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Liz Breen1

Director of the Digital Health Enterprise Zone (DHEZ), University of Bradford, Reader in Health Service Operations, University of Bradford
Dr Liz Breen is the current Director of the Digital Health Enterprise Zone, an innovation facility based at the University of Bradford. She is also a Reader in Health Service Operations having held previous position of Senior Lecturer in Operations Management at the University of Bradford Faculty of Management and Law for 13 years.

Prior to this she worked in the University of Manchester Business School as a Lecturer in Operations Management and within the NHS.

Liz’s research focuses on improvement in healthcare service supply chains with a specific interest in the pharmaceutical supply chain. Her work aims to better understand healthcare systems so that they can be improved to ensure greater patient safety and optimal care. Ongoing projects in this area include an evaluation of stressors affecting 999 call handlers with the Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) and the impact of Covid-19 pandemic on community pharmacies. Liz is deputy theme lead for the Safe Use of Medicines in the Yorkshire and Humber Patient Safety Translational Research Centre and co-lead on the Process Evaluation stream of the NIHR-funded ISCOMAT study, focusing on patient safety and medicines transitions. She is also co-investigator on an NIHR-funded study examining access to medicines at end of life, the ActMed study.

Projects focusing directly on the pharmaceutical supply chain explore areas such as medicines shortages, medicines waste management, supply chain risk and medicines deliveries during the pandemic.

She is keen to develop the profile and relevance of Operations and Supply Chain Management in healthcare service supply chains within her research, teaching and business engagement.

ADHD drug shortages are affecting patients in the UK – here's why they're happening

Nov 08, 2023 12:08 pm UTC| Health

Millions of people in the UK who take drugs for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are facing difficulties getting their prescriptions filled due to shortages. These shortages are currently affecting four of...

Price inflation: five ways stronger UK supply chains can help reduce rising food costs

May 25, 2023 14:34 pm UTC| Economy

Annual price inflation has recently fallen below double digits, but food costs are still rising rapidly. Official UK figures show food prices rose by 19.1% in the year to April 2023. To prevent further increases, the UK...

How the 'tripledemic' is restricting cold and flu medicine supplies – and what to do if you're affected

Jan 24, 2023 05:41 am UTC| Health

This winter has been one of the worst on record for the NHS. Ambulance and AE waiting times are at all-time highs, and many are struggling to access emergency treatment. Patients are now reporting difficulties accessing...

Omicron: Britain plans to vaccinate 25 million in two months – but can it be done?

Dec 04, 2021 02:00 am UTC| Health

What impact the new omicron variant will have is still unknown. But with early data suggesting it could be the most transmissible form of the virus yet and that it could be less susceptible to existing antibodies it...

AstraZeneca vaccine: how to fix supply issues

Mar 22, 2021 13:59 pm UTC| Business Health

If you thought that vaccine hesitancy was the biggest challenge of the pandemic, think again. A new challenge is approaching: supply chain hesitancy. The potential for interruption along vaccine supply lines may lead to...

Economy

Russia Stocks End Flat as MOEX Closes Unchanged Amid Mixed Global Signals

Russian stocks finished Saturdays trading session slightly lower overall, with the benchmark MOEX Russia Index closing unchanged at 0.00% in Moscow. Market sentiment remained cautious as investors weighed mixed...

China Factory Activity Slips in January as Weak Demand Weighs on Growth Outlook

Chinas factory activity contracted at the start of the year, highlighting persistent pressure from weak domestic demand despite continued policy support from Beijing. An official survey released on Saturday showed that...

U.S. Government Faces Brief Shutdown as Congress Delays Funding Deal

The United States government was on track for a partial shutdown early Saturday after Congress failed to finalize a funding agreement before the midnight deadline. Although the U.S. Senate ultimately passed a bipartisan...

Gold and Silver Prices Plunge as Trump Taps Kevin Warsh for Fed Chair

Gold and silver prices suffered a dramatic selloff on Friday after President Donald Trump nominated former Federal Reserve Governor Kevin Warsh to replace Jerome Powell as Fed chair, easing fears about the central banks...

