Fuse welcomes new Director | The University of Sunderland

Published on 15 January 2024

Professor Sheena Ramsay has been appointed as the new Director of Fuse, the Centre for Translational Research in Public Health.

Fuse is a partnership of public health researchers from the five universities in North East England of Durham, Newcastle, Northumbria, Sunderland and Teesside. The Centre works with policy makers, practice partners, the public, and voluntary and community organisations, to improve health and wellbeing and tackle health inequalities.

Sheena, Professor of Public Health and Epidemiology at Newcastle University, takes over the role from Professor Ashley Adamson, who has expertly led the Centre since 2014.

Sheena said: “It is a privilege to take on the Directorship of Fuse. The Centre has been at the forefront of research excellence and translation in the north-east and beyond. This has been possible with partnerships that are at the heart of Fuse, across our north-east universities and with our policy and practice partners. I look forward to the continued growth of Fuse, with our mission to improve health and well-being and tackle health inequalities.”

Dr Floor Christie-De Jong, Associate Professor in Public Health for Medicine, and Fuse Associate Director for Sunderland, said: “Being an active member of Fuse is key to the University of Sunderland’s role in public health research and practice, both locally and beyond.

“Professor Ashley Adamson has been an outstanding leader of Fuse, offering incredible support for the University of Sunderland’s role in Fuse. I am very much looking forward to working with Professor Sheena Ramsay, as the new Fuse Director, to build on those amazing efforts.

“Sheena brings a wealth of experience in public health research. Together, we will aim to engage more University of Sunderland researchers to become involved with Fuse and benefit from the many valuable opportunities Fuse provides. Fuse opens doors for our researchers to build new partnerships in public health research, policy and practice, enhancing opportunities to expand research efforts, and maximise impact and outputs.”

As a Senior Investigator and Training Lead for both Fuse and the NIHR School for Public Health Research (SPHR), Professor Ramsay has played a key role in supporting Ashley to establish Fuse’s reputation as a centre of research excellence, now in its fifteenth year.

Professor Ramsay leads a programme of research that aims to improve population health, with a particular focus on reducing health inequalities. She has published extensively on a range of topics, including, the prevention of chronic diseases and addressing determinants of ill-health amongst disadvantaged groups.

She is also an experienced public health leader and has served as a Vice Chair of the UK Faculty of Public Health’s Academic and Research Committee and as the Academic Training Lead for the Public Health Specialty Training Programme in the Northern Deanery. Sheena is also part of the NIHR Health Determinants Research Collaboration led by Gateshead Borough Council.

Professor Ramsay will take over the Directorship of Fuse from 1 January 2024. She will build on Professor Adamson’s outstanding leadership success in bringing together and strengthening expertise from the five universities in North East England to conduct world-class public health research and translate the findings to improve the health of the public.

Ashley has been instrumental in helping Fuse to forge lasting partnerships across all sectors and build capacity by developing post-graduate training and creating new academic posts. She has successfully steered Fuse through two renewals of its membership to the NIHR School for Public Health Research, a prestigious collaboration bringing together England’s leading public health research expertise, and was appointed to lead the School in 2017 and again in 2022 due to her exemplary leadership of Fuse.

Professor Adamson has strengthened Public Involvement and Engagement in Fuse, and helped to embed a research culture in local government, developing innovative Embedded Researcher roles in public health teams, and establishing the NIHR Public Health Intervention Responsive Studies Team led by Fuse, ‘PHIRST Fusion’. Ashley is also part of the Health Determinants Research Collaboration led by Newcastle City Council.

She has extended Fuse’s reputation internationally to include partners from the United States, Netherlands and Canada, and put in place the groundwork for the University of Cumbria to become the sixth partner in the Fuse collaboration.

Everyone in Fuse wishes Ashley well as she establishes the new NIHR Research Support Service Specialist Centre for Public Health, that will work with local authorities and other organisations outside of the NHS to support public health research nationwide. Professor Adamson will continue in her role as Director of NIHR SPHR, with Sheena taking the lead for Fuse’s membership to the School.

Speaking about her time as Fuse Director, Ashley said: “It has been a tremendous privilege to lead Fuse for the past 10 years and through to two renewals of NIHR School for Public Health Research.

“Fuse goes from strength-to-strength, and I am delighted that it will soon include a sixth university with University of Cumbria joining us.

“I have greatly appreciated the tremendous support for Fuse from friends and colleagues across the region at the universities, in policy, practice and voluntary organisations, as well as our public partners and core Fuse team. I know Sheena will be able to count on this support.”

Professor Sheena Ramsay added: “Professor Ashley Adamson has been truly exemplary in her leadership of Fuse, demonstrating the impact and success that is possible with partnership working. We are very thankful to Ashley for her dedication and commitment, and being the trusted champion for public health that she is.”

Professor Peter Kelly, Office for Health Improvement and Disparities Regional Director and NHS Director of Public Health – North East and Yorkshire, said: “As Chair of the Fuse Centre Strategy Board, I am incredibly grateful to Ashley for her dedication and commitment to the Centre over the past ten years. She has played a pivotal role in strengthening Fuse and reinforcing the Centre’s legacy, which can clearly be seen in the North East and beyond. Her leadership has been instrumental in securing the future of Fuse and she has been a tireless advocate for public health research. She will be greatly missed by everyone at Fuse, and I wish her all the best as she continues to champion public health in our region.”

Welcoming Professor Ramsay as the new Fuse Director, Peter added: “Sheena is an exceptional leader in public health research, and I am confident that she will continue to build on Fuse's reputation as a centre of excellence. She is a passionate advocate for improving population health and reducing health inequalities, and I am excited to see her lead Fuse into the future.”

More about the new Director of Fuse

Professor Ramsay is an academic and honorary Consultant in Public Health. As a dental surgeon with specialisation in Public Health, she bridges epidemiology and public health research with policy and practice. Sheena works closely with partners from local authorities, voluntary sector, policy, and primary and secondary care. Complementary to her research, a key part of Sheena’s role is training and building capacity in academic public health.

Sheena started her research career in public health as a Research Fellow at University College London. She has since held prestigious Medical Research Council Fellowships, undertaken Public Health Specialty Training in London, and been awarded grants from the NIHR, UK Research and Innovation, United States National Institutes of Health, and charities.

About Fuse