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 | ||||||||||||||||
Succeeded Dido Harding as Chair of Genomics England on 1 May 2020
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Nicola Claire Blackwood, Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford, is a British politician of the Conservative Party who was appointed Chair of Genomics England on 1 May 2020.[1]
Background
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.[2][3]
Genomics England
On 1 May 2020, Baroness Blackwood was appointed Chair of Genomics England, succeeding Baroness Dido Harding, who had been 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."[4]
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). She was Parliamentary Private Secretary to Matt Hancock MP (2012-15) and Vice Chair of the Conservative Party (2010-12).[5]
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.[6] On 13 February 2020, she resigned from her ministerial position in the House of Lords.
References
- ↑ "Baroness Blackwood appointed Chair of Genomics England"
- ↑ "St Anne's Alumnae Elected to Parliament"
- ↑ "Four Somervillian MPs appointed to new roles in Cabinet reshuffle"
- ↑ "Delighted to be appointed Chair of @GenomicsEngland"
- ↑ "Nicola Blackwood on Linkedin"
- ↑ "Defeated Tory MP made minister and peer"
