Paul Bird (Research)Head of Programme Delivery
Paul was an operational and strategic manager at UHB for 12 years before switching to work in research for NIHR CLAHRC WM (the precursor to NIHR Applied Research Collaboration West Midlands (ARCWM)). For the last decade, he has worked as the Head of Programme Delivery, providing links between the academic staff and health and social care stakeholders across the region, as well as managing the breadth of the organisation’s activities. He previously combined this role with being Knowledge Mobilisation Lead for Health Innovation West Midlands for five years, before returning to focus full time on ARCWM in April 2025.
Paul has an M.Sc in Healthcare Policy and Management and a Postgraduate Certificate in Leadership and Professional Practice and is a member of the Chartered Management Institute. He has held honorary positions at both the University of Birmingham and the University of Warwick since 2015 and contributes to a range of teaching activities. His research interests include implementation science, knowledge mobilisation, board-level decision making, and evidence-based policy making. He is currently on a NIHR pre-application support fellowship to develop a doctoral fellowship focussed on improving the uptake and use of research and evidence by NHS managers.