Hull York Professor reappointed as NIHR Senior Investigator

Professor Fliss Murtagh, Director of the Wolfson Palliative Care Research Centre, at Hull York Medical School, University of Hull has been reappointed as Senior Investigator by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) from April 2024 to March 2028. 

Fliss is one of only 21 Senior Investigators nationally who have been reappointed. The award followed an annual and highly competitive open competition by the NIHR, which included selection by a panel of experts, and means Fliss will continue to be member of the NIHR College of Senior Investigators, comprising – at any one time - about 200 Senior Investigators, some of the most outstanding leaders of patient and people-based research within the health community. 

Fliss says, "I am absolutely delighted to have been awarded NIHR Senior Investigator for a further term and see this role as an opportunity to continue to work to help shape the future direction of health and care research, as well as contribute to the leadership of NIHR." 

For example, Fliss has led the highly successful NIHR-funded Yorkshire & Humber Palliative Care Research Network; she also co-leads the new NIHR Policy Research Unit in Palliative and End of Life Care. She contributes to a number of NIHR funding panels and is an active NIHR Mentor. 

As Professor of Palliative Care at Hull York Medical School, Fliss is a national leader in palliative care research. Her research interests include palliative and end-of life care needs, outcomes and resource use, especially for older people and those with non-cancer conditions. She has led work to develop a national case mix classification for palliative care, to improve understanding of and how to address complex needs and is also experienced in research methods: cohort and cross-sectional surveys, psychometrics, implementation and use of outcome measures, especially the Integrated Palliative Outcome Scale. Her work and that of her colleagues is helping to build a much-needed evidence base for palliative care research which is an increasingly important area of research and care, as our society has growing numbers of older people. 

Fliss goes on to say, "as a Senior Investigator my role involves working with other Senior Investigators and colleagues from the NIHR and Department of Health and Social Care to help lead future research. It also involves playing a leading role in NIHR’s Contribution to Growth, for example through attracting, developing and retaining a highly skilled health research workforce and supporting collaborations to deliver high quality research." 

Fliss qualified in medicine in the UK in 1986. She worked in General Practice for almost 10 years, and then undertook specialist training in palliative medicine. She worked at the Cicely Saunders Institute, King's College London from 2002 to 2017, where she completed her PhD, became Clinical Senior Lecturer, and then Reader in Palliative Medicine. 

She joined Hull York Medical School in 2017 as a Professor of Palliative Care and is now Director of the Wolfson Palliative Care Research Institute. She is also Visiting Professor of Palliative Care at the Cicely Saunders Institute, King’s College London, UK. 

Professor Matthew Morgan, Dean of the Medical School says, "I am delighted that Fliss has been reappointed as NIHR Senior Investigator. This is testament to the significant contribution she has made to furthering palliative care research. Our researchers across Hull and York have a global reputation for their work, which impacts national, and international health agendas across areas such as cancer research, mental health and addiction and global public health." 

You can read the full announcement on the NIHR website. 

Read a full list of the Senior Investigator Appointments.