Jill J F Belch

Biography

Professor Belch graduated as a Doctor from the University of Glasgow (MB ChB), becoming a Lecturer within the University Department of Medicine, where she completed her Research MD degree (1st class Honours, winner of Belahouston Gold Medal) in 1987. She was appointed Senior Lecturer with Honorary Consultant status at the University Department of Medicine in Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, also in 1987, and became Professor of Vascular Medicine in 1995. She was Director of the Tayside Clinical Trials Centre before becoming the Director of the Tayside Medical Science Centre (TASC) and the Tayside R&D Director until December 2015. She was also Co-Director of the Medical Research Institute in the University of Dundee, then Research Dean and Co-Dean of the Medical School again until 2015. She is a founder Fellow of the Academy of Medical Science, and a Fellow and Council Member of the Royal Society, Edinburgh. She is President of her specialty’s Learned Society, The Section of Vascular Medicine, Royal Society of Medicine. She is on the Board of the European Society of Medicine. She is a medical tribunal member of the Medical Professions Tribunal Service, appointed 2016. She is an accredited, trained to level 4, inter-personal mediator.

Research Interest

Professor Belch’s research area is Cardiovascular Disease prevention and management, with focus on two areas: microvascular disease (Systemic sclerosis, Raynaud's, chronic fatigue syndrome) and macrovascular disease, (peripheral arterial disease). She heads the Vascular Diseases Research Unit, with 23 multidisciplinary staff whose expertise covers lab to clinical research, all grant-funded. Our Laboratory develops assays (biochemical, and microvascular imaging) and is the core Biomarker lab for a number of international trials. Our research programme has been awarded significant grant support =£25,372,804, [of which ~£5m was in the last 5yrs] - £19,683,040 peer-reviewed, £5,689,764 Industry. This includes 17 Medical Research Council awards totalling over £4.5m. Professor Belch research interests include: Vascular Medicine especially Peripheral Arterial Disease Vascular Risk especially inflammatory aspects Connective tissue disease with a focus on Systemic Sclerosis This work was key in the discovery of the contribution of inflammation to cardiovascular disease (CVD), and she was first to report oxidative stress and impaired endothelial function in many CVDs through her biomarker laboratory. She has developed, with her team, state of-the-art equipment microvascular imaging, and the laboratory is among the best-equipped in the UK, facilitating the original research into small vessel disease in the connective tissue disorders (CTDs). This microvascular imaging is further enhanced by the collaborative development of vascular MRI scanning (she obtained funds for a dedicated MRI scanner), allowing her work access to state of the art MRI and CT measures of blood flow, perfusion, arterial stenoses in relation to peripheral arterial disease (PAD). There are 2 further inter-related study areas within her research portfolio: In the first she has explored and developed novel surrogate markers for vascular risk (biomarkers) within a normal or at risk population. This work is then translated into clinical trials to validate hypotheses or develop interventions.