CRDC leadership team

Bean has research interests in the role of the immune system in the development and progression of hypertension, as well as hypertension in the setting of chronic kidney disease. Bean’s research group focuses on the cardiovascular risk associated with the spectrum of chronic kidney disease from early in the disease trajectory through to end-stage renal failure requiring dialysis or kidney transplantation. They perform pre-clinical and clinical pharmacology studies as well as investigating cardiovascular risk at a population level. Their goals are to identify cardiovascular risk early in people with kidney disease and, through experimental medicine studies, to explore novel therapies that might reduce this risk and so potentially improve longer-term outcomes for these people.

• Kidney disease
• Cardiovascular disease
• Experimental medicine 

• Consultant in Infectious Diseases, Edinburgh
• CCT in Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, Oxford
• MRC research fellow in vaccine immunology at the Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Oxford
• NRS clinical scientist and CRDC Lead, NHS Lothian

• Optimising antimicrobial therapy for clinical infection
• Allergy and Infection
• Vaccination
• HIV therapeutics and standards of care

• Site PI for the OvIVA study, Oxford University - National study looking at the role of oral Abs in the treatment of osteomyelitis
• Site PI for the ChAdOx study, Oxford University - Covid-19 vaccine study
• Site PI for the ChAdox vaccine (COV002) study and booster study (COV009), Oxford University
• Site PI for the IONOE study, Oxford University - Academic study of necrotising otitis media abs use and follow-up
• Site PI for the Next Cove study, Moderna - Phase 3 C-19 mRNA vaccine
• Site PI for the Odyssey study, Moderna - Phase 1/2 pandemic flu vaccine candidate
• Site PI for the RIO study, Rockerfellor/Imperial/Oxford - Academic study - functional HIV cure study utilising broadly neutralising Abs IMP
• Site PI for the SNAP trial - Global Platform trial for the management of Staph Aureus Bacteraemia
• Site PI for the Fluent study, Moderna - Phase 2 seasonal influenza study

Fiona joined the CRDC as commercial research nurse manager in Feb 2026, having held national and regional senior research leadership roles in England.  Following successful roles as senior research manager in the NIHR Clinical Research Network in the East of England, she has led a variety of research teams across the region. A Fellow of the NIHR Academy following an inaugural award as an NIHR 70@70 Senior Research Nurse Leader, Fiona then held the position of Research Lead in the Chief Nursing Officer for England’s Research Team, NHS England where she implemented the Strategic Plan for Research.  She is Co-Director for the Clinical Academic Careers Pathway group, within Clinical Academic Roles Implementation Network (CARIN) - in the Council of Deans of Health (UK).  She holds an honorary assistant professor post at the University of Nottingham. 

• Paediatric Intensive Care - the focus of her PhD (2005)
• research leadership
• building research capacity and capability for NMAHPs
• workforce research