Lancashire born former NHS England National Clinical Director for Stroke Medicine Dr Deb Lowe has been appointed as an Honorary Clinical Professor at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan).
Following a successful half a decade as a National Clinical Director, Professor Lowe will work with UCLan’s Applied Health Research hub (AHRh) and the School of Nursing and Midwifery to support innovative research projects that link together evidence, improve treatment quality and translate into clinical practice.
Professor Lowe will remain as the current National Clinical Lead for NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time Stroke Programme, a position which will compliment her new UCLan Honorary Clinical Professor in Stroke Medicine role.
Professor Lowe, who is also a respected Consultant Stroke Physician at Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, has worked in the NHS for over 26 years as a specialist in stroke medicine and older people’s care. As National Clinical Director she has been clinically responsible for the National Stroke programme within the Prevention and Long Term Conditions programme.
"This is fantastic honour. It will further cement my affiliation with this great team as we work together to further improve the quality of stroke care and improve outcomes for people affected by this devastating disease."
— Honorary Clinical Professor Dr Deb Lowe
Professor Lowe already has a successful relationship with UCLan. In 2019 she introduced the UCLan Stroke-Specific Education Framework (SSEF) into the National Stroke Programme and NHS England has now ensured its integration into the delivery of a capability-based clinical workforce planning.
She is currently part of the UCLan ESSENCE insight advisory group, which advises on the education and training provision needs of stroke care workers in accordance with the NHS Long Term Plan, and has supported the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NHR) Applied Research Collaboration Implementation Roundtable, which is led by UCLan and provides an overview of what’s happening in stroke care across the North West Coast.
Professor Lowe said: “This is fantastic honour. It will further cement my affiliation with this great team as we work together to further improve the quality of stroke care and improve outcomes for people affected by this devastating disease. As a Lancashire lass that started her stroke career 25 years ago working with several members of the UCLan stroke research team, this feels particularly poignant and special to me.”
"This appointment is the next step in our collaborative relationship as we aim to progress research that directly benefits stroke patients."
— Professor Dame Caroline Watkins from UCLan nurse-led stroke research team
UCLan boasts the world’s largest nurse-led stroke research team. Led by Professor Dame Caroline Watkins with Professor Liz Lightbody, it has an extensive portfolio of primary and secondary research that spans the five main areas of stroke care; acute, long-term care, prevention, rehabilitation, and workforce development.
Dame Caroline said: “This is fantastic news not only for UCLan, but also for Lancashire and the wider North West region.
“Several prolific researchers in stroke are based at UCLan and Deb has supported many projects over the last ten years as a co-applicant or steering group member. This appointment is the next step in our collaborative relationship as we aim to progress research that directly benefits stroke patients.”
Professor Lowe’s new role as Honorary Clinical Professor at UCLan will initially run until January 2027.