Health Technology Assessment (HTA)
In this section you can read more on the people involved in the assessment of applications for the NIHR Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Programme, read the minutes of previous funding decisions and obtain more information on becoming a reviewer or a panel member.
New developments in health research funding are transforming the way research in the NHS is organised and carried out. The NIHR Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Programme invites and works with a range of individuals to meet the research needs of the NHS. Their support and input allows us to fund high-quality, evidence-based, value for money research.
The people who work in, work with or use NHS services provide vital input into all stages of the NIHR HTA Programme.
Members of the HTA advisory groups are required to declare any interests which conflict, or may be considered to conflict, with HTA business, or may be perceived as influencing decisions made in the course of their work within the HTA programme in line with the Conflicts of Interest Policy. All members are asked to complete the Register of Interest form (annually), which is intended to capture long term predictable interests that could be perceived to lead to conflicts of interest. These and other interests are judged on a case by case basis at individual meetings. View the Register of Interests for each HTA programme advisory group.
Our director

Professor Hywel Willliams, is an internationally respected and published Professor of Dermato-Epidemiology and Co-director of the Centre of Evidence Based Dermatology at Nottingham University. He was Deputy Director of the HTA Programme and chair of the HTA Commissioning Board 2010 to 2015.
Watch the latest director's message.
Our boards
The HTA Boards meet three times a year to assess the scientific merit of proposals submitted to both the commissioned and researcher-led workstreams, including themed calls and evidence synthesis proposals, and to make funding recommendations to the HTA Prioritisation Group (PG).
HTA Commissioning Board
Chair | Organisation |
Professor Deborah Ashby, OBE |
Deputy Head of the School of Public Health, Co-Director of Imperial Clinical Trials Unit, Chair in Medical Statistics and Clinical Trials, Imperial College, London |
Deputy Chair | Organisation |
Professor Simon Gilbody |
Professor in Health Services Research, University of York |
Member | Organisation |
Professor Ibrahim Abubakar |
Professor in Infectious Disease Epidemiology, University College London |
Professor Joy Adamson |
Professor of applied health research & ageing, Newcastle University |
Professor Steven Brown |
Colorectal Surgery, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals |
Mr Paul Charlton |
Public board member |
Professor Gary Collins |
Professor of Medical Statistics, University of Oxford |
Professor Saul Faust |
Professor of paediatric immunology & infectious diseases, University Hospitals Southampton NHS Foundation Trust |
Professor Richard Grieve |
Health Economist, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine |
Professor Paul Griffiths |
Professor of Radiology, University of Sheffield |
Mr Rakesh Heer |
Consultant Urologist, University of Newcastle |
Professor Catherine Hewitt |
Deputy Director, York Trials Unit |
Professor Pat Hoddinott |
Chair in Primary Care, University of Stirling |
Professor Robert Howard |
Professor of Old Age Psychiatry, King's College London, and University College, London; Consultant Old Age Psychiatrist, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust |
Professor Pip Logan |
Professor of Rehabilitation Research, University of Nottingham |
Professor William McGuire |
Professor of Paediatrics and Child Health, Hull York Medical School |
Mr Daniel Perry |
Senior Lecturer in Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Liverpool |
Dr Greta Rait |
Reader in Primary Care & General Practitioner, University College London |
Professor Chris Rogers |
Professor of Medical Statistics, University of Bristol |
Professor Jonathan Ross |
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust |
Professor Tracey Sach |
Health Economist, University of East Anglia |
Professor Andrew Shennan, OBE |
Professor of Obstetrics, King's College London |
Professor Sobha Sivaprasad |
Consultant Ophthalmologist, Moorfields Eye Hospital |
Mr David Symes |
Public member |
Dr Catrin Tudur-Smith |
Reader in Medical Statistics, University of Liverpool |
Dr Katrina Turner |
Qualitative Methologist, University of Bristol |
HTA Clinical Evaluation and Trials Board
