Staffs scientist makes global pathology Power List 2021

A Staffordshire University lecturer has been named among the most influential people in pathology, for a second year running.

Ian Davies, Senior Lecturer in Biomedical Science, features in The Pathologist Magazine’s Power List 2021 which celebrates the great and inspirational minds that underpin the medical laboratory profession.

Ian first appeared on the list last year and has been selected for his role in developing innovative training and research opportunities. He is one of just 14 scientists from the United Kingdom featured in the global list of 75 scientists and doctors.

After working as a biomedical scientist for 20 years, Ian was a driving force behind the creation of Staffordshire University’s degree apprenticeship in Healthcare Science. The programme was designed with a range of regional and national NHS partners to create a sustainable and agile pathology workforce through both academic study and work-based education.

Ian-Davies-Staffordshire-University — Ian Davies

Ian said: “I’m proud and privileged to be listed in this year’s list of global pathology influencers. None of this is possible without the brilliant Staffordshire University Biological and Biomedical Sciences team nor my fabulous students delivering science at the heart of healthcare.”

Following the coronavirus outbreak, Ian helped to develop free online training to support retired scientists returning to the COVID-19 frontline and supported 75 trainee biomedical scientists from the apprenticeship programme to ramp up COVID-19 testing across England.

Ian has since helped to design bespoke training for NHS England to support the rapid expansion of its laboratory workforce as part of the pandemic response and the need to sustain COVID-19 testing over a longer term. The training will be delivered to 500 participants over two years and aims to deliver some of the underpinning knowledge related to professional practice and the specifics of SARS-CoV-2 testing.

This year, Ian also joined the International Federation of Biomedical Laboratory Sciences’ “Scientific Network of Experts,” providing advice and support for practice-based biomedical education to organizations such as the World Health Organization.

Ian added: “Biomedical scientists working in pathology laboratories have been the backbone of the diagnostic response to COVID-19. The pandemic has highlighted the vital role that they play not just in the testing but also in developing new treatments and diagnostic methods.

“There is a real need for trained Biomedical Scientists and I hope the exceptional efforts of laboratory workers over the last 18 months will inspire even more people to go into the profession.”