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Staff Profile

Rebecca Maier

Head of the Academic Cardiovascular Unit and Module Leader (MCR8009)

Background

Rebecca is Head of the Academic Cardiovascular Unit. She was previously a member of the senior leadership team in the UKCRC Registered Clinical Trials Unit at Newcastle University, and prior to that was co-Director of the Clinical Trials Unit at Durham University.

Rebecca has a track record in the design and delivery of multi-centre, peer-reviewed nationally funded, internationally important, randomised controlled trials. Rebecca regularly collaborates with clinicians, statisticians, and health economists, and her work has enabled growth in the number of clinical trials led by Clinical Investigators from across the North East. She is co-applicant on a number of multi-centre national, peer-reviewed clinical trials, including UK Mini Mitral, PROACT and PrEPS. Rebecca is also a member of National Cardiac Surgery Clinical Trial Initiative heart valve intervention and minimally invasive techniques clinical study group.


She is passionate about well designed and robust research that answers questions that are important to patient and clinical communities, and enables medical practice to be evidence based. Over the last decade, the critical importance of patient and public involvement in research has become embedded in every aspect of the research process. Her work in designing clinical trials has been enhanced by working closely with patient and clinical groups to build and shape proposals that are informed by, and retain, a focus on patients.


Rebecca has an honorary position at Newcastle University, and undertakes a range of teaching activities, including as the Module Leader for MCR8009 (Integrity, Infrastructure, and Information Governance in Healthcare Research).

Research

Research Interests:

Randomised Controlled Trials

Surgical Trials

Cardiac Surgery

Cardio-oncology

Cardiology


Research Projects:


2017-2020

Spyridopolous I, Maier R, Hancock HC, Kasim A, Austin D

Telomerase ACTivator to reverse Immunoscenescence in Coronary Artery Disease (TACTIC)

Funder: T.A.Sciences         

Value: £1.11m


2017-2023

Austin D, Hancock HC, Maier R, Kasim A, Graham J, Stewart M, Wardley A, Verrill M, Plummer C

Preventing cardiac damage in patients treated for breast cancer: a phase 3 Randomised, Open label, blinded endpoint, superiority trial of enalapril to prevent Anthracycline-induced CardioToxicity (PROACT)

Funder: NIHR RfPB            

Value: £349k


2016-2023

Akowuah E, Hancock H, Maier R, Kasim A, Zacharias J, Deshpande R, Birdi I, Vale L, Livesey S, Stewart M, Murphy G.

Minimally invasive thoracoscopically-guided right minithoracotomy versus conventional sternotomy for mitral valve repair: a multicentre randomised controlled trial (UK Mini Mitral)

Funder: NIHR HTA             

Value: £1.515m


2014-2018

Akowuah E, Hancock HC, Maier R, Kasim A, Goodwin A, Owens WAO, Murphy G, Mason JM

Manubrium-limited ministernotomy versus conventional sternotomy for aortic valve replacement: A randomised controlled trial (MAVRIC).

Funder: NIHR RfPB            

Value: £337k



Teaching

Undergraduate Teaching:

CMB2000: Essential Biomedical Research Skills (lecturer - ethics strand)


Postgraduate Teaching:

MCR8009: Integrity, Infrastructure and Information Governance in Healthcare Research (Module Lead)

Publications