Profile Interview with Jane Coleman, Director of Delivery and Operations, Health Innovation
Can you tell us about your journey into your current role?
After graduating with a degree in Social and Political Sciences, I began my career in the financial and retail sectors, gaining valuable experience at a Building Society and in retail management. In 1994, I joined the University of Warwick, where I have held various leadership roles over the years, including Assistant Director of HR, and dedicating 16 years at WMG (Warwick Manufacturing Group) initially as Operations & HR Director, later becoming Chief Operating Officer. In September 2023, I was honoured to take on a new cross-university position as Director of Delivery and Operations for Health Innovation, focusing on driving impactful initiatives in this critical field.
Can you tell us more about your new role in Health Innovation?
Connecting Health Innovation activity across the University:
A key part of my role is to foster collaboration and alignment across the University’s diverse health innovation initiatives.
This involves identifying synergies across departments and academic disciplines to create a more cohesive approach to address applied health challenges. By encouraging interdisciplinary partnerships, I aim to ensure that Warwick’s collective expertise is leveraged to its fullest potential, enabling pioneering advancements and impactful solutions.
Amplifying and promoting Warwick’s Health Innovation capabilities externally:
An essential focus of my work is to showcase Warwick’s strengths in health innovation on a broader stage. I work to highlight the University’s pioneering research, cutting-edge technologies, and contributions to the field through strategic engagement with external stakeholders, including industry leaders, policymakers, healthcare providers, and funding bodies. Through targeted communication efforts, partnerships, and participation in high-profile events, I aim to enhance Warwick’s reputation as a leader in health innovation and attract new opportunities for collaboration and investment.
Leading the University’s involvement at Arden Cross:
As part of my role, I oversee Warwick’s strategic engagement in the transformative Arden Cross development. This includes ensuring that the University plays a pivotal role in shaping the health innovation ecosystem within this ambitious project. By coordinating Warwick’s contributions, from research and education to infrastructure and partnerships, I aim to maximize the University’s impact at Arden Cross. This involves working closely with external partners, stakeholders, and local communities to drive innovation, economic growth, and social impact in the region.
What is the Arden Cross Development and what will the new Health Tech Campus mean for the university and the region?
Arden Cross is a 346 acre regeneration project at the HS2 interchange station south of Birmingham. The University is leading the development of a new Health Tech Campus which will sit within an Innovation District on the site. The campus will cultivate an innovation ecosystem in health and medical technology, enabling its partners and tenants to scale up and enter healthcare markets, and driving significant improvements in patient outcomes. For the University, it provides a unique opportunity to expand our reach and reputation in health, bringing new opportunities for staff and students to engage in activities with real world impact. For the region, it will provide growth opportunities for existing health and med tech companies, both nationally and internationally, as well as new jobs and inward investment.
Phase one buildings will include an Education and Skills hub, possibly including a National Surgical Skills Training Centre; a Health Tech hub catering mainly for health and med tech companies; and a Clinical and Patient hub, where we are hoping to site a National Centre for Women’s and Girls’ Health.
Who are Arden Health Partners (AHP) and what are the plans for this initiative?
We are establishing a new academic-health partnership for Coventry and Warwickshire, which we are calling Arden Health Partners. The AHP founding members are the universities of Warwick and Coventry, our local NHS Trusts (UHCW, SWUFT and CWPT), the Coventry and Warwickshire ICB and Health Innovation West Midlands. We aim to work collaboratively with our community to drive impactful solutions to improve local health outcomes and to leverage our significant collective expertise to help tackle wider health and care challenges.
How will these developments impact the future of healthcare?
Health systems across the UK and overseas are facing many similar challenges, such as rising health inequalities, a huge increase in demand for mental health services and how to harness the benefits of digital health solutions and personalised medicine at a time when resources are stretched further than ever. Existing models of drug/service/product development and care delivery are being challenged, and we need to explore new models. Private-public-academic partnerships, such as those we are developing via Arden Health Partners and at Arden Cross, are key to driving forward innovation and delivering growth and improved patient/public health outcomes. No one organisation or health service can do this on their own.
What can we expect to see happening over the next 12 months?
Arden Health Partners is due to be formally launched in April/May this year (2025), and projects are already planned to look at local NHS workforce challenges and how we can work better with industry partners on health grand challenges. Our planning for Arden Cross will continue, and external engagement events will be held later in the year to raise awareness and identify new partners.
How can interested parties or stakeholders find out more?
Our Health Innovation web pages are continually updated with the latest information, events and progress. If you would like any further information or if you are interested in engaging with either Arden Health Partners or Arden Cross, please do email healthinnovation@warwick.ac.uk
Always happy to connect: Jane Coleman | LinkedIn