About Us

Who we are

The Bath Institute for Rheumatic Diseases (BIRD) exists to support arthritis research, education and patient engagement so that we can improve treatment for patients with rheumatic diseases.

BIRD was formed in 1975

Bath has always been at the forefront of bone and joint disease research, education and patient care, as part of its history as a city with thermal waters since at least Roman times, and with one of the first national specialist hospitals in the country founded in 1738. BIRD was formed in 1975 by the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases (known affectionately as ‘the Min’ and now part of the Royal United Hospital, Bath) and the University of Bath. Although we became an independent charity in 1981, we collaborate closely with both organisations, because bringing clinicians and scientists together is at the heart of what we do.

Our Work

Research

We make ‘pump priming’ grants to support research in the field of bone and joint diseases and fund the training of PhD students, clinical research fellows and post-doctoral research assistants.

Educational and Professional Development

We provide free educational and professional development opportunities, such as conferences and courses on the impact of bone and joint diseases for healthcare professionals. 

Patient and Public Engagement

We run a programme of Patient and Public Engagement which supports patients, their families and carers with the latest information in their diseases areas and involves them in research.

Awareness

We raise awareness of the impact of arthritis and funds for our work as a charity.

 

Meet our Team

Professor Bernie Morley

Strategic change consultant and mentor/coach. Former Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost at the University of Bath. Chair of the Institute of Coding. Previously chair of ARUK’s research committee, a geneticist and Lupus researcher for over 20 years.

Dr Amanda Mackenzie

Senior Lecturer, Department of Pharmacy & Pharmacology, Founding Director of the Centre for Therapeutic Innovation.

Chris Johns

Chris has a background as a leader in health, social care, regulation and academia. Previously on the board of the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases.

Professor Neil McHugh

Professor, Department of Pharmacy & Pharmacology; EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Statistical Applied Mathematics (SAMBa) and Centre for Therapeutic Innovation

Shane O'Reilly

Shane comes from a technical background, with a long sales career in display technology. He has chaired local charities, ran community fundraising campaigns, is a FA football coach and a patient at the RNHRD

Professor Raj Sengupta

Lead Consultant for Ankylosing Spondylitis at RNHRD, Clinical Governance Lead Chief Clinical Information Officer at RNHRD; Trustee of National Ankylosing Spondylitis Society (NASS)

Jim Sherwin

Financial advisor and investment specialist

Linda Snelus

Linda is a retired Chartered Accountant who specialised in providing accounting and audit services for the charity sector. She has had a long standing relationship with BIRD and is a member of the Finance Committee and Council.

Dr William Tillett

Consultant Rheumatologist RNHRD. Senior Lecturer, Department of Pharmacy & Pharmacology.

Executive Team

Our Executive team is made up of the Executive Directors, Marketing, Patient Engagement and Administrative experts working on a flexible, part time basis.

Help Support BIRD by making a contribution

Our work is built on the kind donations and bequests of previous generations. If you like what we do and would like to help, please consider giving us a donation, or a gift in memory of someone dear to you, inscribed on our benefactors’ board, or even a legacy. £100 would help a researcher or RNHRD staff attend a rheumatology conference through our bursary scheme. £1000 would help with recording and producing information films for the RNHRD patients or recording new podcasts. £2000 would pay for a Summer Studentship for a scientific researcher. £10,000 would fund a small-scale pilot research project. 

Latest News

Governance and reporting

Governance

BIRD is governed by a Council of Management which oversees the work of three committees, Finance, Research and Patient Engagement supported by the executive office. A guide to our organisational structure is available to download here:

Download Organisational Structure

Annual report and impact statement

BIRD issues its annual report and produces a short summary of its impact in the previous year, both are available to download here: Download Annual Report Download Impact Leaflet