Consultant Orthopaedic Shoulder Surgeon, Professor Puneet Monga, has been appointed as Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s (WWL) new Clinical Director for Research Development and Innovation.
Mr Monga said: “It is my privilege to join such a strong team so involved in research at a community, regional, national and international level. Everyone in healthcare can contribute to research in lots of different ways and I look forward to encouraging such engagement across all of our staff and patient groups. It is my hope to strengthen and expand our collaborative networks which are crucial for quality research.”
Prof. Sanjay Arya OBE, WWL’s Medical Director, congratulated Prof. Monga on his appointment saying: “We would like to congratulate Professor Puneet Monga on his recent appointment to Clinical Director for Research, Innovation and Clinical Trials. Puneet will support both myself and the Research Team to increase research opportunities offered to our patients across our hospitals and the Borough of Wigan, and in our journey towards achieving University Teaching Hospital status.”
Prof. Arya continued: “I would also like to thank Professor Adam Watts for his immense contribution as our previous Clinical Director having completed his three-year term at the end of March 2025. He has been a great help and support to the Trust’s Research Department and has enabled WWL to achieve several milestones in research, innovation and clinical trials. Prof. Watts will continue to contribute towards our goals from the perspective of his new Research Lead role at Edgehill University as our major academic partner.”
WWL’s research-specific patient engagement group is currently looking for members to represent people from different backgrounds, different ethnicities and ages. The Trust wants to engage with as many people as possible to encourage the development of research which is relevant to our communities. If you are interested, please get in touch via researchsponsorship@wwl.nhs.uk