NICE 2002/017
Issued: 27 March 2002
Press Notice
Professor Parveen Kumar, NICE non-executive director will be leaving the Institute's Board at the end of March. Professor Kumar has recently been appointed chair of the Medicines Commission and is therefore unable to continue as a non-executive director of NICE.
At last week's NICE Board meeting (19th March, Derby) the Institute's Chairman, Professor Sir Michael Rawlins, paid tribute to Professor Kumar's work as a non-executive director.
Professor Rawlins said, "Professor Kumar's contributions to setting up the Institute have been enormous. Her enthusiasm, common sense and wide clinical experience have helped ensure that the Institute's activities have been directed towards health professionals and patients. We will miss both her wisdom and wit".
Andrew Dillon, NICE Chief Executive added, "Parveen has made an outstanding contribution to the Institute in its formative years. We are very sorry to lose her from the Board and we wish her well in her new responsibilities as Chairman of the Medicines Commission."
Professor Kumar said "I leave NICE with great sadness. It has been an enormous privilege, as well as great fun, to be involved in building such an important organisation. Though daunting in prospect, it proved to be an exhilarating experience especially because of the superb, dedicated team that now constitutes NICE".
"So, as I leave, I would like to thank all the NICE staff and their extended network for their hard work and commitment. I also wish them well for their continuing work which they will no doubt do with the professionalism and style that already characterises the Institute".
Ends
Note for Editors
- Professor Parveen Kumar CBE was appointed as one of the inaugural non-executive directors of the Institute in 1999, and was present at its first Board meeting.
- Professor Kumar's resignation takes effect from 31 March 2002.
- As NICE is a Special Health Authority, the Department of Health and the Welsh Assembly Government will appoint Professor Kumar's successor via the NHS Appointments Commission (http://www.doh.gov.uk/nhsacc/#comm)
- Professor Parveen Kumar CBE is a consultant physician and gastroenterologist at St Bartholomew's, the Royal London and Homerton hospitals. She is also Professor of Clinical medical education at Barts and the London, Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of London. She has worked in the NHS for over 30 years and is a director of Continuing Professional Development at the Royal College of Physicians.
- A photo of Professor Kumar is available from Suzanne McLachlan at NICE.
