Paul Dark, BSc MB ChB PhD FRCS (Edinburgh) FRCEM FFICM FRCA (Hon)

1. Vice Dean for Health and Care Partnerships

Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health

The University of Manchester

2. Professor of Critical Care Medicine

Division of Immunology, Immunity to Infection and Respiratory Medicine

Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health

University of Manchester

3. NIHR Senior Investigator

National Institute for Health and Care Research

London, England

4. Research Professor of Humanitarian and Conflict Response

Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute

School of Arts, Languages and Culture

University of Manchester

4. Honorary NHS Consultant

Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust

Salford Care Organisation

Linkedin: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/paul-dark-33002722

Paul is an Anglo-Swiss clinical academic leader in higher education and healthcare. He studied undergraduate physics and medicine. Graduating from The Manchester Medical School, he went on to study clinical academic surgery, emergency medicine and critical care at the Universities of Glasgow and Manchester in the UK, and at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium.

As MRC PhD Clinical Training Fellow, supervised by Professor Rod Little, he developed methods to transduce and study dynamic cardio-respiratory responses to tissue injury and haemorrhage. This work produced key evidence for the validation and refinement of minimally-invasive patient monitoring technologies including Doppler ultrasound and arterial pulse wave systems.

He was appointed to his current clinical academic post at the University of Manchester in 2003, developing clinical services and academic practice in Critical Care Medicine at the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (Salford Care Organisation). He developed and provides leadership for a programme of work, funded mainly by the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR), investigating the clinical and cost effectiveness of emerging molecular diagnostic technologies in the setting of sterile tissue injury and severe infections (sepsis) within both high and low resource healthcare settings internationally. Funded by NIHR Manchester BRC, NIHR HealthTech Research Centre in Emeregncy and Acute Care and Innovate UK in partnership with industry, he also co-leads an ongoing programme of work developing novel technologies aimed at rapid point-of-care infection/sepsis theragnosis with the objective of optimising patient exposure to antimicrobial drugs.

Paul was NIHR Clinical Research Network's National Deputy Medical Director (2022-24). He provided strategic leadership for the development, delivery and accessibility of a large portfolio of national clinical research in NHS acute hospital settings and he represented NIHR internationally. As a former NIHR National Specialty Lead for Critical Care (2015-22), he served on NIHR's Urgent Public Health Research Advisory Group, providing expert advice on research priority for the Department of Health and Social Care and UK's Chief Medical Officers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

He is also Research Professor at the Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute, providing strategic interdisciplinary leadership in global health and social justice.

In September 2024, he was appointed as the University of Manchester's FBMH Vice Dean for Health and Care Partnerships. In this role he is ensuring relationships continue to develop and flourish with the NHS and broader health and care infrastructures across Greater Manchester, the northwest and nationally. He works closely with senior University colleagues and leaders of health and care partners to develop and align strategic responses to key challanges and opportunties presented by changes in legislation, technology and government policy.

NIHR/MRC Strategic Advisory Committee, Efficacy Mechanisms Evaluation (EME) Programme (2022 - present)

NIHR CRN CC National Deputy Medical Director (April 2022 - July 2024)

NIHR Senior Investigator (2022-2026)

NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre Investigator (2017 - present)

NIHR HealthTech Research Centre in Emeregncy and Acute Care (2024 - present)

NIHR-UK Representative, European Clinical Research Alliance on Infectious Diseases (ECRAID), Clinical Liaison Council, European Union (2023 - 2024)

NIHR National Specialty Cluster Lead, King's College London (April 2021 - 2022)

NIHR National Specialty Lead for Critical Care, King's College London (June 2015 - 2022)

NIHR COVID-19 Understanding and Eliminating - Trials Implementation Panel (CUE-TIP) member (April 2021 - 2022)

NIHR/UKRI College of Experts, Global Effort on COVID-19 (GECO) Health Research (September 2020 - 21)

Member of the national Urgent Public Health Research Advisory Group (COVID-19), NIHR/DHSC/CMOs (March 2020 - 21)

NIHR representative for COVID-19 National Emergency Critical Care Committee (March 2020-2022)

NIHR Steering Group, Improving Inclusion of Under-Served Groups in Clinical Research - the INCLUDE project (2018- 21) 

NIHR Manchester BRC Respiratory Infections (non-fungal) sub-theme lead (2017 - 2022)

NIHR's international representative, International Forum for Acute Care Trialists, Toronto, Canada (2016 - 2022)

NIHR's international representative, COMBACTE-NET IMI programme, European Union (2016 - 2022)

Critical Care Leadership Forum, Research Lead, Faculty of Intensive Care (2015- 2022)

NIHR Greater Manchester LCRN Critical Care Speciality Group Lead (2011-2016)

NIHR Greater Manchester LCRN Divisional Clinical Lead (2015-19)

Member of National Critical Care Specialty Group Committee (2013- 2022) Chair from 2015 - 2022

Member of UK Intensive Care Society Research Committee (2013 - 2022)

Organising Committee Chair, UK Critical Care Research Forum (2014 - 15)

Director, Greater Manchester Academic Centre for Acute Care and Trauma, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Health Innovation Manchester (2013 - 21)

Board Member, UK Trauma Audit and Research Network (TARN) (2015- 2024)

Lead Specialist Member, Diagnostic Advisory Committee, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (2014 - 2024)
 

BSc (Physics) MB ChB (Manchester 1989), FRCS (Edinburgh 1994), PhD (Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Medicine, Victoria University of Manchester 2002), FRCEM (London, 2002), FFICM (London 2012), FRCA (Hon, London 2019).