Introducing MRF’s new Scientific Advisory Panel

May 2022

Meningitis Research Foundation’s Scientific Advisory Panel is at the heart of what we do as an organisation. They help to steer our research programme: assessing applications, making recommendations for funding, reviewing and commenting on annual reports from existing research grants, and providing advice on research strategy. Since MRF was founded in 1989, the Panel has supported us in awarding 163 research grants, investing over £19.1million in vital scientific research into meningitis. It is thanks to our supporters, and to the donations that we receive, that we have been able to fund such a breadth of research into all aspects of meningitis.

How the Scientific Advisory Panel is managed is guided by the Association of Medical Research Charities, specifically their guidelines on research review committees’, which mandates that membership is on a three-year term, renewable once to a total of six years. It is for this reason that we are saying goodbye to our Chair, Professor James Stuart, our vice-Chair, Professor Mike Levin and to three of our Panel, Professor Paul Heath, Professor Beate Kampmann and Dr Shamez Ladhani.

These changes mean we are welcoming a new Chair: Dr Caroline Trotter, who you can read more about here, and a new Vice-Chair Dr Anne von Gottberg. Alongside Caroline and Anne, Dr Suzanne Anderson, Dr Hannah Christensen, Prof Dominique Caugant, Prof Nora Groce and Dr Merijn Bijlsma are all joining us.

Our Head of Research, Liz Rodgers, is the person who coordinates our Scientific Advisory panel, so we asked her a few questions on the changes:

Why does the membership of the MRF Scientific Advisory Panel change?

Meningitis Research Foundation is a member of the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC), having been awarded the AMRC’s Certificate of Best Practice in Peer Review at their latest audit in 2020. That means we follow their five principles of peer review:

  • Accountability
  • Balance
  • Independent decision making
  • Impartiality
  • Rotation of scientific advisors (which includes ensuring that all Panel members have a fixed term of office)

In line with this guidance, Professor James Stuart (previously Chair of the Panel), Professor Mike Levin (previously vice-Chair of the Panel), Professor Paul Heath, Professor Beate Kampmann and Dr Shamez Ladhani have reached the end of their fixed term, so will be stepping down from their Panel responsibilities.

We are so grateful for the support and expert advice that they have provided over the years, which has been instrumental in ensuring MRF funds research of the highest standards, relevant to our research strategy, original and likely to succeed.

Can you tell us more about the new Panel members joining?

After a careful consultation, we have appointed five new Panel members, a new vice-Chair and a new Chair, all of whom bring a wealth of expertise. This expertise aligns with our new strategic focus, which includes research to better understand the lifetime impact of meningitis, and research that employs pathogen genomics to understand disease patterns and related public health problems.

I’m delighted to welcome Dr Caroline Trotter, Dr Anne von Gottberg, Prof Dominique Caugant, Dr Hannah Christensen, Dr Merijn Bijlsma, Prof Nora Groce and Dr Suzanne Anderson, who will be joining our existing Panel of experts. You can read more about the whole Panel here.

Why do people join the MRF Scientific Advisory Panel?

From MRF’s perspective, it’s a fantastic opportunity to steer the research focus of MRF, funding vital scientific research into the stepping stones that lead to medical breakthroughs. It’s also an opportunity to work with an international group of your peers in relevant meningitis-specific research fields, across the whole spectrum of science and medicine. Ultimately our Panel sit at the intersection of our role as an organisation, which is to connect research and people to drive action and save lives.

In their own words, we asked them to tell us their reason for joining:

Dr Caroline Trotter:Having been a great admirer of the work of the Meningitis Research Foundation for many years, I am delighted to take on the role of Chair of the Scientific Advisory Panel, succeeding the wonderful James Stuart. The World Health Organization’s Defeating Meningitis by 2030 Road Map lays out the challenge to reduce death and disability from meningitis around the world and so this is a particularly exciting time for MRF and the global meningitis community.

Dr Anne Von Gottberg:I look forward to getting involved in research approved and funded by MRF, and to potentially push some focus towards improving diagnostics in low- and middle-income countries, to make specimens available for pathogen genomics, which would then accelerate downstream research projects that will help us understand meningitis more fully in these settings.

Dr Suzanne Anderson:I am excited to be joining the Scientific Advisory Panel of MRF and the opportunity it will give me to support research towards a better understanding of the long-term sequelae of bacterial meningitis, especially in low and middle income settings, and the evaluation and implementation of affordable and appropriate therapies. All survivors of this cruel disease deserve the best outcome possible.

Dr Merijn Bijlsma:I look forward to supporting innovative and outstanding research to improve meningitis prevention, treatment and long-term outcome.

Prof Dominique Caugant:I am looking forward to contributing to MRF’s research strategy, ensuring that the funds are allocated to the most relevant projects to support the foundation’s goals.

Dr Hannah Christensen:I have worked collaboratively with MRF for many years and feel honoured to be joining the Scientific Advisory Panel. I am really looking forward to helping steer the Foundation’s programme of research and supporting the important work of MRF more formally.

Professor Nora Ellen Groce:I look forward to joining the MRF Scientific Advisory Panel with great enthusiasm. It is my hope that my experience in working with people and populations with disability in countries around the world can contribute to how we can better understand and design policies and programmes that support and enrich the lives of children and adults who have been impacted by meningitis.

What are the backgrounds of the Scientific Advisory Panel?

We have assembled a group of experts in a range of fields - from child health paediatrics to surveillance for meningitis and respiratory pathogens, infectious disease mathematical modelling, population genetics and molecular epidemiology of pathogenic bacteria, to vaccine research, global health and international development.

All our Panel are active researchers in their fields and have worked (or are working) with bodies as varied as the UK Health Security Agency, National Institute of Communicable Diseases, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and the University of Bristol. This is alongside their own research and teaching responsibilities, within their institutes or universities.

You can read more on the backgrounds of every single member of our Scientific Advisory Panel here.

What are immediate priorities of the Panel?

One of our first priorities is to launch our new research strategy, something you’ll be hearing more about in the months to come, so watch this space.

A global vision for meningitis by 2030 and an action plan to get there.

Detailed information about the after effects of meningitis

Blogs on all matters meningitis

About the author

Elaine Devine
Director of Advocacy, Communications and Support

I’m Elaine and I joined MRF in January 2022. I previously worked for a global research publisher as Digital Communications Director, leading a team of specialists in campaigning, social media, multimedia, PR and digital content (all of which is very similar to what I am now doing at MRF).

I’ve worked in the worlds of research, education and charities for all of my career, experience which marries perfectly with my role at MRF. I’ve won national prizes for my campaign work, written for outlets from The Guardian to academic journals, created podcasts and white papers, ran researcher workshops and presented at more national and international conferences than I can remember. I’m very much looking forward to bringing all of this experience to MRF and seeing what we can achieve as we strive to defeat meningitis by 2030.

Tel: 0333 405 6262