Dr Caroline Trotter becomes Chair of the Meningitis Research Foundation’s Scientific Advisory Panel

13 May 2022
Dr Caroline Trotter becomes Chair of the Meningitis Research Foundation’s Scientific Advisory Panel

Dr Caroline Trotter, leading infectious disease epidemiologist at the University of Cambridge, has become the Chair of the Meningitis Research Foundation’s (MRF) Scientific Advisory Panel.

This pivotal role steers the charitable Foundation’s international research funding 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, it has awarded 163 research grants, investing over £19.1million in vital scientific research into meningitis, all of which has been steered by its Scientific Advisory Panel.

Dr Trotter’s research focus is on bacterial meningitis, including meningococcal disease and its intersections with vaccine and public health policy. She holds an honorary position with the UK Health Security Agency and is Director of the Cambridge-Africa Programme, an initiative to connect researchers in Cambridge and Africa. Of her new role, Caroline said:

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 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.”

Caroline becomes MRF’s Scientific Advisory Panel Chair as Professor James Stuart, MRF’s previous Panel Chair, steps down (in line with Association of Medical Research Charities guidelines, which mandate that research review committee membership is on a three-year term, renewable once to a total of six years).

In his time as MRF’s chair, James has acted as a consultant for the World Health Organization, co-ordinating the revision of outbreak response guidelines for the African ‘meningitis belt’ countries and helping to develop and begin the implementation of the WHO Road Map on “Defeating Meningitis by 2030. As James steps down he said,

"It has been an honour to serve MRF as Chair of the Scientific Advisory Panel, working with all my esteemed colleagues on the Panel. I am very pleased to hand over to Caroline, who will bring new enthusiasm and expertise to the role of the Chair.”

Caroline joins at a pivotal moment for MRF, as they continue their work on the WHO Road Map on “Defeating Meningitis by 2030” and develop a new research funding strategy focused on two areas: pathogen genomics, to understand disease patterns and consequent public health problems, and research into the lifetime impact of meningitis, and the support and aftercare so needed by those affected.

With an organizational mission to defeat meningitis and septicaemia where ever they exist, and a role to connect people and research to drive action and save lives, Vinny Smith (Chief Executive of MRF) said of these changes:

It is an honour to welcome Dr Caroline Trotter as the new Chair of our Scientific Advisory Panel. Caroline has known and worked with MRF for a long time and there is no one better qualified to help guide our research investments with the utmost integrity. Caroline succeeds Prof James Stuart who has been a wonderful Chair for the past few years and we cannot thank him enough for the time, energy and expertise he has brought to this vital role.”

More on the full membership of MRF’s Scientific Advisory Panel and on MRF’s organisational strategy.

Give researchers the clues to help defeat meningitis
Give researchers the clues to help defeat meningitis
£160/€190/$214 decodes the genetic information in a sample of meningococcal bacteria. This information helps us to track new forms of meningitis and campaign to introduce new vaccines.