Professor Keith Channon who has overseen the expansion of world-leading medical research at the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) for the past nine years is stepping down.

He will be replaced as Director of the Oxford BRC by Professor Helen McShane, a leading vaccine specialist.

Prof McShane is professor of Vaccinology at Oxford’s Nuffield Department of Medicine, based at the Jenner Institute, and is an honorary consultant physician in HIV and genito-urinary medicine at the Oxford University Hospitals.

Prof Channon was appointed to lead the BRC, one of the National Institute of Health Research’s largest research centres, in 2009.

Prof McShane said: “It is a great honour to have been appointed to lead the Oxford BRC and am very excited about taking up this pivotal role for medical research in Oxford. Keith has been an outstanding champion of the BRC’s research and I am looking forward to taking up the baton from him.

“I have a background in translational medicine in the field of vaccine development and have a real passion for ensuring that the research we do leads to real benefits for patients. It is a real privilege, then, to be in a position where I can help to make this happen.”

Prof Channon added: “It has been a privilege to lead the NIHR Oxford BRC for the past nine years and oversee the expansion of the work we do to drive clinical innovation.

“I am proud of the fact that our BRC has consistently been rewarded for its excellence with increased funding. This is in recognition of the world class research that is done here and that is having real tangible benefits for patients across a wide range of medical fields.

“I am confident that Helen will be able to play her part in maintaining Oxford’s position at the forefront of global medical research.”