Tim Chico

• A well connected and highly respected cardiovascular clinician and researcher, with experience in multiple sectors and organisations
• Exceptional track record of successful leadership roles and completion of multiple cross-sector leadership and management training schemes
• Highly active in media and public engagement, able to communicate with very broad range of audiences

• 2009-2013: Development Leader, NIHR funded Leadership Training Course by Ashridge Business School

Selected for two year leadership and management training for future leaders of clinical research. Involved regular meetings and workshops at Ashridge business school. Led to numerous contacts in clinical research across many disciplines and developed my leadership and management skills considerably. Often attended by speakers such as Dame Sally Davies (sponsor of the programme) and frequently a forum for horizon scanning and advance notice of strategic developments within Government, Department of Health and NIHR

• 2015-16: Sheffield Leader 4

This 6 month course with 8 residential days provided leadership and management training to Heads of Academic and Professional Staff Departments, delivered by an external consultancy. It provided me with a strong understanding of HEI organisations, an excellent network within my University and techniques and skills in leadership including financial management, handling HR issues and difficult conversations, providing feedback, etc. We completed a group leadership project mapping barriers to multi-disciplinary postgraduate courses that led to changes in course approvals at Faculty level.

• 2018-19: Sheffield Leader Impact: Executive Team Development Programme

This one year pilot delivered by an external consultancy (T-3)  provided training, group, and 1:1 coaching for me and my Executive group when I became Head of Department. It provided skills in; defining organisation and group mission; stakeholder mapping and engagement; developing and communicating strategy; delegation; financial management; change management. Subsequently the University adopted the constitution of the Executive Group that I instituted, such as representation of technical staff (previously usually excluded) and inclusion of EDI and cross-university working.

• 2020-22: Academy of Medical Sciences Future Leaders in Enterprise, Innovation, and Research (FLIER) Programme

This unique two year programme "develops leaders of the future who can create collaborations across academia, industry, the NHS and government to drive innovation". Provided intensive coaching, workshops, training and networking across cohorts from Academia, Industry and third sector organisations including policy makers and charities. Gave an exceptional network and high level leadership and team-building skills

• 2025: UK Research & Innovation Research Leaders Symposium

Selected to participate in leadership development programme for senior leaders of major UKRI-funded research investments.

• Member of National Cardiovascular Specialty Group, NIHR Clinical Research Network (2010-2014)
• Member of British Heart Foundation Project Grants Committee (2016-19)
• British Heart Foundation Advisory Council (2015-date)
• Treasurer of the British Atherosclerosis Society (2012-2017)
• Joint organiser of annual BAS/BSCR/BCS Spring Meeting (largest UK Cardiovascular Basic Science conference) (2014-17)
• Council member UK Maternal Cardiology Society (2022-date)
• Member of British Heart Foundation / National Institute for Health Research Cardiovascular Partnership (2018-date)
• Member of British Heart Foundation Innovation Funding Panel (2023-date)
• Member of Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber Strategic Advisory Board (2025-date)

• 01/04/2013. How does blood flow influence Notch signalling?. BHF Project Grant. £208,054. PI
• 1/8/2015. Funding towards a Zeiss Z.1 single plane illumination microscope (SPIM). BHF Infrastructure Grant. £232,270. PI
• 1/10/2016. Establishing a zebrafish model of neurovascular modelling. NC3Rs Project Grant. £347,662. PI.
• 09/01/2019 MR of the brain in fetuses with congenital heart disease. BHF Project Grant. £279,832. Co-app
• 23/10/2019 Role of the transcription factor twist 1 in endothelial pathophysiology. BHF Programme Grant. £799,778. Co-app
• 30/04/2020 Manipulating wound inflammation and angiogenesis to rescue defective tissue repair. Wellcome Trust.£1,131,741. Co-app
• 11/09/2020 Establishing the structure, regulation, and conservation of endothelial 'kugeln'. BHF Project Grant £165,500. PI
• 26/05/2021 Spinning Disk Confocal Microscope. BBSRC infrastructure award. £270,000. Co-app
• 23/07/2021 Endothelial GATA4 in Atherosclerosos Progression. MRC Project Grant. £466,127. Co-app
• 29/07/2022 A Digital Twin to improve holistic community-based diagnosis of heart disease. EPSRC Project Grant. £503,424. PI
• 20/01/2025 Networks of Cardiovascular Digital Twins (CVD-Net). EPSRC Programme Grant. £8m. Co-lead
• 7/08/2024 Remote Ischaemic Conditioning for FAtigue after STroke (RICFAST 2): A randomised controlled feasibility trial. Stroke Association. £240,550. Co-applicant
• 3/01/2024 PUMAS study - Phones for Undetected Diabetes Mellitus and Hypertension Screening. Google Health. £104,000. PI
• 29/3/2023 South Yorkshire Digital Health Hub. EPSRC/UKRI. £4m.
• 27/7/2023 - date Mental Health Platform Hubs: Transforming Outcomes in Borderline Personality Disorder. UKRI £1,739,492, Co-lead
• 1/7/2024-date How do we make diagnosis of coronary artery disease faster, more convenient, more equitable and more cost-effective? EPSRC/UKRI £99k

