Nicola Blackwood
 Baroness Blackwood     (politician) | |
|---|---|
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| Born | 16 October 1979 |
| Alma mater | St Anne's College (Oxford), Somerville College (Oxford), Emmanuel College (Cambridge) |
| Party | Conservative |
Nicola Claire Blackwood, Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford, (born 16 October 1979) is a British politician of the Conservative Party who was appointed Chair of Genomics England on 1 May 2020.[1]
Genomics England
On 1 May 2020, Baroness Blackwood was appointed Chair of Genomics England, succeeding Baroness Dido Harding, who had served as Interim Chair since November 2019. Baroness Blackwood said:
"I’m thrilled to accept the honour of becoming Genomics England’s Chair. This is a tremendously important time to be able to contribute to Life Sciences in this country. I truly believe that genomics will continue to transform healthcare, allowing us to build a sustainable healthcare system, delivering personalised and predictive care to everybody. I’m absolutely committed to supporting Genomics England as best I can, through the fight against COVID-19 and beyond."[2]
Political career
Nicola Blackwood was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Oxford West and Abingdon from May 2010 to May 2017 when she chaired the Science and Technology Select Committee (2015-16) and served as a junior Health Minister (2016-17).
Having been created a life peer, Baroness Blackwood was appointed on 10 January 2019 to replace Lord O’Shaughnessy as a junior Minister for Innovation in the Department of Health and Social Care serving in the House of Lords with the informal title of Life Sciences Minister.[3] On 13 February 2020, she resigned from her ministerial position in the House of Lords.
Music studies
Nicola Blackwood studied Music at St Anne's College, Oxford and Somerville College, Oxford, and later studied for an MPhil degree in Musicology at Emmanuel College, Cambridge.[4][5]
