PROFESSOR Dan Joyce has been appointed as Mersey Care’s new Director of Research and Innovation and will spearhead their research agenda, innovative projects and collaborations when he begins his new role next month.

Professor Joyce takes up his new position on:- 1 December 2024 and succeeds Professor Nusrat Husain, who has served in the same role for the past 2 years.

Professor Joyce said:- “I’m delighted to be given the responsibility of leading Mersey Care’s Research and Innovation programmes. I’m passionate about the role of research in the development of healthcare and improving outcomes for all patients in all different communities. I want to build on the work of Professor Hussain and develop Mersey Care’s Research and Innovation team to reach new heights, contributing to significant advancements in our field.”

In his new position, Professor Joyce aims to create a dynamic and inclusive research environment that nurtures creativity, fosters inter-disciplinary collaboration, and drives scientific breakthroughs.

He is committed to leveraging cutting-edge technologies and methodologies to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time and will be exploring two work streams from the Mental Health Research and Innovation Centre (M-RIC) - Mental Health Avatar and Mood Disorder Care Innovations.

A consultant psychiatrist, Professor Joyce currently works for Mersey Care and the University of Liverpool as the Chair of Connected Mental Health within M-RIC. Prior to that he worked at Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust as a consultant psychiatrist in Early Intervention for Psychosis and as a Senior Clinical Research Fellow at the University of Oxford's Department of Psychiatry.

During Professor Hussain’s time as Director of Research and Innovation he helped to advance Mersey Care’s research capabilities and established a strong foundation for future growth. 

He will continue to lead Mersey Care’s Global Centre for Research on Mental Health Inequalities., which brings together academics, clinical practitioners, patients, carers, and the wider public from different research disciplines and global regions to advance research and learning to address mental health inequalities.

Dr Noir Thomas, Mersey Care’s Chief Medical Officer, said:- “Research is becoming integral to how the NHS looks at healthcare and finds new ways of managing demand by treating our patients from their own homes. Professor Hussain has done a great job for the last two years in guiding our Research and Innovation and we are delighted he is continuing with his work on the Global Centre for Research on Mental Health Equalities. His replacement, Professor Joyce, is already well known to Mersey Care in his work with M-RIC and I’m sure that experience will enable a smooth transition and bright future as we attempt to establish Mersey Care as 1 of the most respected health research facilities in the country.”