Chair | Organisation |
Professor Steven Goodacre |
Professor and Consultant in Emergency Medicine, University of Sheffield |
Deputy Chair | Organisation |
Professor Julia Brown |
Director, Leeds Institute of Clinical Trials Research |
Member | Organisation |
Dr Kate Brown |
Consultant Paediatric Intensive Care, Great Ormond Street Hospital and Hon Reader Institute Cardiovascular Science UCL |
Professor Lucy Chappell |
NIHR Research Professor in Obstetrics, King's College London |
Professor Tim Coleman |
Professor of Primary Care, University of Nottingham |
Dr Charlotte Coles |
Reader in Breast Radiation Oncology, Honorary Consultant in Clinical Oncology, Cambridge Breast Cancer Research Unit |
Professor Lorraine De Souza |
Professor of Rehabilitation, Brunel University |
Dr David Ekers |
Nurse Consultant, Mental Health, Tees, Esk & Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust |
Dr Richard Emsley |
Professor of Medical Statistics and Trials Methodology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London |
Professor Paul Ewings |
Director, NIHR Research Design Service, Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust |
Professor Amanda Farrin |
Professor of Clinical Trials, Leeds Institute of Clinical Trials Research, University of Leeds |
Professor William Hollingworth |
Professor of Health Economics, School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol |
Dr Susan Jowett |
Reader in Health Economics, Institute for Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham |
Mrs Deborah Keatley |
Public board member |
Professor Peter Langhorne |
Professor of Stroke Care and Geriatric Medicine, ICAMS, Glasgow Royal Infirmary |
Associate Professor Daniel Lasserson |
Senior Clinical Researcher, Medical Sciences Division, University of Oxford |
Dr Jennifer Logue |
Clinical Senior Lecturer in Metabolic Medicine, Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, University of Glasgow |
Professor Alan Montgomery |
Professor of Medical Statistics and Clinical Trials, University of Nottingham |
Mr Thomas Pinkney |
Senior Lecturer and Consultant Colorectal Surgeon, Academic Department of Surgery, University of Birmingham |
Associate Professor Daniel Prieto-Alhambra |
Associate Professor & NIHR Clinician Scientist, NDORMS, University of Oxford |
Dr Kathryn Radford |
Associate Professor in Rehabilitation Research (Long Term Conditions), Queen's Medical Centre, University of Nottingham |
Dr Athanasios Saratzis |
NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturer in Surgery (Vascular), Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, Leicester University |
Professor Sharon Simpson |
Professor of Behavioural Sciences and Health, MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Glasgow |
Professor Stephanie Taylor |
Professor in Public Health and Primary Care, Barts and the Queen Mary’s School of Medicine and Dentistry |
Ms Gail Thornton |
Public board member |
Professor Douglas Tincello |
Professor of Urogynaecology, Department of Health Sciences, University of Leicester |
Professor Edwin Van Teijlingen |
Professor of Reproductive Health Research, Bournemouth University |
Professor Scott Weich |
Professor of Psychiatry, University of Warwick |
HTA General Board
Chair | Organisation |
Professor Andrew Farmer |
Professor of General Practice, Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford |
Deputy Chair | Organisation |
Professor John Norrie |
Chair of Medical Statistics and Trial Methodology, Director of Edinburgh Clinical Trials Unit (CTU) University of Edinburgh |
Member | Organisation |
Professor Julie Brittenden |
Professor of Vascular Surgery, Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, University of Glasgow |
Mr Alan Chant |
Public board member |
Professor Mike Clarke |
Professor/Director of MRC Methodology Hub, School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast |
Professor Matt Costa |
Professor of Orthopaedic Trauma Surgery, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology, and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford |
Dr Fay Crawford |
Senior Research Advisor, Research and Development, NHS Fife |
Professor Rumona Dickson |
Professor of Health Services Research, Institute Psychology, Health and Society, University of Liverpool |
Dr Jon Dorling |
Clinical Associate Professor, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, The University of Nottingham |
Ms Jennifer Hirst |
Senior Systematic Reviewer and Research Officer, University of Oxford |
Professor Kerry Hood |
Director of the Centre for Trials Research, College of Biomedical & Life Sciences, Cardiff University |
