Dr Bella Starling
Bella Starling is Director of Vocal, which provides shared infrastructure and expertise in Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) across the NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre, NIHR Manchester Clinical Research Facility and other research organisations. Hosted by Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, in partnership with The University of Manchester, Vocal is a Centre of Excellence in PPIE, as recognised through a Wellcome award.
Bella’s career has spanned neuroscience, stem cell and genetic research, science writing, biomedical ethics, public engagement, patient involvement and science policy, both as a practitioner and strategic adviser. Her previous roles include working at the Wellcome Trust, the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology and Elsevier Science. She is passionate about inclusion in, and democratisation of, research. Her Wellcome Engagement Fellowship explored how public engagement with research can act as a catalyst for social and scientific change. She has Chaired an enquiry for the Nuffield Council on Bioethics on the Future of Ageing, is an active member of several funding committees including for NIHR, and has been part of advisory bodies including the Human Genetics Commission.