Contacts

Nicky Perry MSc, RN
CTU Director and Honorary Senior Lecturer

Nicky started in clinical research more than 25 years’ ago as a research nurse and gained experience of research delivery including recruitment and the follow up of participants on clinical trials. Nicky then went on to assist in the development of the HIV research unit at University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust and was the Research Manager for 19 years, where a large portfolio of commercial and Investigator initiated studies are run. Nicky, in 2015, then went onto set up the CTU with Prof Kevin Davies and the unit gained UK Clinical Research Collaboration (UKCRC) provisional accreditation in 2018. The unit is now managing a portfolio of Investigator led studies across a range of health disciplines and in collaboration with researchers across England. Nicky has been a Chief Investigator and Co-applicant on a number of studies across HIV and other health related areas. In 2019 Nicky was part of a team who undertook an Oral History Project, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. Healthcare workers who were involved in the early days of HIV/AIDS care were interviewed. The sixty six interviews are archived in their entirety in the British Library Sound Archive.  More information on the project and how to access the interviews can be found at www.healthcareworkersinhiv.org.uk

Nicky’s role is to lead on the strategic development and management of the Brighton and Sussex Clinical Trials Unit as well as supporting researchers in the grant development process specifically around research governance, regulations, trial and data management.

N.Perry@bsms.ac.uk • 01273 641469

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 • 01273 644126

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

Chris Jones completed a BSc in Biochemistry in 2007, followed by a lab-based PhD in molecular biology and genetics from BSMS in 2011. Over the next 6 years he worked as a postdoctoral Research Fellow on a BBSRC funded project based on his PhD work and on a novel project on gene expression in osteosarcoma funded by the Brighton University Rising Stars Initiative and the University of Sussex Research Development Fund. Chris gained extensive laboratory and bioinformatic experience designing, performing and analysing gene profiling experiments using RNA-seq and qRT-PCR, and using other techniques such as Western blotting, Drosophila genetics, and human and fruit fly cell culture. Chris received further funding from the BBSRC in 2017 as Co-I on a new RNA-seq based project and continues to be involved in numerous lab projects, as well as supervising two lab-based PhD students.

Since joining the CTU as a Research Fellow in Medical Statistics in 2015, Chris has been involved in the development of, and performed analysis for, over 15 studies involving the CTU and over 30 studies based in University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, the University of Brighton, and the BSMS Global Health and infection, Primary Care and Public Health, Clinical and Experimental Medicine, and Neuroscience departments, including the recently completed multi-centre EU Horizon 2020 funded EmERGE study.

Chris 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.

For the CTU, 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 • 01273 644587

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

Vasso completed her BSc and MSc in Mathematics at the University of Warwick followed by a PhD in Mathematics (Dynamical Systems) at Queen Mary, University of London. She 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. Vasso joined BSMS in 2019, supporting the research activities of the Global Health Research Unit for Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) and is currently completing her MSc in Medical Statistics at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She 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

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 • 01273 641675

Chloe Bruce BSc (Hons) 
Data Manager

Chloe Bruce has worked in research for over five years, specialising in clinical trials data management.  Previously entering data and resolving queries for a large number of multi-disciplinary studies.  At the CTU Chloe now 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, Chloe 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  • 01273 641674

Amy Arbon BMedSc, MPhil
Clinical Trial 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. She has worked across a wide range of clinical specialities, including oncology, sexual health and mental health. Her role is to set up and support clinical trials within the CTU, being responsible for the day to day management of trials, ensuring adherence to protocol, as well as regulatory and administrative requirements.

a.arbon@nhs.net • 01273 696955 Ext. 7732

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

Ye has been a Clinical Trial Manager since 2012, with over 7 years’ experience in managing and initiating a number of Phase I-III (Non-Commercial and Commercial) Oncology Clinical Trials. Ye was part of the GI and Lymphoma Unit at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust for over 4 years, and was a named author in publications listed in the Lancet Haematology and Journal of Clinical Oncology. In 2016, Ye was a Clinical Study Manager for the Centre for Drug Development (CDD) at Cancer Research UK for nearly 3 years, focusing on early phase (I/II) oncology clinical trials of a varied portfolio of anticancer agents from protocol outline to reporting according to timelines, budget and in compliance with local policies and regulatory ICH guidelines. 

Ye is highly experienced in co-ordinating multifunctional teams consisting of clinicians, statisticians and other team members to project manage a number of studies of complex clinical trials to ensure the clinical science aspect of the trial is maintained at a high standard and in accordance to Good Clinical Practice (GCP). Ye has also worked on a number of multi-centre clinical trials (from 5 - 40 sites) and have led on identifying and setting up trial sites, maintaining good communication with Investigator sites and the study team. 

Ye’s role is to set up and support clinical trials within the CTU. She is responsible for the day-to-day management of trials, ensuring adherence to trial protocol, regulatory and administrative requirements. Ye is currently providing trial management support for the PIBIK study and HIS UK study.

y.to@bsms.ac.uk • 01273 641437

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 Neonatal Haemodynamics and Paediatric Respiratory Medicine; 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, Vision Science, Ophthalmology, Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery. His Project Management experience includes supporting programme leads with coordination of national and international research and providing scientific input to partners. Hector’s role is to assist the CTU with the development, optimisation and trial management of studies with a strong technology component.

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

Natalie Dailey BSc (Hons)
Clincal Trial Manager

After completing her BSc Hons in Biomedical sciences, Natalie began working in research for the london office of an international Contract research organisation based in Germany. She was the point of contact for an international Phase 3 immunology safety study, and then a Phase 1 first-in-human haematology study. During this time she experienced monitoring multiple sites across Europe, and helped prepare sites for regulatory audits.Natalie moved to Sussex full time in 2019 and worked for the Royal Sussex County hospital Clinical Investigations and Research unit, assisting the Oncology team in the day-to-day running of over 30 active clinical trials, both commercial and academic.She is responsible for the day-to-day management of trials, ensuring adherence to trial protocol, regulatory and administrative requirements. Natalie is currently providing trial management support for the PIBIK study.

N.Dailey@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 • 01273 643227