Professor Nick James |
Director of the Cancer Research Centre, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick |
Associate Professor Ed Juszczak |
Director, National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit Clinical Trials Unit, University of Oxford |
Professor Julia Lawton |
Professor of Health and Social Science, Usher Institute of Population Health Sciences and Informatics, University of Edinburgh |
Professor Steff Lewis |
Personal Chair in Medical Statistics, University of Edinburgh |
Professor Danny McAuley |
Professor of Intensive Care Medicine, Centre for Infection and Immunity, Queen's University Belfast |
Professor Rumana Omar |
Professor of Medical Statistics, Department of Statistical Science, University College London |
Professor Rupert Pearse |
Professor and Consultant in Intensive Care Medicine, Queen Marys University of London |
Professor Mark Peters |
Professor of Paediatric Intensive Care, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health |
Professor Craig Ramsay |
Professor of Health Care Evaluation, Director of the Health Services Research Unit, University of Aberdeen |
Dr Matthew Ridd |
Consultant Senior Lecturer in Primary Health Care, School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol |
Mrs Amanda Roberts |
Public board member |
Professor Christine Roffe |
Consultant in Stroke Medicine, Keele University |
Dr Marc Serfaty |
Reader in Psychiatry, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London |
Dr Sarah Stock |
Senior Clinical Lecturer in Maternal and Fetal Health, MRC Centre for Reproductive Health, University of Edinburgh |
Dr Andrew Sutton |
Associate Professor in Decision Analytic Modelling, Leeds Institute of Health Sciences, University of Leeds |
Dr Sara Twaddle |
Director of Evidence, Healthcare Improvement Scotland |
Professor Olivia Wu |
Professor in Health Technology Assessments, Institute of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow |
Our panels
The HTA Programme is supported by five advisory panels and one prioritisation group focused on prioritising potential research topics for the commissioned research workstream and applications received from researchers for the researcher-led (CET workstream) funding stream.
Emergency and Hospital Care
Remit: this panel focuses on interventions delivered in hospital or managed in the community by hospital specialists. This includes all clinical therapies (including those delivered by paramedical staff), rehabilitation and relevant devices.
Chair | Organisation |
Professor Yoon Loke |
Professor of Medicine and Pharmacology, University of East Anglia |
Member | Organisation |
Dr Kathy Bamford |
Consultant Medical Microbiologist, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust |
Dr Daniele Bryden |
Consultant in Critical Care Medicine & Anaesthesia, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust |
Professor Michael Callaghan |
Professor of Clinical Physiotherapy, Manchester Metropolitan University |
Dr Pratima Chowdary |
Consultant Haematologist, Royal Free Hospital |
Dr Anthony De Soyza |
Senior Lecturer / Honorary Consultant, Newcastle University |
Dr Francis Fatoye |
Reader in Physiotherapy, Manchester Metropolitan University |
Professor Margot Gosney |
Consultant in Elderly Care Medicine, Royal Berkshire Hospital |
Dr Bernard Gudgin |
Public Contributor |
Dr Penny Kechagioglou |
Consultant Clinical Oncologist, Coventry University Hospital |
Dr Harpreet Kohli |
Director of Public Health and Health Policy, NHS Lanarkshire |
Dr James Larcombe |
General Practitioner (Principal/Partner), Skerne Medical Practice, County Durham |
Professor Fiona Lecky |
Professor and NHS Consultant, University of Sheffield |
Dr Adam Mackridge |
Pharmacist, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board |
Dr Ben O’Brien |
Clinical Director, Department of Perioperative Medicine, St Bartholomew’s Hospital and Barts Heart Centre |
Dr Edward Roddy |
Clinical Senior Lecturer in Rheumatology and Honorary Consultant Rheumatologist, Keele University |
Dr Clare Louise Sandell |
Orthopaedic Nurse Specialist, St Mary’s Hospital, Isle of Wight |
Mr Paul Skaife |
Consultant General and Colorectal Surgeon, University Hospital Aintree |
Dr Peter Watkinson |
Consultant intensive Care Physician, University of Oxford |
Interventional Procedures
Remit: this panel considers interventions involving surgery, interventional radiology, and radiotherapy. It also consider research questions where these interventional procedures are compared against others e.g. drugs.
