Award Prestigious NIHR research leaders prizes for Imperial people.

Professor Chris Gale and Dr Rebecca Mitting have been awarded with prestigious National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) leadership prizes, in recognition of their outstanding contribution to health and care research. Chris, Professor of Neonatal Medicine and Deputy Director of Imperial Clinical Trials Unit, has been named as a Research Delivery Leader. Rebecca, PICU consultant at West London Children’s Healthcare and honorary senior clinical lecturer at Imperial College London, has been recognised as a Rising Research Leader.

Chris, who is also president of the Neonatal Society, has led multiple NIHR trials, including neoGASTRIC, which is now the world’s largest individually randomised preterm baby trial. He has worked closely with parents and healthcare professionals to streamline research involvement for families and increase efficiency of research delivery, leading to the development of an HRA-approved opt-out consent model and embedding trial processes into electronic patient record systems.

Through his work, he has expanded research capacity by engaging new NHS sites and developing academic neonatal nursing and academic neonatal allied health professional capacity from low base. He has also helped expand research awareness and involvement across the UK, building a network of neonatal units outside of large academic centres.

Rebecca is heavily involved in research to improve the quality of care for critically ill children and has a particular interest in bronchiolitis, sedation, and mechanical ventilation. She is the theme lead for acute care within Imperial College London’s Centre for Paediatrics and Child Health and is the domain lead for PIVOTAL-sedation, the PICU (Paediatric Intensive Care Unit) platform trial.

The prizes, which mark the 20th anniversary of the NIHR, celebrate exceptional leadership, innovation and impact. They recognise leaders who are committed to making research inclusive and relevant to patients, communities and health and care services.

The prizes attracted a strong and diverse field of applicants from across the NIHR community. Winners were selected for their contributions to research leadership, innovation, inclusion and impact. Together, they showcase the breadth of careers that underpin health and care research, from clinical academia and social care research to research delivery and community-based research.

Chris and Rebecca will each receive a £10,000 professional development award, alongside access to tailored leadership and development opportunities. A formal prize-giving ceremony will take place at the 2026 NIHR Academy Conference in October.

West London Children’s Healthcare brings together services for children and young people at Imperial College Healthcare and Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust to improve quality, experience and outcomes across all aspects of child health.

Professor Lucy Chappell, Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department of Health and Social Care and Chief Executive Officer of NIHR, said: “These prizes highlight the exceptional talent and dedication found across our health and care research community. Our winners represent the best of research leadership, driving life-changing improvements for patients – nationally and internationally – and tackling inequalities head-on.

“Our research workforce is critical to sustaining UK research capability and ensuring innovation is translated into better care and outcomes for patients. The UK’s strength in research depends on the people who lead, deliver and apply it.

“As we mark 20 years of the NIHR, we are proud to celebrate these outstanding individuals who are strengthening health and social care and making research more inclusive. The quality of the field was outstanding, and every winner should be immensely proud.”

Find out more about the NIHR20 Research Leaders Prizes.