Usher Institute Inaugural Lecture Showcase

Usher Institute, School of Population Health Sciences

College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh

Wednesday 27 May | 17.00 - 19.30

Usher Enlighten, Usher Building, Edinburgh BioQuarter

The College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine welcomes you to an inaugural lecture showcase event showcasing the work of:

• Nazir Lone, Personal Chair of Critical Care and Epidemiology
• Kathrin Cresswell, Professor of Digital Innovations in Health and Care
• Susan Shenkin, Personal Chair of Healthcare for Older People

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Nazir Lone is Professor of Critical Care and Epidemiology and a Consultant in Critical Care. His research focuses on improving the quality and outcomes of acute and critical care, using epidemiological methods, linked data and AI-driven approaches. He leads work to understand multimorbidity in acute settings and long-term recovery after critical illness.

His talk will explore how better use of health data can improve care for people who become seriously ill.

Kathrin Cresswell is a social scientist and Professor of Digital Innovations in Health and Care at the Usher Institute, The University of Edinburgh. She specializes in conducting formative evaluations of digital change and improvement programs across health and care settings. A core focus of her research is understanding why digital initiatives succeed or fail by examining the organizational, political, and social issues surrounding technologies like Electronic Health Records, AI, and robotics.

Her talk will frame the push for digital transformation in the NHS as an epic quest, fraught with the conflicts and trade-offs of Homer's Iliad. It will explore the perennial tension between pursuing digital "glory" (like cutting-edge AI or genomics) and the daily "struggle" of fixing fundamental infrastructure (like Wi-Fi, basic integration, and legacy IT). Using the Iliad's heroes and feuds—from Achilles' rage (clinician frustration over clunky systems) to Agamemnon's command (central policy mandates)—the talk will argue that achieving a truly "future-ready" health service requires balancing heroic ambition with deep, patient, and long-term organizational change.

Susan Shenkin is a clinical academic geriatrician who leads a portfolio of interdisciplinary research in healthcare for older people, particularly those living with the geriatric syndromes of delirium, dementia, frailty, and other multiple long-term conditions. Her focus is considering the whole person rather than a single condition, and working across health and social care (particularly care homes). She uses a range of methods, including data-driven innovation, systematic reviews, and observational and interventional studies. She has mostly worked less than full-time and is a strong advocate for balancing academic aspirations with wider/caring responsibilities.

Her talk will explore how to improve health and care for older people, travelling the bridges between and within health and social care.

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17.00 - 18.30 | Inaugural lectures

18.30 - 19.30 | Drinks reception

This event is free and open to all.

Please indicate any dietary or access requirements when you register to attend.

Lectures are in-person only and will not be live-streamed. Recordings of the lectures will be available after the event.

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Privacy notice

Details of the University of Edinburgh full privacy notice can be found here

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Photography notice

This event may be photographed and/or recorded for promotional or recruitment materials for the University and University approved third parties. For further information please contact [email protected]

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