Wall Street Slides as Warsh Fed Nomination, Hot Inflation, and Precious Metals Rout Shake Markets

Wall Street ended Friday on a weaker note as risk-off sentiment dominated trading, driven by hotter-than-expected U.S. inflation data, a dramatic sell-off in precious metals, and major political developments surrounding...

Politics

Keir Starmer Urges Prince Andrew to Testify in U.S. Epstein Investigation

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called for former Prince Andrew to testify before a U.S. congressional committee following new revelations about his long-standing links to disgraced financier and convicted sex...

U.S. Government Enters Brief Shutdown as Congress Delays Funding Deal

The U.S. government entered a partial shutdown early Saturday after Congress failed to finalize a funding agreement before a midnight deadline, temporarily halting a range of federal operations. The shutdown officially...

Zelenskiy Awaits U.S. Details as Ukraine Prepares for Possible Peace Talks Next Week

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday that Ukraine is awaiting further information from the United States regarding upcoming peace talks, signaling that new diplomatic meetings could take place as early...

Minnesota Judge Rejects Bid to Halt Trump Immigration Enforcement in Minneapolis

A federal judge in Minnesota has declined to order an immediate halt to President Donald Trumps expanded immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis, dealing a setback to state and local officials who accuse federal...

Venezuela Proposes Amnesty Law and Plans to Transform Helicoide Prison

Venezuelas interim president Delcy Rodríguez announced on Friday a proposed amnesty law aimed at releasing hundreds of prisoners and easing political tensions in the country. Speaking at an event held at the Supreme...

Science

NASA and SpaceX Target Crew-11 Undocking From ISS Amid Medical Concern

NASA has confirmed that the agency, in coordination with SpaceX, is targeting no earlier than 5 p.m. Eastern Time (2200 GMT) on Wednesday, January 14, for the undocking of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission from the International...

Neuralink Plans High-Volume Brain Implant Production and Fully Automated Surgery by 2026

Elon Musks brain-computer interface company Neuralink is preparing for a major expansion, announcing plans to begin high-volume production of its brain implant devices and transition to a fully automated surgical procedure...

Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator, making him the 15th leader in the agencys history. The confirmation, which took place on Wednesday, marks...

Senate Sets December 8 Vote on Trump’s NASA Nominee Jared Isaacman

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee announced it will vote on December 8 on President Donald Trumps renewed nomination of private astronaut and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Isaacman, known for his...

NASA Cuts Boeing Starliner Missions as SpaceX Pulls Ahead

NASA has significantly scaled back Boeings Starliner program after years of technical issues and delays, announcing that the next Starliner mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will fly without astronauts. The...

Technology

Elon Musk’s Empire: SpaceX, Tesla, and xAI Merger Talks Spark Investor Debate

Speculation around a potential Musk Inc has resurfaced as Elon Musks companiesSpaceX, Tesla, and xAIexplore closer ties amid rapid advances in artificial intelligence and automation. With SpaceX expected to go public later...

SpaceX Reports $8 Billion Profit as IPO Plans and Starlink Growth Fuel Valuation Buzz

SpaceX delivered a strong financial performance last year, generating an estimated $8 billion in profit on revenues between $15 billion and $16 billion, according to people familiar with the companys results. The figures,...

SpaceX Updates Starlink Privacy Policy to Allow AI Training as xAI Merger Talks and IPO Loom

SpaceX has revised its Starlink privacy policy to allow customer data to be used for artificial intelligence training, a move that could significantly support Elon Musks broader AI ambitions. The policy change comes as...

Nvidia’s $100 Billion OpenAI Investment Faces Internal Doubts, Report Says

Nvidias ambitious plan to invest up to $100 billion in OpenAI, aimed at supporting the training and operation of next-generation artificial intelligence models, has reportedly hit a roadblock. According to a report...

Federal Judge Signals Possible Dismissal of xAI Lawsuit Against OpenAI

A U.S. federal judge has signaled she may dismiss a high-profile lawsuit filed by Elon Musks artificial intelligence startup, xAI, against rival OpenAI, dealing a potential setback to Musk in an escalating legal battle...