The Scientific Foundation Board announces new Board Chair and Vice-Chair

The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) Scientific Foundation Board (SFB) has appointed a new Chair.

The SFB supports high-quality primary care research studies by awarding grants for research directly relevant to patient care in general practice.

We are delighted to announce that Sophie Park, Professor of Primary Care and Clinical Education in the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences at the University of Oxford, has been elected as the Board's new Chair. Aside from being a GP, a leader in clinical education and the primary care workforce and SFB member for several years, Sophie is also Chair of the Society of Academic Primary Care (SAPC) Education Research Group and Co-Lead for the NIHR Clinical Education Research Incubator. 

Professor Park replaces Professor Richard Neal who, after over 11 years on the Board, serving the last six years as Chair, has stepped down. During his tenure, he oversaw the awarding of more than 70 grants and celebrated and supported many early career researchers through the RCGP Research Awards scheme. Professor Neal will continue exploring his research interests, including into cancer diagnosis in primary care, at the University of Exeter.

The College is also pleased to announce that Professor Helen Atherton has been re-elected as Vice-Chair of the SFB. Professor Atherton, Professor of Primary Care Research at the University of Southampton, was elected in 2023, and she will now serve another three-year term. She is one of the Boards representatives of health service researchers, and she is an expert in improving digital access to primary care. 

Commenting on the announcements, Dr Nick Thomas, RCGP Clinical Lead for Research and Deputy Lead for National Specialty group - NIHR Primary Care, said: "The RCGP and general practice speciality are extremely grateful to Professor Neal for his expert leadership and dedication as Chair of the Scientific Foundation Board. We thank him for all of his hard work and welcome Professor Park and Professor Atherton in their lead roles and look forward to working with them."

The SFB awards research grants range from £1,000 to £30,000, and we are now accepting applications for annual research grants. View our full list of Scientific Foundation Board grants and fellowships. 

Further information

RCGP press office: 0203 188 7659
press@rcgp.org.uk

Notes to editors

The Royal College of General Practitioners is a network of more than 54,000 family doctors working to improve care for patients. We work to encourage and maintain the highest standards of general medical practice and act as the voice of GPs on education, training, research and clinical standards.