Japan, Australia and Norway.
• During 2019 I presented at Montreal University, Toronto University, MedicineX at Stanford Medical School, and at the Australian Clinical Trials Association (ACTA) conference in Sydney, Australia,

Reviews and reviewing (current first)

• Health Research Board (HRB) Ireland
• External Assessor, DeepMind Health Independent Reviewers, 2017, 2018

• Member, Academy of Medical Sciences (AMS) ‘Evaluating evidence in health’ Oversight Group 2015 – 2017
• Contributor, Accelerated Access Review, 2015 – 2016
• Member, ‘Research into factors affecting public engagement by researchers’ Steering Group, 2014 – 2015
• Chair, ‘Breaking the Boundaries’ strategic review of public involvement in NIHR research (2014/5); report and recommendations published as ‘Going the Extra Mile: a strategic review of public involvement in the NIHR,’ 2014 – 2015
• Chair, Review of the Coalition for Medical Progress (CMP)/Research Defence Society (RDS) future activities relating to animal research, 2008

Personal Memberships

• Gold Member and Season Ticket Holder, Crystal Palace Football Club @CPFC

• Associate Member, Royal Society of Medicine, 2019 –
• The Poetry Society
• Kent and Sussex Poetry Society

Short biography

If you are a conference organiser or similar please do use this short biography of me.

Simon Denegri is the Executive Director of the Academy of Medical Sciences (AMS).Prior to taking up this role in October 2019, Simon was the National Director for Patients, Carers and the Public at the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), and Chair of INVOLVE – the national advisory group for the promotion of public involvement in research funded by NIHR. He was Chief Executive at the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC) from 2006 until 2011 and, prior to this, Director of Corporate Communications at the Royal College of Physicians from 2003. He also worked in corporate communications for Procter & Gamble in the United States from 1997 to 2000. Before this he lead successful campaigns for the Alzheimer’s Society between 1992 until 1997. He was awarded the OBE for services to NIHR, public health and social care research in the Queen’s Birthday Honours 2018.