Three world-renowned professors appointed to lead Academic Centre for Healthy Aging

Through research, education and training, ACHA aims to transform how our health and care services support people as they age, improving healthy ageing in our community and beyond.

Professors Adam Gordon, Liz Sampson, and Hamish Simpson, who will take up their posts in early Autumn, will help deliver this aim through their work developing ACHA's strategic initiatives and future plans.

The professors' significant track records, expertise and leadership will play a vital role in delivering world-leading, innovative research at ACHA, which supports healthy ageing across north east London and beyond.

Introducing our new professors

Professor Adam Gordon, MBE, joins ACHA and Queen Mary's Wolfson Institute for Population Health. He is clinical academic geriatrician who focuses on improving health outcomes for older people living with frailty. His research on improving healthcare delivery in care homes has helped shape national policy to ensure residents get the care they need. Professor Gordon is also President of the British Geriatrics Society until Autumn 2024.

Speaking on his appointment, he said: "I'm thrilled to be joining ACHA and to lead efforts to improve rehabilitation and recovery for older people in north east London. I look forward to working with colleagues across Barts Health and Queen Mary to advance research and create impactful strategies that support recovery and resilience in older adults."

Professor Liz Sampson also joins ACHA and Queen Mary's Wolfson Institute of Population Health, while continuing her clinical work at East London NHS Foundation Trust. A highly experienced clinical academic, Professor Sampson's work focuses on conditions such as dementia and cognitive frailty in hospital patients. Her work aims to better understand and manage the interactions between physical and mental health in older people.

"This is a great opportunity to lead research on cognition and mental health in older people. By addressing these critical aspects of ageing, we can make significant strides in improving the quality of life for older adults. I am excited to start working with the diverse research and clinical networks that ACHA will support," said Professor Sampson.

Professor Hamish Simpson, FRSE, joins ACHA and Queen Mary's Blizard Institute. A world expert in orthopaedics and trauma, he brings extensive experience in clinical research with a focus on limb reconstruction and treatments for osteoarthritis. He is the first orthopaedic surgeon to be awarded the Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and is the incoming President of the International Combined Orthopaedic Research Societies.

"I am honoured to join ACHA and contribute to its groundbreaking work in addressing the challenges of long-term conditions," said Professor Simpson. "I look forward to leading research that aims to maintain mobility throughout the lifespan and enhances return of function after injury in older individuals, and to working with the local community to develop innovative solutions that promote and enhance healthy ageing."

ACHA's strategic initiatives and future plans will be presented at its formal launch planned for January 2025.