Ms Claire Mulrenan
Claire is a Public Health Registrar based in London with experience working across organisations at local, regional and national levels.
After graduating with a first-class degree in Human Sciences, Claire worked at the MRC on international clinical trials for tuberculosis. In 2013 she completed her MPH (Distinction) at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and went on to work across two local authorities. After a year working in Uganda with an honorary research contract at the LSHTM/MRC Uganda Virus Research Institute, she commenced public health specialty training in 2018.
During training Claire has worked in local government, academia (at LSHTM), for a large NHS Trust, at UKHSA and at The Health Foundation. These roles have seen her leading QI work to improve staff covid vaccination uptake, evaluating a recommissioned infant feeding services for a county council, and chairing a working group to review an outsourced contract of over 120 cleaning and ancillary staff for a large London NHS Trust.
Claire has published and presented across topics including childhood obesity, partner violence and climate change. In 2023 she worked with an investigative journalist at the BMJ, looking at childhood exposure to ultra-processed food content on the Beano website. This work led to her proudest achievement to date – a Spectator article by Christopher Snowdon that described her as a ‘meddlesome ratbag’- in addition to appearances on the BMJ podcast and national radio. It would ultimately lead to an ongoing ‘commercial determinants of health’ collaboration between the BMJ and LSHTM.
Reason for applying for the scheme
Claire believes the fellowship scheme offers a unique opportunity to develop her leadership and management skills through working with, and directly observing, senior leaders operating in the national healthcare landscape.
The current challenges we face in society are varied and complex. Within healthcare, issues such as an ageing population, ever-expanding demand and workforce challenges have been compounded by factors including covid, the cost-of-living crisis and Brexit. The emphasis on prevention and health inequalities within the NHS long-term plan reflects a growing acknowledgement that ‘business as usual’ is no longer sufficient.
Claire believes strong and effective leadership is essential if we are to effectively respond to these challenges. This will require a shift towards a model of healthcare that prioritises a public health approach with an emphasis on prevention and a reduction in health inequalities. Partnership work across the system will be crucial, and new ICS structures offer senior leaders the opportunity to maximise this for place-based action.
Claire hopes that the scheme will prepare her to meet these challenges. She is keen to reflect on, and learn about, what makes an effective leader and also looks forward to building a network of fellows from a range of professional backgrounds to facilitate cross-disciplinary collaboration.
She looks forward to joining the team at NICE in September.
