Nowgen appoints new Director of Public Programmes
Nowgen has appointed Dr Bella Starling as Director of Public Programmes.
In her new role, Bella will take responsibility for developing and delivering Nowgen’s wide range of public engagement, education and professional training activities. These are aimed at promoting greater dialogue about, and understanding of, modern genetics and its impact on everyone’s lives.
Commenting on her appointment, Dr Starling said, “Genetic medicine is an exciting and thought-provoking area of healthcare. We aim to inform people about genetics in healthcare and to stimulate a meaningful engagement between professionals, policy-makers, patients and others to enlighten and improve healthcare experiences and research. As part of Manchester’s Biomedical Research Centre in Genetics and Developmental Medicine, Nowgen’s successful public engagement progammes will enhance relationships between biomedical science and society."
In addition to running a popular programme of professional training courses to educate health professionals about genetic medicine, Nowgen is also ensuring that genetics becomes part of everyday learning in schools. It does this by working closely with teachers and running exciting, hands-on courses for students aged 16 and above. Since its formation, Nowgen has run courses for over 4,000 students and teachers, and has hosted over 3,000 genetics-related events in its Manchester-based centre.
Dr Helen Middleton-Price, Nowgen Director, has overall responsibility for delivering the Nowgen project and recognises the vital role of public engagement. “Our Director of Public Programmes is a key contributor to the success of everything we do. Genetic medicine is evolving continuously and it is important that everyone has access to the information they require. The successful education of healthcare professionals, patients, the public and school students depends heavily on our public engagement programmes.
“We are delighted to welcome Bella to our team and all look forward to working with her to create a deeper knowledge of how genetics affects all our lives.”
Having studied Neurosciences to PhD level, Dr Starling pursued a research career where she developed an interest in talking about science to a broader audience. She gained a distinction in the Diploma for Science Communication and, as well as spending time as an editor and science news writer, has previously managed a number of high profile public engagement and ethics programmes. Her last role at the Wellcome Trust, as Head of International Activities, Medical Humanities and Public Engagement, was to set up the first ever programme focusing on public engagement with science in low to middle income countries.
September 2009
