The team

Professor Rosenberg was appointed as Chair of Wessex Health Partners in April 2023. He holds the Peter Scheuer Chair in Liver Diseases at University College London and is a clinical academic physician working at the interface between universities and the NHS, with strong links to government, the third sector and industry. While working with the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), he pioneered multi-stakeholder work uniting national higher education institutions, NHS, third sector, biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry partners and overseeing collaborative working to further the life sciences ‘health and wealth’ agenda. He also has extensive experience of leading cross-agency working between local councils, public health, primary and secondary care with public and patient representation to develop new pathways of care for patients with long-term conditions.

Christine is the Managing Director of Wessex Health Partners. She has extensive knowledge of the UK research landscape and a strong track record of leading high performing research infrastructure working across health systems, higher education institutions, local authorities and the commercial sector. Government and industry partnerships include the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England, the National Institute for Health and Care Research, the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry and Royal Colleges. In 2017, Christine founded UKRD, an influential community representing R&D Directors and senior leaders, and was appointed to the Ministerial Industry Steering Group for Commercial Research. In July 2023, Christine was made a fellow of University of Southampton in recognition of her long-standing service to region.

Kathy Wallis is Associate Director of Wessex Health Partners (WHP). Kathy moved to WHP from Health Innovation Wessex, where she was the Associate Director for Healthy Ageing and Medicines Optimisation, and successfully founded and managed a number of programmes in areas such as nutrition for older people and reducing harm from alcohol. Kathy is an experienced change and programme manager. She initially worked for 12 years as a clinical pharmacist before moving into management consultancy, working mainly on pharmaceutical and healthcare projects with a special interest in the implementation of change and of clinical systems. She has also worked as an Information Management & Technology (IM&T) Project Manager for University Hospital Southampton, where she was responsible for the successful implementation of Trust-wide inpatient administration and ePrescribing systems, as well as leading on the procurement of a critical care clinical information system for the Trust’s five critical care units.

Louisa is PA to Christine McGrath and William Rosenberg. She joined Wessex Health Partners in 2023, having moved over from Health Innovation Wessex. Louisa comes from a predominantly administration and business support background, with experience in various industries. Louisa holds a BA (Hons) degree in Events Management from Bournemouth University. Following this, she was a Commercial Resource Executive for a professional hair and beauty wholesaler leading and supporting companywide projects, organising site refurbishments, and reporting on company sales data using an accounting software. Most recently, Louisa worked as a Systems and Compliance Administrator within the construction industry, with large involvement in the integrated management system, the achievement of external accreditations, ensuring the feasibility and compliance of suppliers, as well as the implementation of the newly developed enterprise resource planning system.

Kathleen is the Senior Communications Officer at Wessex Health Partners. She began her career in a local government museums team, where she project managed the creation of the museum’s first collection website. Having worked on cultural online campaigns within the authority, Kat was moved to the communications team where she felt very much at home. Initially assisting with the rebuild of the council website, she was then promoted within the team to work more strategically plus focus on media and crisis communications. Her career in local government spanned almost thirty years, managing digital and social media campaigns, election coverage and advising on communications for major development projects. Kathleen brings a wealth of communications experience to the organisation.

Desi joined the Wessex Health Partners team as a Programme Coordinator in January 2024. She has extensive knowledge of research set-up and experience in research delivery. Having graduated with an MSc in Clinical Neurodevelopmental Sciences at King’s College London, she began a career in the NHS as a researcher. Over the last eight years she has worked to facilitate the successful set-up and approval of projects in Research & Development as well as to support the running of clinical trials in oncology, trauma and emergency, and renal research. In her roles, Desi has led teams of research nurses, practitioners, data managers and trial coordinators to deliver cutting edge research accessible to all patients. She is a registered Clinical Research Practitioner with the Academy for Healthcare Sciences (AHCS) and a Licentiate Member of the Institute of Biomedical Sciences (IBMS).

Nina is a Programme Co-ordinator at Wessex Health Partners (WHP), having joined the team in January 2024. She is a registered Adult Nurse (RN) regulated by the Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC). She gained a wealth of clinical experience working in the Intensive Care Unit at University Hospitals Dorset (UHD) until 2016 when she took on the role of a research nurse at UHD for the last seven years. Nina is now considered an experienced research nurse, responsible for; set up, management and implementation of a large portfolio of research trials across a multitude of specialities such as surgery, anaesthetics, critical care, gastroenterology and hepatology; funded through the varying routes such as National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) as well as Commercial companies. Nina has been committed to continued professional development in order to carry out the skills and knowledge required to successfully support varying trials at the trust. She passed the Advanced History Taking and Physical Assessment at M-level and more recently attended the Perioperative Exercise Testing and Training Society (POETTS) accredited course whilst working on the Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing (CPET) course. Nina holds a Bsc (Hons) in Adult Nursing from Bournemouth University.

Chrissy joined Wessex Health Partners in July 2024. She moved across from her work with the NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN) Wessex. As Communications and Engagement Lead, Chrissy played a pivotal role in the development of Wessex Research Hubs and Buses. She led the creation of a new cohesive brand, designed the website, developed a full suite of social media, ran online campaigns and extended PPIE work into the hubs and buses. She also launched the CRN’s first ever programme of public engagement to support recruitment into the region’s research studies aimed at improving health and care. Chrissy moved into comms after a long stint as a journalist, including nearly twenty years working for BBC South Today. She continues to approach most comms challenges as a journalist, putting storytelling at the heart of everything she does and always prioritising accessibility, immediacy and audience need.