Dr Caroline Watson – Research Governance Manager
Caroline.watson@ggc.scot.nhs.uk
The Governance Manager has worked within the research department for almost 20 years and manages the Governance team with the aim to ensure that there is an environment of support and regulatory compliance to ensure safety of research participants and high quality research.
Caroline has a degree and PhD in Biochemistry and undertook a post doctoral research fellowship before joining Industry where she designed and developed a novel drug and medical devices for the market. She has several patented technologies and the products are on the market.
As a senior manager in the NHS Caroline has in addition to managing the Governance team, a specific role in Trial Sponsorship, leading on MHRA inspections, Quality Assurance and Risk Management.
Governance has a major role in overseeing and supporting research and the manager chairs a number of governance and sponsor committees and has been responsible for setting up other Governance committees while generating the assessments and documentation required for them. This has included risk assessments for Phase I First In Human (FIH) trials, research involving Genetically Modified organisms as well as the processes to oversee trials during the COVID-19 pandemic. Caroline is also a key member of committees overseeing GCP for trials hosted by NHS GG&C.
The manager is also responsible for the management of non-compliances and serious breaches of GCP which arise in trials or systems supporting research.
Paul Gribbon- QA Manager
Paul.Gribbon@ggc.scot.nhs.uk Mobile – 07977716315
The Quality Manager within Research and Innovation is Paul Gribbon, he has been in post with R&I since August 2019. Prior to this he has worked as a Quality Assurance Manager as part of a large Quality Team within a multi-national Engineering company primarily working in the defence sector. In his previous role he has gained several years’ experience developing and implementing new processes, toolsets and systems of work. Some of this work has included the development of a Non-Conformance system and process, a new system for the management and planning of Audits as well as the management of any resulting Corrective and Preventative Actions to name a few.
Eileen McCafferty – Research Audit Facilitator
Eileen.McCafferty2@ggc.scot.nhs.uk Mobile – 07773 203 214
Eileen McCafferty has been employed with NHS GG&C for almost 40 years. A background in ward nursing and ward management allowed further developmental opportunities out with the clinical setting. This included secondments to clinical audit then clinical effectiveness and within research as a research nurse and clinical event monitor, before taking up post as Research Audit Facilitator within R&I in 2003. Eileen was a founder member of the NHS GG&C Clinical Research Forum, founder member and steering group member of the Scottish Research Nurse and Coordinators Network and is a current member and past co Chair of the National Academic Research Quality Assurance group.
Dr Marc Jones- Pharmacovigilance and Safety Manager
Marc.Jones@ggc.scot.nhs.uk Mobile – 07989 470505
The PV and Safety Manager has worked within R+I Governance since 2016. He has a degree in pharmacology and a PhD in molecular biology and biochemistry. Following an academic career in basic research focussed on molecular engineering he changed focus to work in clinical trials. He began his clinical trials career at the Leeds Clinical Trials Research Unit in 2008. During his time at Leeds he gained a wide range of experience in all aspects of clinical trials but with a particular focus on pharmacovigilance, central monitoring, and data management. He has experience in oncology trials, biomarker discovery and validation studies, hepatology trials, clinical investigations of medical devices, and cardiovascular trials.
Dr Sheila McGowan- Lead Clinical Trial Monitor
Sheila.mcgowan2@ggc.scot.nhs.uk Mobile – 07812733044
The Lead Clinical Trial monitor has a degree in Immunology and Pharmacology, and completed a PhD and post-doctoral in Immunology. After leaving academia to pursue clinical research she joined a commercial Clinical Research Organisation. During her time at the CRO she trained and passed their Clinical Research Foundation Programme and achieved awards in delivering quality monitoring and building relationships with sites. Following promotion to senior positions she decided to change focus and join the NHS, working at the CRUK Clinical Trials unit bringing her commercial knowledge to the role and the processes. Sheila took up the position of Lead Clinical Trial Monitor within Research and Innovation and has blended her academic and commercial background to monitoring and auditing. Over 13 years working in clinical research has allowed her to experience various opportunities and situations to learn and expand her knowledge in order to deliver and drive to achieve quality within the monitoring team and as a sponsor representative.
Clinical Trial Monitors
- Emma Moody
Emma.Moody@ggc.scot.nhs.uk Mobile – 07855108909
After obtaining a Nursing degree at Glasgow Caledonian University, Emma spent a number of years as a Staff Nurse however, after many years of twelve hour shifts, she decided it was time for a change. With a longstanding interest in research she applied for a Clinical Trial Coordinator position at The New Victoria Hospital, it became apparent with such a small staff ratio and over twenty oncology trials to manage, her nursing degree could be put to good use. Her role was changed to Cancer Research Nurse where she worked mainly in haematology oncology trials and her love of all things haematology grew. Emma studied for a Masters degree at Stirling University and wrote her dissertation on a chemotherapy application using a mobile phone for symptom control in haematology chemotherapy patients. Over nine years at the New Victoria has given Emma the experience and expertise of managing clinical trials at site level to take on her role as Clinical Trial Monitor.
- Amanda Lynch
Amanda.Lynch@ggc.scot.nhs.uk Mobile – 07811518145
Amanda Lynch has been employed with NHS for over 19 years. A background in hospital pharmacy as a Pharmacy Technician working in various areas. This included aseptic pharmacy, oncology, ward level dispensary and primary care. This allowed to further develop undertaking HNC in pharmacy management and development and checking qualifications. Then moved into a Clinical Trial Coordinator role, gaining a wide range of experience in all aspects of oncology clinical trials before taking up post as an Academic Clinical Trial Monitor in 2023.
- Konstantina Komninidou
Konstantina.Komninidou@ggc.scot.nhs.uk
Konstantina has a degree in Early Childhood Education with focus on developmental psychology. She followed a paedagogical career until 2017 when she decided to pursue a path in clinical research guided by a passion for facilitating improvement in outcomes for people of all ages.
She has previously worked as trial assistant for the MYRIAD trial, an RCT looking at resilience outcomes in adolescence sponsored by the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Oxford; as data coordinator for the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit CTU in multicentre neonatal CTIMPs, and as data manager for early and late phase CTIMPs, observational, and biobank trials in the Late Phase Haematology research team at the Cancer and Haematology Centre, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Konstantina joined the Research Governance team as a clinical trial monitor in December 2021 working towards ensuring the scientific and ethical integrity of trials sponsored, and hosted by the Board.
- Emma Whitelaw – Governance Facilitator
Emma.Whitelaw@ggc.scot.nhs.uk Mobile – TBC
Emma Whitelaw has been employed with NHS GG&C for almost 18 years. She has been in the Governance Facilitator post since October 2020. Prior to this she was part of the R&I Project Management Unit for 10 years as a Project Assistant helping run Clinical Trials from Start to Finish.
She currently supports the Governance Manager and team with
- Administration, audit and inspections.
- Manages and administers the Phase 1 First in Human Committee for the chair Prof Jim McCaul.
- Administers the GHSP Regulatory Affairs Group chaired by Prof Rob Jones.
- Administers the Sponsor Governance meetings with CRUK
- Supports the administration of the CTIMP oversight committee
Emma also carries out some remote close out admin, file reviews and mini audits for the clinical trials monitoring team.
Emma will help with availability of the governance team and the person to contact for advice on documentation and process for the committees.