NHS Pharmacogenomics & Medicines Optimisation Genomic Network of Excellence Event

Date: Friday 9th May 2025

Registration: 09:00 onwards

Event start: 10:00

Event close: 16:00

Post-event networking: 16:30 – 17:00

Location: The Catalyst (3 Science Square, Newcastle Helix, Newcastle, NE4 5TG)

Event Chair: Professor Bill Newman

Registration will be open from 09:00 am with the programme starting promptly at 10:00 am

10:00

Welcome & opening remarks

♦ TED Lecture Theatre
Welcome and opening remarks will be delivered by Prof Bill Newman.

10:10

Keynote: Pharmacogenomics in the NHS

♦ TED Lecture Theatre
Join us for a keynote address by Prof Dame Sue Hill, the Chief Scientific Officer for England, offering an insightful overview of pharmacogenomics in the NHS.

10:30

Pannel discussion: Involving and engaging patients and the public in pharmacogenomics implementation

♦ TED Lecture Theatre
This session, chaired by Vivienne Parry OBE, will explore the vital role of patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) in pharmacogenomic implementation. Our panel features Dr Emma Magavern, Dr John McDermott, and Dr Videha Sharma who will share insights from their research and implementation studies. Importantly, we are joined by patient representative Mark Josef Rapa, offering a valuable perspective on the patient perspective and experience of pharmacogenomics.

11:30

Break

♦ Exhibition Space
Light refreshments and the opportunity to network with colleagues.

12:00

Challenges and opportunities in delivering a pharmacogenomics laboratory service

♦ TED Lecture Theatre
This session will be chaired by Prof Ann Daly will explore pharmacogenomics laboratory models. Prof Dr. Ron HN van Schaik will share insights from the established Netherlands approach, and Dr Emma Howard will reflect on developments in the NHS.

13:15

Lunch

♦ Exhibition Space
Buffet lunch and the opportunity to network with colleagues.

14:15

Breakout sessions

Delegates will attend ONE of the below sessions:

Breakout 1: Pharmacogenomics competency framework resource for prescribers

♦ TED Lecture Theatre
This one-hour workshop will provide an update on the ongoing work and development of the pharmacogenomic competency framework resource for all prescribers. This interactive session will engage participants to help bring the framework to life and extract key insights for real-world application. The workshop will be facilitated by, Osman Ali, Jessica Keen and Emma Groves.

Breakout 2: Economics of pharmacogenetics workshop

♦ The Workshop
Economic evidence is a key component to inform if, and how, to introduce pharmacogenetic testing into current practice. This one-hour workshop will use group exercises to introduce you to the concept of opportunity cost and understand the value proposition of different models of service delivery. Three moderators will take you through these exercises: Sainan Chang, Alireza Mahboub-Ahari and Prof Katherine Payne.

Breakout 3: Patient counselling and informed discussion for pharmacogenomics

♦ Gorgon and Faraday
During this interactive one-hour workshop participants will consider: what patients and their families want to know when deciding whether or not to have a pharmacogenomic test; the differences between genomic tests and pharmacogenomic tests and their impact on how a patient’s consent for a pharmacogenomic test should be sought; what can be done to facilitate the clinical implementation of pharmacogenomics, focusing on building and maintaining trust, and promoting engagement, education and sharing information with patients across diverse clinical settings. The workshop will be facilitated by Tara Clancy.

15:15

Breakout session feedback

♦ TED Lecture Theatre
Following the interactive breakout sessions, each group will share key discussion points and insights with the main group. This session will be chaired by Emma Groves.

15:45

Closing remarks

♦ TED Lecture Theatre
Closing remarks will be delivered by Prof Bill Newman, offering reflections on the day’s discussions.

The meeting will close at 16:00 with 30 minutes for post event networking.

Professor Bill Newman

Bill Newman is Professor of Translational Genomic Medicine at the University of Manchester and Consultant Clinical Geneticist at the Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine. He is Clinical Director of the Northwest Genomic Medicine Service Alliance and Lead of the NHS England Network of Excellence in Pharmacogenomics and Medicines Optimisation. He is the current President of the European Society of Human Genetics.

Professor Dame Sue Hill

Professor Dame Sue Hill DBE FMedSci FRSB FRCP(Hon) FRCPath (Hon) FHCS (Hon) is the Chief Scientific Officer for England and the NHS in England, is the Head of Profession for the scientific workforce and provides scientific leadership and advice for the wider health and care system. A respiratory scientist by background, she has an international academic and clinical research reputation

Dame Sue leads and directs Genomics in the NHS, driving the world-leading programme to introduce a nationwide Genomic Medicine Service working in partnership between the NHS and academia, industry and UK and international governments/initiatives, building on her work in heading up the NHS contribution to the world-leading 100,000 Genomes Project.