Chair | Organisation |
Professor Andrew Bradbury |
Consultant Vascular Surgeon, Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust , Birmingham |
Member | Organisation |
Dr Mohamed Abdel-Fattah |
Consultant Urogynaecologist, University of Aberdeen |
Dr Dianne Addei |
Lead Consultant in Public Health Medicine, NHS England Specialised Commissioning Team (London Region) |
Dr Owen Boyd |
Consultant in Intensive Care Anaesthesia, Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals |
Professor Usha Chakravarthy |
Professor of Opthalmology, The Queen's University of Belfast Trust |
Dr Julie Cox |
Consultant Radiologist, City Hospitals Sunderland |
Mr Ravi De Silva |
Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Papworth Hospital |
Professor Jeremy Fairbank |
Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre and University of Oxford |
Professor Mark Gabbay |
Professor of General Practice, Head of Department of Health Services Research, University of Liverpool |
Dr Steve Holmes |
General Practitioner, The Park Medical Centre, Shepton Mallet |
Professor Peter Hutchinson |
Professor of Neurosurgery and Honorary Consultant Neurosurgeon – University of Cambridge/Addenbrooke’s Hospital |
Mr Simon Knight |
Senior Clinical Research Fellow, Honorary Consultant Transplant Surgeon, Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences |
Professor Mamas A Mamas |
Professor of Interventional Cardiology, Keele University |
Professor Peter McCulloch |
Professor of Surgical Science and Practice, University of Oxford |
Professor Vinidh Paleri |
Consultant Head & Neck and Thyroid Surgeon, The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust |
Mr Anil Reddy |
Robotic Colorectal Surgeon, James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough. Honorary Senior Lecturer, Newcastle University |
Miss Mandy Rudczenko |
Public Contributor |
Professor Rob Sayers |
Professor of Vascular Surgery, Leicester Royal Infirmary |
Professor David Sebag-Montefiore |
Audrey and Stanley Burton Professor of Clinical Oncology, University of Leeds, Leeds Cancer Centre |
Mr Sami Shimi |
Consultant Surgeon, University of Dundee |
Mr Andrew Thorpe |
Consultant Urologist, The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust |
Ms Sarah Tyrie |
Public Contributor |
Professor Phil White |
Professor of Interventional and Diagnostic Neuroradiology, Newcastle University |
Women and Children’s Health
Remit: this panel focuses on interventions in the fields of obstetrics, paediatrics, neonatal and specific maternal mental health issues.
