The Team: Programme Management

Lucy McCloughan is the Programme Manager for ACRC having previously managed Health Data Research Scotland from 2018 and Farr Scotland from 2017.  From 2012 she was eHealth Research Manager at the University of Edinburgh Medical School overseeing a programme of randomised controlled trials and qualitative studies investigating telemetric self-monitoring of long term health conditions along with a programme investigating ePrescribing systems in English hospitals. 

Prior to that she managed the Scottish Mental Health Research Network from 2007-2009 and the Scottish Primary Care Research Network from 2002-2007.  Before moving into research management, she was on the “coal face” as a researcher working with people with visual disabilities, working at the Oxford Eye Hospital and the Princess Alexandra Eye Hospital in Edinburgh.  

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Kate Morris is the Project Manager for the ACRC Academy. Prior to this, she was Project Manager for ThermaSMART, an international research project with 18 partners on five continents. She also worked as Project Manager on the teaching response to Covid in the School of Engineering. She has a background in publishing, where she was a non-fiction editor for firms including HarperCollins and Bloomsbury, and was Publications Manager for the Basic Skills Agency, a national educational charity. 

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Layla Robinson is the Partnership and Engagement Manager for the ACRC. She has experience gained from over 15 years in Scottish, UK and international engagement, strategy, public affairs and communications. She spent seven years in public affairs and communications consultancy, providing strategic advice on public affairs and policy to a range of healthcare, and other, organisations.

 

Between 2010 and 2016, she worked for Cancer Research UK, mainly as Head of Public Affairs and Campaigning. This included managing an award-winning team and activities across the Devolved Nations, Westminster, EU and with local Government. Layla then led a coalition of disability charities in Scotland to influence Scottish and UK Government policy that affected the one million disabled people living in Scotland. She oversaw the coalition’s programme of work, with support from the member organisations. Most recently, Layla established the public affairs and patient advocacy function across the UK and Ireland for a fast-growing pharmaceutical company.

Jenny Robertson is the Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement Coordinator for the ACRC. Jenny previously managed the public involvement in research programme for the Multiple Sclerosis Society and developed an international public involvement group for a project focusing on patient reported outcomes in multiple sclerosis. Prior to this, she worked as a research assistant at King's College London, investigating the impact of cognitive behavioural therapy for people living with persistent physical symptoms. Jenny has a degree in Health Psychology.

Rob joined the ACRC in December 2020. He started his career in the Scottish Government, working for the Reshaping Care for Older People Team. In 2011, he moved to an independent consultancy, where he was involved in client work across a number of sectors, including pharmaceuticals and retirement housing. In 2015, he moved to the third sector, becoming Communications and Policy Manager for Queen’s Nursing Institute Scotland.

New to the University of Edinburgh, Ailsa was previously the finance and office manager for a furniture retail business from 2017 – 2020, and the marketing and office manager for a furniture wholesale business from 2009 to 2017. Prior to that, she worked in the oil and gas industry for Schlumberger, Aberdeen from 1996 – 2009 in a number of different roles. Her career has included all aspects of administration and office management; event management, tender co-ordination, marketing, finance, and HR responsibilities.