Dame Sue was made a Dame Commander in 2018 in recognition of the scale of her contribution to British genomics, having previously been awarded an OBE in 2005 in recognition of her services to healthcare science. In 20/21 she was named one of The 80 Most Influential People in English NHS and health policy.

Vivienne Parry OBE

Vivienne Parry is a science writer and broadcaster. For more than a decade she was head of Public Engagement at Genomics England.

Dr Emma Magavern

Dr Emma Magavern is a MRC Clinician Scientist and Lecturer in Clinical Pharmacology. She completed her PhD in pharmacogenomics at the William Harvey Research Institute, Queen Mary University of London, working with Professor Sir Mark Caulfield and Professor Damian Smedley. She was subsequently appointed a NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturer and then an MRC Clinician Scientist. She completed a BA in English prior to her MD and subsequent MScs in Bioethics and Genomics.

Through training in clinical medicine, humanities, genetics, and pharmacology she has developed an interest in the scientific merits, clinical potential and implementation challenges of pharmacogenomics. She was co-secretary of the Royal College of Physicians/British Pharmacological Society (BPS) working group on pharmacogenomics and led the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) cardiovascular pharmacotherapy working group (CVP) pharmacogenomics position paper. Her main focus is on leveraging genomic medicine to reduce existing health inequalities.

Dr John McDermott

Dr John McDermott is a Clinical Geneticist and an NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturer at the University of Manchester. He was the UK’s first Academic Clinical Fellow in Genomic Medicine. Working at the Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine his research focuses on the application of genomics in acute and everyday healthcare settings. Dr McDermott currently leads a range of academic programmes investigating the implementation of genomics in global health systems, exploring the interface between genomics, informatics and service development.

Dr Videha Sharma

Videha Sharma is the Clinical Innovation Lead at the University of Manchester, where he bridges the gap between healthcare, technology, and design. With a background as a surgeon and a PhD in Health Informatics, he now specialises in digital and data-driven innovation in healthcare. A strong advocate for design-led innovation, Videha has led multidisciplinary teams to build patient-centred digital solutions, develop new clinical services, and shape national health strategies.

Professor Ann Daly

Ann Daly is Professor Emerita of Pharmacogenetics at the Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. She holds BA and PhD degrees in Biochemistry from the University of Dublin (Trinity College), Ireland. After several years as a postdoc at the University of Geneva, Switzerland she moved to Newcastle University where she was a founder member of the Newcastle Pharmacogenetics Research Group.

Her research has focused on the genetic susceptibility to idiosyncratic adverse drug reactions, pharmacogenetics of the human cytochromes P450 and the genetics of complex diseases, particularly liver disease. She is a Senior Editor of British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology and a past President of the International Society for the Study of Xenobiotics (ISSX) and the European Society of Pharmacogenomics and Personalised Therapy (ESPT).

Professor Dr. Ron HN van Schaik

Prof. Dr. Ron H.N. van Schaik (PhD/FACB) is a European Specialist Laboratory Medicine and Full Professor Pharmacogenetics (2013) and Clinical Chemistry (2023). He is head of the Dept. Clinical Chemistry at Erasmus MC – University Medical Center Rotterdam and Director of the International (IFCC) Expert-Center for Pharmacogenetics. Main interest is implementation of pharmacogenetics in clinical practice. He published >350 peer reviewed articles (h-index 81; Google Scholar).

Specific research topics include pharmacogenetics in oncology, cardiology, psychiatry and pain medication. Prof. van Schaik participates in national (DPWG) and international groups on pharmacogenetics (ESPT, PGRN, CPIC, PharmVar, AMP, EMA) and chairs the Dutch Network Clinical Pharmacogenetics. He is recipient of the Ortho Clinical Diagnostics Award for Outstanding Research (2001), the AACC Outstanding Speaker Award (2009) and the AACC/Mol Pathology Award for Outstanding Scientific Research (2010).

Dr Emma Howard

Emma qualified in Biology from the University of Liverpool in 1994 and after 3 further post graduate years at the University of Manchester she was awarded a PhD in genetics. She continued with a post-doctoral career in genetics working on both Van der Woude Syndrome and Williams Syndrome before joining the NHS as a trainee scientist in 2001. Emma was promoted to principal clinical scientist leading the cancer team in 2011.

In 2017, Emma was appointed as a consultant clinical scientist and the head of the genetics Laboratory at Liverpool Women’s. During the past 5 years she’s led the laboratory through major changes particularly with the merger between the Liverpool and the Manchester genomic labs to form the North West Genomic Laboratory Hub. In November 2020, Emma was appointed as Scientific Operational Director for the NW GLH and is particularly passionate about refining diagnostic pathways and adopting new technologies to improve patient outcomes particularly linking genomic testing to personalised medicine.