Chair | Organisation |
Professor Peter Brocklehurst |
Professor of Women's Health, Director of the Institue of Women's Health, University College London |
Member | Organisation |
Professor Allan Colver |
Professor of Community Child Health, Newcastle University |
Professor Sir Alan Craft |
Professor and Consultant Paediatrician |
Mrs Sarah Crane |
Public Contributor |
Dr Paul Crouchman |
GP, Cheltenham |
Dr Jon Dorling |
Consultant Neonatologist & Honorary Clinical Associate Professor, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust |
Dr Rebecca Harmston |
Public Contributor |
Professor Richard Holt |
Professor in Diabetes and Endocrinology, University of Southampton |
Dr Sara Kenyon |
Senior Lecturer, University of Birmingham |
Dr Niina Kolehmainen |
Senior Research Fellow / Honorary Consultant Allied Health Professional |
Prof Monica Lakhanpaul |
Consultant Community Paediatrician, UCL Institute of Child Health |
Dr Pam Loughna |
Senior Lecturer/Consultant Obstetrician, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust |
Ms Jennifer McAnuff |
Occupational Therapist & NIHR Clinical Doctoral Research Fellow, Leeds Community Health NHS Trust |
Dr Julie Mytton |
Associate Professor in Child Health, University of the West of England, Bristol |
Professor Jane Norman |
Professor of Maternal and Fetal Health, Edinburgh University |
Ms Sally Pastellas |
Senior Commissioning Manager Children and Maternity Commissioning |
Dr Maggie Redshaw |
Senior Research Fellow, Social Scientist |
Mrs Lucia Rocca-Ihenacho |
Consultant Midwife for Public Health, St George's NHS Trust |
Dr Lyvonne Tume |
Nurse, Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool |
Dr Ann Van den Bruel |
Senior Clinical Research Fellow, University of Oxford |
Mr Nic Vine |
Public Contributor |
Dr Martin Ward-Platt |
Consultant Paediatrician (neonatal medicine) / Honorary Clinical Reader in Neonatal and Paediatric Medicine / Clinical Director, Regional Maternity Survey office (Public Health England) |
Mental Health
Remit: this panel focuses on therapies relating to mental health and psychological disorders at all ages including diagnosis of mental illness or cognitive deficits and learning difficulty, as well as therapies used in any aspect of occupational health.
Chair | Organisation |
Dr Howard Ring |
Consultant & University Lecturer in Psychiatry, University of Cambridge |
Member | Organisation |
Professor Marios Adamou |
Consultant Psychiatrist, South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust |
Professor Sube Banerjee |
Professor of Dementia and Associate Dean, Brighton and Sussex Medical School |
Dr Sarmishtha Bhattacharyya |
Consultant in Old Age Psychiatry, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. Honorary Senior Lecturer, University of Chester |
Professor Chris Burton |
Professor of Primary Medical Care, University of Sheffield |
Dr David Christmas |
Consultant in Liaison Psychiatry, Cambridge and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust |
Dr Moira Connolly |
Consultant in Psychiatry, Gartnavel Royal Hospital, NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde |
Professor Diane Cox |
Professor of Occupational Therapy, University of Cumbria |
Dr Bernadka Dubicika |
Honorary Reader and Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, University of Manchester |
Professor Paul French |
Associate Director, Psychosis Research Unit, Greater Manchester West Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust |
Mr Clive Hodgeon |
Public Contributor |
Professor Oliver Howes |
Professor of Molecular Psychiatry, King's College London |
Dr Artemis Igoumenou |
Clinical Lecturer in Forensic Psychiatry, Queen Mary's University London |
Ms Emma Kinloch |
Public Contributor |
Dr Ira Madan |
Consultant and Honorary Reader in Occupational Medicine, Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College London |
Dr David Ndegwa |
Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust |
Professor Ian Norman |
Professor of Nursing and Interdisciplinary Care, Kings College London |
Professor Stephen Priebe |
Professor of Social and Community Psychiatry, Queen Mary, University of London and Director of WHO Collaborating Centre for Mental Health Services Development |
Dr Greta Rait |
Reader in Primary Care, University College London, and General Practitioner |
Dr Richard Reading |
Consultant Community Paediatrician, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital |
Professor John Rose |
Director of Forensic Clinical Psychiatry, University of Birmingham |
Professor Roz Shafran |
Chair in Translational Psychology, University College London |
Mr Richard Tomlin |
Public Contributor |
Dr Tim Williams |
Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Berkshire Healthcare NHS Trust |
Dr Nat Wright |
Clinical Research Director, Transform Research Alliance, Spectrum Community Healthcare CIC and Visiting Associate Professor, University of Leeds |
Dr Arnold Zermansky |
Portfolio GP and Senior Research Fellow, University of Leeds |
Primary Care
Remit: this panel focuses on interventions delivered in primary care or the community, including community nursing, community rehabilitation, relevant devices and palliative care. The panel also focuses on disease prevention interventions including NHS public health, health promotion and vaccinations.