• Zaman S, Wasfy JH, Kapil V, Ziaeian B, Parsonage WA, Sriswasdi S, Chico TJA, Capodanno D, Colleran R, Sutton NR, Song L, Karam N, Sofat R, Fraccaro C, Chamié D, Alasnag M, Warisawa T, Gonzalo N, Jomaa W, Mehta SR, Cook EES, Sundström J, Nicholls SJ, Shaw LJ, Patel MR, Al-Lamee RK. The Lancet Commission on rethinking coronary artery disease: moving from ischaemia to atheroma. Lancet. 2025 Mar 25:S0140-6736(25)00055-8.
• Abdullayev K, Chico TJA, Canson J, Mantelow M, Buckley O, Condell J, Van Arkel RJ, Diaz-Zuccarini V, Matcham F. Exploring Stakeholder Perspectives on the Barriers and Facilitators of Implementing Digital Technologies for Heart Disease Diagnosis: Qualitative Study. JMIR Cardio. 2025 Mar 5;9:e66464.
• Marra C, Chico T, Alexandrow A, Dixon WG, Briffa N, Rainaldi E, Little MA, Size K, Tsanas A, Franklin JB, Kapur R, Grice H, Gariban A, Ellery J, Sudlow C, Abernethy AP, Morris A. Addressing the challenges of integrating digital health technologies to measure patient-centred outcomes in clinical registries. Lancet Digit Health. 2025 Mar;7(3):e225-e231.
• Bowley G, Irving S, Hoefer I, Wilkinson R, Pasterkamp G, Darwish HMS, White S, Francis SE, Chico T, Noel E, Serbanovic-Canic J, Evans PC. Zebrafish model for functional screening of flow-responsive genes controlling endothelial cell proliferation. Sci Rep. 2024 Dec 3;14(1):30130.
• Raffetti E, Bolton T, Nolan J, Zuccolo L, Denholm R, Smith G, Akbari A, Harron K, Curry G, Allara E, Lawlor DA, Caputo M, Abbasizanjani H, Chico T, Wood AM; CVD-COVID-UK/COVID-IMPACT Consortium and the Longitudinal Health and Wellbeing COVID-19 National Core Study. COVID-19 diagnosis, vaccination during pregnancy, and adverse pregnancy outcomes of 865,654 women in England and Wales: a population-based cohort study. Lancet Reg Health Eur. 2024 Aug 22;45:101037.
• Morris PD, Anderton RA, Marshall-Goebel K, Britton JK, Lee SMC, Smith NP, van de Vosse FN, Ong KM, Newman TA, Taylor DJ, Chico T, Gunn JP, Narracott AJ, Hose DR, Halliday I. Computational modelling of cardiovascular pathophysiology to risk stratify commercial spaceflight. Nat Rev Cardiol. 2024 Oct;21(10):667-681.
• Abdullayev K, Gorvett O, Sochiera A, Laidlaw L, Chico T, Manktelow M, Buckley O, Condell J, Van Arkel R, Diaz V, Matcham F. Stakeholder perspectives on contributors to delayed and inaccurate diagnosis of cardiovascular disease and their implications for digital health technologies: a UK-based qualitative study. BMJ Open. 2024 May 20;14(5):e080445. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-080445.
• Chico TJ, Stamatakis E, Ciravegna F, Dunn J, Redwood S, Al-Lamee R, Sofat R, Gill J. Device-based measurement of physical activity in cardiovascular healthcare: possibilities and challenges. Br J Sports Med. 2023 Oct;57(19):1225-1226.
• Gill JM, Chico TJ, Doherty A, Dunn J, Ekelund U, Katzmarzyk PT, Milton K,Murphy MH, Stamatakis E. Potential impact of wearables on physical activity guidelines and interventions: opportunities and challenges. Br J Sports Med. 2023 Oct;57(19):1223-1225.
