Celebrating Fuse's innovative and inspirational women

Over twenty women from Fuse have been included in the annual list of innovators published by The Northern Health Science Alliance on International Women's Day.

The Northern Health Science Alliance (NHSA) is shining the spotlight on hundreds of innovative women today as the annual #NorthInnovationWomen list is published on International Women’s Day.

The NHSA has published a list of almost 400 women who are pushing the boundaries of innovation in their sectors and fields to mark International Women’s Day on March 8, 2025.

Entries of members from Fuse, the Centre for Translational Research in Public Health, include:

Durham University:

• Charlotte Clarke, Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Health), and Fuse Centre Strategy Board member
• Joanne McGrath, Post Doctoral Research Associate
• Michelle Addison, Associate Professor - Director of MSc Criminology and Criminal Justice Programme.

Lancaster University:

• Professor Heather Brown, Professor of Health inequalities.

Newcastle University:

• Catherine Exley, Director of Population Health Sciences
• Eileen Kaner, Professor of Public Health & Primary Care Research, and Fuse Associate Director
• Gemma Spiers, Principal Research Associate
• Judith Rankin, Professor of Maternal & Child Health
• Professor Barbara Hanratty, Professor of Primary Care and Public Health
• Professor Clare Bambra, Professor of Public Health and Fuse Senior Investigator
• Professor Nicola Heslehurst, Professor of Maternal and Child Nutrition
• Shelina Visram, Senior lecturer in Public Health and co-lead of the Fuse Health Inequalities Research Cluster
• Steph Scott, Senior Lecturer in Public Health.

Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust:

• Michelle Stamp, Deputy Directorate Manager, Community Directorate.

Teesside University:

• Dr Nasima Akhter, Associate Professor of Public Health
• Amelia Lake, Professor of Public Health Nutrition, Dietitian and Public Health Nutritionist, and Fuse Associate Director
• Dr Helen Moore, Associate Professor
• Dr Natalie Connor, Research Associate in Public Health
• Dr Ruth Boocock, Associate Professor
• Professor Emma Giles, Professor Integrating Physical and Mental Health
• Jo-Anne Smith, Senior Clinical Academic and Registered Dietitian, Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust (TEWV).

The #NorthInnovationWomen campaign, back for its eighth year, provides an informal and supportive platform for women to be acknowledged and celebrated. This year, inspiration has been taken from the NHSA’s Health Equity North Woman of the North report, with the report’s themes being used to inspire suggestions of women working to address regional inequalities that women face.

The social media campaign relies on X, BlueSky and LinkedIn users to suggest women they want to see included in the list – there are no strict criteria or voting systems. This year’s list features hundreds of women who are achieving great things and inspiring those around them across the North of England, as recommended by our Twitter followers.

Hannah Davies, NHSA Chief Executive, said: "Hannah Davies, Chief Executive of the Northern Health Science Alliance, said: "This is a record breaking number of recommendations for North Innovation Women, and I want to thank everyone who supported the campaign. This year, we used our Woman of the North work to inspire recommendations and it's clear just how hard people are working to fight the wide-ranging inequalities that women face throughout their lives. Congratulations to everyone who made the list, the breadth and range of women is not only inspirational, but is indicative of the talent we have here in the North of England."

International Women's Day is a global day, marked annually on March 8, celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. It also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. Find out more about the day and how to support.

All #NorthInnovationWomen who have been named on the list can download a graphic to share on their social media channels here.

Last modified: Mon, 10 Mar 2025 12:46:23 GMT