Christiana wins top prize
Congratulations to Christiana Dinah who is a winner at the annual National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) Leaders Prizes.
She was one of 20 recipients of the Research Delivery Leaders prize which recognises individuals who have demonstrated exceptional leadership in delivering NIHR portfolio research and championing participation across health and care settings in the UK.
Christiana established a high-functioning ophthalmology research unit at London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust building infrastructure and capacity where none previously existed as well as serving communities with a high prevalence of eye disease and little previous access to ophthalmology trials.
She has since opened 20 commercial trials as Principal Investigator and been UK Chief Investigator for six global commercial studies. In addition, she is the Chief Investigator for the recently completed NIHR-RFPB funded Sickle Eye Project; the first multi-centre study on sickle eye disease in the UK'
Christiana became Research and Innovation Director at LNWH in 2021 and Director of the NIHR London North West Commercial Research Delivery Centre in 2025. A national leader in research equity, Dr Dinah has also been an international advocate for NIHR at major scientific meetings such as ARVO, a global conference for vision science, and EURETINA, the largest gathering of retina specialists worldwide. To date, she has been awarded over £750k in individual research grants.
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.”
Each winner will receive a £10,000 professional development award, paid to their employer. This funding can be used to support development opportunities such as 1-2-1 coaching and training in areas including impact and research inclusion. Winners will also be able to access complementary leadership development and mentoring support.