Osman Ali

Osman Ali is the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer’s (CPhO) Clinical Fellow with the England Team at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS). He is an Advanced Clinical Practitioner (ACP) Pharmacist and Independent Prescriber (IP) with broad experience across community pharmacy, primary care, commissioning, and secondary care. Prior to his fellowship, Osman worked as a High Cost and Drugs and Procurement Lead Pharmacist in an NHS Hospital.

Emma Groves

Emma is a consultant pharmacist and the NHS North East & Yorkshire Genomic Medicine Service Pharmacy Lead. Her role involves providing leadership to embed genomic medicine into clinical pathways, enabling implementation of pharmacogenomics and supporting workforce development and transformation. Emma is passionate about education and training and supporting healthcare professionals to use genomic information to optimise the use of medicines.

Jessica Keen

Jessica Keen is the Pharmacy Lead at the NHS NorthWest Genomic Medicines Service Alliance in the UK, working to embed genomic medicine into routine clinical pathways and ensure equity of access to genomic testing and treatments for patients. She has particular interest in the role of pharmacy teams and the wider workforce in the implementation of pharmacogenomics in the NHS. She is the pharmacy lead for the PROGRESS programme (Delivering Pharmacogenetics for the NHS) and part of the NHSE Network of Excellence in Pharmacogenomics and Medicines Optimisation.

Her background is as an oncology pharmacist prescriber, specialising in Upper GI cancers and electronic prescribing. As a prescriber she has seen the benefit of genomics to inform treatment from diagnosis through to stratification and medicines optimisation. She is a member of the BOPA Genomics Special Interest Group.

She completed an MSc in Genomic Medicine in 2022 and was awarded a Pre-doctoral Research Fellowship with the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Greater Manchester in 2023, where her research focuses on the implementation of pharmacogenomics in cancer.

Sainan Chang

Sainan Chang is a Research Associate at the Manchester Centre for Health Economics. Her research focuses on early-stage economic evaluation, particularly in precision medicine and genomics.

She applies decision-analytic modelling, disease burden analysis, micro-costing, and value of information analysis to support the evaluation of healthcare interventions.

Alireza Mahboub-Ahari

Alireza Mahboub-Ahari is a Research Fellow in Health Economics at Manchester Centre for Health Economics (MCHE), University of Manchester. His research focuses on health economic modelling, particularly the cost-effectiveness of healthcare interventions. He is currently evaluating pharmacogenetic testing in the NHS and developing a model on coordinated discharge planning for Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) patients. Ali also co-leads the NIHR SafetyNet Health Economics Working Group(HEWG), a network of multiple stakeholders focused on advancing the economics of patient safety research across the Patient Safety Research Collaborations.

Professor Katherine Payne

Professor Katherine Payne (ORCID: 0000-0002-3938-4350) is an academic health economist with over 30-years applied and methodological research experience in the economic evaluation (using RCT and decision-analytic models) and valuation (using discrete choice experiments and contingent valuation) of health care interventions and specifically precision medicine and genomics. Katherine is also a registered pharmacist and in 2016 her contribution to the profession was recognised by the award of Fellow of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

In April 2023, Katherine was awarded a National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Senior Investigator award. She has a particular interest in the use of economic evidence to inform decision-making in practice and was a member of a National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Technology Appraisal Committee between October 2003 and 2012. Katherine is a current member of the UK National Screening Committee Research and Methodology Group.

Maria Rodrigues

Mara S. Rodrigues is a Research Fellow in Health Economics at the Manchester Centre for Health Economics (MCHE), University of Manchester. She is trained micro economist. Her current research focuses on applied and methodological aspects of health economic modelling, with an emphasis on evaluating the cost-effectiveness of healthcare interventions. She is currently part of a multidisciplinary team conducting an economic evaluation of pharmacogenetic testing in the NHS. She has expertise in a range of qualitative and quantitative methods, including decision-analytic modelling, micro-costing, network meta-analysis, and discrete choice experiments (DCE), as well as other advanced modelling techniques.

Maria also co-leads the North West Health Economics Group, a regional network connecting health economists across the North West of England. In addition, she is an advisor for the NIHR Research Support Service (RSS). Maria is unfortunately not able to join us on the day.

Tara Clancy

I’m a Senior Lecturer and Honorary Consultant Genetic Counsellor in Manchester and my main interests are in ethical, legal and psychosocial issues. I’m Chair of the British Society for Genetic Medicine (BSGM) Ethics and Policy Committee, and chair the BSGM working group on direct-to-consumer genomic testing, including pharmacogenomic testing. I’m a member of NHS England’s Genomics Ethics, Equity and Legal Advisory Group and a past member of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics. I’m keen to engage in discussions about ethical, legal and psychosocial issues with individuals and groups including patients, families, healthcare professionals, scientists, researchers, policy makers and industry.

