Contacts

Dr Wendy Wood
CTU Director RGN, RSCN, BSc (Hons), DPhil

Wendy has over 20 years’ experience in clinical research and has been involved in a large number of multicentre clinical trials, contributing to all stages of research from design to dissemination. 

She studied biochemistry BSc and DPhil at University of Sussex and worked as a post-doctoral researcher at Sussex before moving into trial management at the Institute of Cancer Research. She has worked in Clinical Trials Units at UCL, Southampton and Surrey Universities and for NIHR Research Design Service as a Research Adviser. In May 2023 she became Director of Brighton & Sussex Clinical Trials Unit.

Wendy is also a member of a NIHR RfPB (Research for Patient Benefit) funding panel, where she plays a key role in reviewing and shaping research proposals aimed at improving patient care.

W.Wood@bsms.ac.uk

Professor Stephen Bremner, BSc(Hons), MSc, PhD, FHEA
Professor of Medical Statistics

Stephen, who has worked in trials since 2008, has particular expertise in the design and analysis of pragmatic trials of complex interventions, pilot & feasibility trials and cluster randomised trials. He has co-authored peer-reviewed repots for trials in diverse specialties such as primary care, mental health, surgery and respiratory medicine and is co-investigator lead statistician on the majority of trials run through BSCTU. Stephen provides independent statistical oversight to trials/programmes of work led from other UKCRC-registered CTUs and is a Senior Editor with BMC Pilot & Feasibility Studies. He also has broad expertise in the main types of epidemiological research design and appropriate analytical methods.

S.Bremner@bsms.ac.uk

Dr Chris Jones BSc(Hons) BA(Hons) PhD CStat CSci 
Senior Research Fellow in Medical Statistics

Chris Jones has a lab background, with a BSc in Biochemistry, PhD in molecular biology and genetics and 6 years’ experience as a lab post-doc. Chris joined the CTU in 2015, completed a BA in Mathematics and Statistics from the Open University in 2017 and was awarded both Chartered Statistician status through the Royal Statistical Society and Science Council Chartered Scientist Status through the Royal Society of Biology in 2019. Chris works closely with colleagues to provide statistical input for the development of new projects and grant applications, with Data managers to ensure study databases capture the required data, with Trial Managers to ensure high quality data is collected, and with Clinical colleagues to ensure the reporting and publication of study results is accurate and reliable. Chris develops detailed Statistical Analysis Plans before performing the required analyses in Stata, or similar analysis environments such as Python, R or SPSS. 

C.I.Jones@bsms.ac.uk

Dr Vasso Anagnostopoulou BSc(Hons), MSc, PhD
Research Fellow in Medical Statistics 

Vasso completed her PhD in Mathematics (Dynamical Systems) at Queen Mary, University of London and subsequently held postdoctoral positions at TU Dresden in Germany, Imperial College London (as a Marie Curie Intra-European-Fellow) and Queen Mary, University of London. She joined BSMS in 2019, supporting the research activities of the Global Health Research Unit for Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) and in 2023 completed her MSc in Medical Statistics at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Vasso joined the CTU in 2023 as a statistician in the REDUCe2 trial, and is also working as a statistician and data manager at the NIHR Global Health Research Unit for NTDs and the NIHR 5S Foundation.

V.Anagnostopoulou@bsms.ac.uk

Dr Saskia Eddy (BSc, MSc, FHEA, PhD)
Lecturer in Medical Statistics

Saskia joined Brighton and Sussex Medical School as a Lecturer in Medical Statistics in 2024. Saskia previously worked at King's College London as a Trial Statistician and worked in collaboration with NICE and NHS England to successfully commission two interventions for cancer and cerebral palsy. Saskia is a member of the international pilot and feasibility studies (PAFS) collaboration and the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) improving statistical literacy group. Saskia is interested in clinical trial methodology, particularly the design, sample size, and conduct of pilot and feasibility trials. As a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA), Saskia has experience teaching medical (MBBS) and Public Health (MPH) students, as well as NHS professionals about medical statistics and experimental design.

s.eddy@bsms.ac.uk

Debbie Lambert PGDip, BSc (Hons)
CTU Data Manager

Debbie has worked in clinical research for over 15 years. She began as a data manager of large scale multi-national pharmaceutical clinical trials. She then went on to work at the clinical research facility at University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust as a data officer team leader where she gained experience in a large number of Electronic Data Capture platforms. 

She joined the Brighton and Sussex Clinical Trials Unit CTU in 2016 and developed all of the Data Management processes and SOPs.

Debbie’s role at the CTU is to create the databases for CTU studies and lead the data management function. She also supports other researchers with data management advice.

D.Lambert@bsms.ac.uk

Chloe Bruce BSc (Hons) 
Data Manager

Chloe Bruce has worked in research for nearly ten years specialising in clinical trials data management, with previous experience entering data and resolving queries for a large number of multi-disciplinary studies.  Chloe designs user-friendly databases and Case Report Forms and tests them in line with protocol requirements, working closely with study teams to ensure the capture of high-quality data.  From the early stages of a study, she provides data entry guidance and support, oversees review of the data for accuracy and completeness, manages discrepancies throughout, and later handles data cleaning and extraction prior to the analysis stage.

C.Bruce@bsms.ac.uk

Gina Richards BSc (Hons)
Data Manager

After completing a BSc Hons in Biochemistry with Physiology, Gina has spent over twenty years in the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry. After a number of years in the laboratory she moved into Quality Assurance and became a specialist in computerised systems validation, and data integrity compliance, ensuring inspection ready status to MHRA standards.

