This highly competitive Fellowship recognises researchers demonstrating exceptional promise and leadership in health and care research. It uniquely combines funding for personal career development with support to lead a national clinical trial. 

The award highlights Dr Boyle’s outstanding contributions to health research and his commitment to advancing innovative solutions to improve patient outcomes, reflecting NIHR’s mission to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research. 

The Fellowship will enable Dr Boyle to further his groundbreaking research into acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and support his progression as a clinical trials leader. 

ARDS affects critically ill patients, and is a leading cause of acute, severe respiratory failure. It affects around 10% of patients admitted to intensive care units, and on average, 40% of patients with ARDS will die in hospital. Despite this, and decades of research, there are currently no effective drug treatments for ARDS. 

This Fellowship will facilitate Dr Boyle to lead a new UK-wide clinical trial which has the potential to identify the first drug treatment to work for patients with ARDS. 

The Fellowship and planned trial are closely aligned with Northern Ireland’s ambition to enhance its competitiveness in clinical research and increase participation in high-quality trials.  

This vision is exemplified by iREACH Health, a £64m integrated clinical research innovation centre being developed through the Belfast Region City Deal, which will play a key role in transforming the region’s ability to conduct clinical trials. 

Commenting on this award, Dr Boyle, Clinical Lecturer and Specialty Trainee in Intensive Care Medicine from the Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine at Queen’s University, said:

“I am honoured to receive this NIHR EME-Advanced Fellowship. This research award will help to deliver an innovative new clinical trial which will benefit patients with ARDS across the UK and beyond. 

“It will also help strengthen Queen’s reputation as an international leader in health research excellence and support capacity for complex clinical trials right here in Northern Ireland.”

Media

Media inquiries to Sian Devlin s.devlin@qub.ac.uk