By Car

Newcastle Helix based in Newcastle City Centre is easily accessible by road via the A1 from the North and South and the A69 from the West.

Parking:  

Newcastle Helix’s MSCP “The Garage” is situated on Corporation Street (Postcode: NE4 5 QB). It can be accessed via Westgate Road turning onto Corporation Street or Cross Villa Place.  MSCP location: Corporation Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE4 5QB

There are 23 pay and display bays in this multi-storey car park. There is both an electronic pay and display service in operation, as well as cash/card payment machines.

We would recommend you set up an account prior to your arrival at the multi storey car park.

The pay by phone service contact details are as follows:  

Telephone no: 0191 628 0000

App: paybyphone – Available for Android & Apple

Web site: https://www.paybyphone.co.uk

On your arrival in the multi storey car park, park in a pay and display bay which is on either level 1 or level 2, log onto pay by phone, input the pay by phone location code, which is 807148, input the correct vehicle registration number and then choose from the menu for the number of minutes, hours, days you require.

The cost to park in this multi storey car park is £1.50 per hour from 8.00 am to 10.00 pm Monday to Sunday.  The multi storey car park is closed at 12.00 midnight. A full day rate in the car park is £9.00.

Accessible bays are located on the ground floor, access is via the back entrance on Corporation Street. The Catalyst is then a short walk-through Firebrick Avenue.   Alternatively, the closest car parks to The Catalyst are St James’ Park, Blandford Square or Grainger Town Multi-Storey.

Electric Vehicles

There are 20 EV spaces, including 8 accessible EV chargers within the MSCP, in addition a Fastned charging station can be located on Wellington St (Postcode: NE4 5TG)   There is a 45 minute maximum charging time slot for each car to be parked there at the Fastned station.

 By Bus

Being in the city centre, almost all Newcastle buses pass within a 10-minute walk of The Catalyst. For up-to-date timetables, maps and advice, please visit www.nexus.org.uk/bus , or for further Newcastle bus links, visit www.stagecoachbus.com/timetables.

By Metro

Monument, St James’ Park and Central Station Metro stations are within a 10-minute walk of The Catalyst. This makes the site accessible on both the green and yellow Metro lines. In Newcastle upon Tyne, Metros run frequently throughout the day with peak frequency of around every 3-6 minutes. For the most up to date times, please visit www.nexus.org.uk/metro.

By Train

Newcastle Central Station is situated on the east coast main line linking England and Scotland. It is directly accessible from London King’s Cross, Glasgow, and Edinburgh. The journey from London King’s Cross takes between 2.5 to 3 hours. The Catalyst is a 10-minute walk from the station.

By Foot from Central Station

The Catalyst is less than a 10-minute walk from Newcastle Central railway station.

From the main Central Station entrance, cross the road onto Grainger Street, opposite, and turn first left on to Westgate Road. Bath Lane is the fourth turning on your right-hand side. Follow Bath Lane (past Fujiyama Teppan-Yaki Restaurant) up the side of the city’s historic West Wall. After 200 yards, you’ll come to a dual carriageway, St. James’ Boulevard. We are on the other side of the road up past  The Core and The Key tent like building and then we are next, the black and gold building.

By Foot from St James’

The Catalyst is less than a 5 minutes’ walk from St. James’ Park football stadium and metro station.

When you leave the station turn right on to St Andrews Street then take a right on to Gallowgate. Turn left at the dual carriageway, St James’ Boulevard and follow this until you see the sign for The Helix on the right hand side take the first right and we are up on the left hand side past a tent like building called the Key. Beautiful big and black and gold building.

By Foot from Haymarket Bus Station

The Catalyst is about a ten-minute walk from Haymarket bus station. When you leave the station turn right towards Percy Street and then turn left on to Percy Street. Once you hit a crossroads turn right on to Gallowgate and then left on to St James Boulevard. Follow St James Boulevard until you see Bath Lane… We are right there on the right-hand side.

By Plane to Newcastle Upon Tyne

Newcastle International Airport is seven miles Northwest of The Catalyst. It is the region’s largest airport, handling over four million passengers a year pre-pandemic. The airport receives flights from over 80 destinations worldwide, which includes a long-haul scheduled service to Dubai from Newcastle.

Official airport taxis pick-up and drop-off directly in front of the terminal. You can book a taxi inside the airport. Other taxis, if ordered, pick you up or drop you off across the road from the terminal. A taxi into the city centre should take about 15 minutes. There is also a Metro station in the airport. The journey to St. James or Haymarket Metro stations will take about 25 minutes. Buses also run to Newcastle Haymarket from the airport entrance.