Gina joined the CTU in 2024 as a data manager and uses her QA background to assist the data team in overseeing the review of data for accuracy and completeness, managing discrepancies, and data cleaning and extraction. She provides support for data entry users and the wider clinical trial team to ensure high quality data is captured to support study outcomes.

G.richards@bsms.ac.uk           

Gavin Peacock BA (Hons)
CTU Information Systems Manager

Gavin is responsible for overseeing the data management team and systems at BSCTU. With a career in commercial clinical research spanning almost 30 years, he has gained extensive experience working with large pharmaceutical companies and Contract Research Organisations (CROs), focusing primarily on data management, CRF design, and database programming.

Throughout his career, Gavin has managed and contributed to numerous multinational clinical trials across a variety of therapeutic areas and phases. He brings more than 14 years of management experience to the role, having previously led a global team specialising in system validation, study database specifications, data validation specifications, entry screen and edit check testing, data listing specifications and testing, as well as testing for PRO devices and applications.

Gavin is well-versed in a range of database systems, including REDCap, Medidata Rave, Veeva, Oracle Clinical RDC, Clintrial 3 and 4, and Baseline Plus. He is also proficient in several programming languages, including SQL, PL/SQL, SAS, and Python.

g.peacock2@bsms.ac.uk

Amy Arbon BMedSc, MPhil
Senior Trials and Quality Assurance Manager

Amy Arbon began her research career with an MPhil in Reproductive Biology, and then moved into Clinical Trials as a Data Manager in 2009 at Birmingham Clinical Trials Unit.  She then moved to University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust in 2011 and set up the Data Management system for a large portfolio of commercial studies within the Clinical Investigations and Research Unit. She continued to develop her research career by becoming a Trial Monitor for the Research and Development department and subsequently a Trial Manager in 2014 working across the University Hospitals Sussex Trust and the Brighton & Sussex Clinical Trials Unit, where her role was to set up and support clinical trials within the CTU, being responsible for the day to day management of trials. She has worked across a wide range of clinical specialities, including oncology, sexual health and mental health.  She is now the Senior Trial and Quality Assurance Manager, leading the team of trial managers and their portfolio of studies within the CTU, undertaking internal audits, supporting the CTU team in preparation of external audits, ensuring the internal CTU processes are of a high and consistent standard, and assisting researchers with grant applications and study set-up.

a.arbon@bsms.ac.uk

Ye To BSc (Hons) and PRINCE2 Foundation Certificate in Project Management
Clinical Trial Manager 

Ye began her research career as a Clinical Trials Manager in the GI and Lymphoma Unit at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust in 2012, before joining the Centre for Drug Development (CDD) at Cancer Research UK as a Clinical Study Manager, managing and initiating a number of Phase I-III Oncology Clinical Trials.

Ye joined the Brighton and Sussex Clinical Trials Unit CTU in 2019 and her role is to set up and support clinical trials. She is responsible for the day-to-day management of trials, ensuring adherence to trial protocol, regulatory and administrative requirements. 

y.to@bsms.ac.uk

Hector Rojas-Anaya PhD 
Clinical Trial Manager

Héctor trained as a Biomedical Engineer and has got 20 years’ experience in NHS clinical research. Main areas of expertise are Paediatric Respiratory Medicine and Neonatal Haemodynamics; with a particular interest in the development and validation of biomarkers for targeted physiology-based approaches to treatment. Other research involvement has comprised PET-CT Imaging in Oncology. His Project Management experience includes supporting programme leads with coordination of national and international consortiums and providing scientific input to partners. Hector’s role is to assist the CTU with the development, optimisation and trial management of clinical impact research.

Alison Porges BSc (Hons)
Clinical Trial Manager

Alison began her clinical research career working as a Clinical Research Associate for 2 large multi-national Pharmaceutical companies, working in a variety of disease areas including HIV, osteoporosis, multiple sclerosis, multiple system atrophy and infertility. She moved to University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust in 2014 and worked in the Data Team, before moving over to the financial side of clinical research and becoming Research Contracts and Grants Manager in 2019. As a Clinical Trial Manager, Alison is responsible for setting up, supporting and the day-to-day management of clinical trials as well as ensuring adherence to the trial protocol, regulatory and administrative requirements.

a.porges@bsms.ac.uk

Gail Murphy BSc (Hons)
Clinical Trial Manager

Upon leaving university Gails first job was as a clinical research associate with Schering Health Care.  This start in commercial clinical trials gave Gail experience working on a variety of high quality primary and secondary care drug trials, and was involved from setting up, monitoring data for quality and safety, through to study reporting. Gail took a break from industry and retrained as an antenatal teacher, before returning to research at Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust in the governance team.  Here she reviewed a range of studies from a governance perspective and supported the team to deliver high quality research. Gail moved to BSMS clinical trial unit in Sept 2024 where her role is to set up and support clinical trials. She is responsible for the day-to-day management of trials, ensuring adherence to trial protocol, regulatory and administrative requirements. 

g.murphy@bsms.ac.uk

Julia Pollard
CTU Administrator

Julia has worked in an administrative role in clinical research for over 7 years working in HIV research where she was responsible for ensuring all the essential documentation was in place prior to a clinical trial commencing. This was for commercially sponsored studies as well as investigator-initiated trials. Julia was also responsible for the maintenance of all the  Investigator Site Files, working with the Sponsors to ensure all studies maintained a high standard of documentation. Julia also assisted in the preparation of the site in MHRA Inspections and Sponsor Audits. Julia’s role in the CTU is to support the Trial Managers in the set up and maintenance of study related documentation and Trial Master Files. She also supports the Director in the administration and day to day management of the CTU. 

J.pollard@bsms.ac.uk