• Stamatakis E, Ahmadi M, Murphy MH, Chico TJ, Milton K, Del Pozo Cruz B, Katzmarzyk PT, Lee IM, Gill J. Journey of a thousand miles: from 'Manpo-Kei' to the first steps-based physical activity recommendations. Br J Sports Med. 2023 Oct;57(19):1227-1228.
• Hughes ME, Chico TJA. How Could Sensor-Based Measurement of Physical Activity Be Used in Cardiovascular Healthcare? Sensors (Basel). 2023 Sep 28;23(19):8154.
• Winter PD, Chico TJA. Using the Non-Adoption, Abandonment, Scale-Up, Spread, and Sustainability (NASSS) Framework to Identify Barriers and Facilitators for the Implementation of Digital Twins in Cardiovascular Medicine. Sensors (Basel). 2023 Jul 12;23(14):6333.
• Williams GJ, Al-Baraikan A, Rademakers FE, Ciravegna F, van de Vosse FN, Lawrie A, Rothman A, Ashley EA, Wilkins MR, Lawford PV, Omholt SW, Wisløff U, Hose DR, Chico TJA, Gunn JP, Morris PD. Wearable technology and the cardiovascular system: the future of patient assessment. Lancet Digit Health. 2023 Jul;5(7):e467-e476.
• Abdullayev K, Chico TJ, Manktelow M, Buckley O, Condell J, Van Arkel RJ, Diaz V, Matcham F. Stakeholder-led understanding of the implementation of digital technologies within heart disease diagnosis: a qualitative study protocol. BMJ Open. 2023 Jun 27;13(6):e072952.
• Canham L, Sendac S, Diagbouga MR, Wolodimeroff E, Pirri D, Tardajos Ayllon B, Feng S, Souilhol C, Chico TJA, Evans PC, Serbanovic-Canic J. EVA1A (Eva-1 Homolog A) Promotes Endothelial Apoptosis and Inflammatory Activation Under Disturbed Flow Via Regulation of Autophagy. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2023 Feb 16. doi: 10.1161/ATVBAHA.122.318110. PMID: 36794585
• Dixon WG, van der Veer SN, Ali SM, Laidlaw L, Dobson RJB, Sudlow C, Chico T, MacArthur JAL, Doherty A. Charting a Course for Smartphones and Wearables to Transform Population Health Research. J Med Internet Res. 2023 Feb 7;25:e42449. doi: 10.2196/42449. PMID: 36749628; PMCID: PMC7614184.
• Huang JD, Wang J, Ramsey E, Leavey G, Chico TJA, Condell J. Applying Artificial Intelligence to Wearable Sensor Data to Diagnose and Predict Cardiovascular Disease: A Review. Sensors (Basel). 2022 Oct 20;22(20):8002.
• Souilhol C, Tardajos Ayllon B, Li X, Diagbouga MR, Zhou Z, Canham L, Roddie H, Pirri D, Chambers EV, Dunning MJ, Ariaans M, Li J, Fang Y, Jørgensen HF, Simons M, Krams R, Waltenberger J, Fragiadaki M, Ridger V, De Val S, Francis SE, Chico TJ, Serbanovic-Canic J, Evans PC. JAG1-NOTCH4 mechanosensing drives atherosclerosis. Sci Adv. 2022 Sep 2;8(35):eabo7958.
• Kugler EC, Rampun A, Chico TJA, Armitage PA. Analytical Approaches for the Segmentation of the Zebrafish Brain Vasculature. Curr Protoc. 2022 May;2(5):e443.
• Kugler EC, Frost J, Silva V, Plant K, Chhabria K, Chico TJA, Armitage PA. Zebrafish vascular quantification: a tool for quantification of three- dimensional zebrafish cerebrovascular architecture by automated image analysis.Development. 2022 Feb 1;149(3):dev199720.
• Bowley G, Kugler E, Wilkinson R, Lawrie A, van Eeden F, Chico TJA, Evans PC, Noël ES, Serbanovic-Canic J. Zebrafish as a tractable model of human cardiovascular disease. Br J Pharmacol. 2022 Mar;179(5):900-917.