Chair | Organisation |
Professor Clare Wilkinson |
Professor of General Practice and Director of Research, North Wales Clinical School, Bangor University and GP |
Member | Organisation |
Dr Claire Ballinger |
Principal Research Fellow and Lead, Patient and Public Involvement, NIHR CLAHRC Wessex, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southampton |
Dr Elizabeth Cottrell |
NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturer in Primary Care, Keele University and GP |
Professor Peter Crome |
Honorary Professor, University College London |
Professor David Fitzmaurice |
Professor of Cardiorespiratory Primary Care, University of Warwick and GP |
Dr Michelle Hall |
Assistant Professor Physiotherapy, University of Nottingham |
Dr Tess Harris |
Reader in Primary Care, St George's University of London and GP |
Dr Melvyn Jones |
Senior Clinical Lecturer, University College London and GP |
Miss Emily Lam |
Public Contributor |
Mr David Liggins |
Public Contributor |
Dr Kamal Mahtani |
Deputy Director Centre for Evidence Based Medicine, University of Oxford and GP |
Miss Eloise Phillips |
Advanced Nurse Practitioner, Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust |
Dr Marlise Poolman |
Clinical Senior Lecturer in Palliative Medicine, North Wales Clinical School, Bangor University |
Dr Sarah Slight |
Reader in Pharmacy Practice, University of Durham |
Professor Mike Thomas |
Professor of Primary Care Research, University of Southampton and GP |
Dr Victoria Tzortziou Brown |
Clinical Lecturer, Queen Mary University of London and GP |
Ms Shazma Waqas |
Public Contributor |
Dr Geoff Wong |
Clinical Research Fellow, University of Oxford |
Prioritisation Group
Research priorities decided by the Topic Identification, Development and Evaluation (TIDE) panels are ultimately agreed by the Prioritisation Group (PG); which ensures appropriate balance, value for money, and quality. The group is also responsible for ratifying and ranking proposals recommended by the programme’s funding boards for submission to the Department of Health for final decision and approval.
Chair | Organisation |
Professor Hywel Williams |
Director of HTA Programme, NIHR |
Deputy Chairs | Organisation |
Professor Deborah Ashby |
Deputy Head of the School of Public Health, Co-Director of Imperial Clinical Trials Unit, Chair in Medical Statistics and Clinical Trials, Imperial College London |
Member | Organisation |
Professor Andrew Bradbury |
Sampson Gamgee Professor of Vascular Surgery and Director of Quality Assurance and Enhancement, University of Birmingham |
Professor Peter Brocklehurst |
Professor of Women’s Health, Director, Birmingham Clinical Trials Unit, University of Birmingham |
Professor Steve Goodacre |
Professor and Consultant in Emergency Medicine, University of Sheffield |
Dr Edmund Jessop |
Specialised Commissioning Team, NHS England |
Professor Yoon Loke |
Senior Lecturer in Clinical Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Health Policy & Practice, University of East Anglia |
Dr Howard Ring |
Consultant and University Lecturer in Psychiatry, University of Cambridge |
Professor Clare Wilkinson |
Professor of General Practice & Director of Research, Department of Primary care and Public Health, Bangor University |
Reviewers
To assure the scientific quality of its research, the HTA Programme relies upon the help of external reviewers to review:
- the research and commissioning briefs it produces
- the research proposals it receives
- the final reports of research findings
External reviewers play a vital part in maintaining and improving the quality of HTA Programme research and are sought from a variety of fields, including clinical, methodological and those who use NHS services.
View a list of HTA 2017 reviewers.