• Waspe J, Chico TJA, Hansen TG. Applying the adverse outcome pathway concept to questions in anaesthetic neurotoxicity. Br J Anaesth. 2021 Jun;126(6):1097-1102. doi: 10.1016/j.bja.2021.03.009. Epub 2021 Apr 20.
• Snodgrass RO, Chico TJA, Arthur HM. Hereditary Haemorrhagic Telangiectasia, an Inherited Vascular Disorder in Need of Improved Evidence-Based Pharmaceutical Interventions. Genes (Basel). 2021 Jan 27;12(2):174.
• Derrick CJ, Sánchez-Posada J, Hussein F, Tessadori F, Pollitt EJG, Savage AM, Wilkinson RN, Chico TJ, van Eeden FJ, Bakkers J, Noël ES. Asymmetric Hapln1a drives regionalized cardiac ECM expansion and promotes heart morphogenesis in zebrafish development. Cardiovasc Res. 2022 Jan 7;118(1):226-240.
• Davis HL, Alabed S, Chico TJA. Effect of sports massage on performance and recovery: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med. 2020 May 7;6(1):e000614.
• Chhabria K, Vouros A, Gray C, MacDonald RB, Jiang Z, Wilkinson RN, Plant K, Vasilaki E, Howarth C, Chico TJA. Sodium nitroprusside prevents the detrimental effects of glucose on the neurovascular unit and behaviour in zebrafish. Dis Model Mech. 2019 Sep 25;12(9):dmm039867.
• Kugler EC, van Lessen M, Daetwyler S, Chhabria K, Savage AM, Silva V, Plant K, MacDonald RB, Huisken J, Wilkinson RN, Schulte-Merker S, Armitage P, Chico TJ. Cerebrovascular endothelial cells form transient Notch-dependent cystic structures in zebrafish. EMBO Rep. 2019 Aug;20(8):e47047.
• Souilhol C, Serbanovic-Canic J, Fragiadaki M, Chico TJ, Ridger V, Roddie H, Evans PC. Endothelial responses to shear stress in atherosclerosis: a novel role for developmental genes. Nat Rev Cardiol. 2020 Jan;17(1):52-63.
• Elworthy S, Savage AM, Wilkinson RN, Malicki JJ, Chico TJA. The role of endothelial cilia in postembryonic vascular development. Dev Dyn. 2019 Jun;248(6):410-425. doi: 10.1002/dvdy.40. Epub 2019 May 7.
• Griffiths PD, Mousa HA, Finney C, Mooney C, Mandefield L, Chico TJA, Jarvis D. An integrated in utero MR method for assessing structural brain abnormalities and measuring intracranial volumes in fetuses with congenital heart disease: results of a prospective case-control feasibility study. Neuroradiology. 2019 May;61(5):603-611.
• Savage AM, Kurusamy S, Chen Y, Jiang Z, Chhabria K, MacDonald RB, Kim HR, Wilson HL, van Eeden FJM, Armesilla AL, Chico TJA, Wilkinson RN. tmem33 is essential for VEGF-mediated endothelial calcium oscillations and angiogenesis. Nat Commun. 2019 Feb 13;10(1):732. doi: 10.1038/s41467 019-08590-7.
• Neal A, Nornes S, Payne S, Wallace MD, Fritzsche M, Louphrasitthiphol P, Wilkinson RN, Chouliaras KM, Liu K, Plant K, Sholapurkar R, Ratnayaka I, Herzog W, Bond G, Chico T, Bou-Gharios G, De Val S. Venous identity requires BMP signalling through ALK3. Nat Commun. 2019 Jan 28;10(1):453. doi:
  10.1038/s41467-019-08315-w.
• Kugler E, Plant K, Chico T, Armitage P. Enhancement and Segmentation Workflow for the Developing Zebrafish Vasculature. J Imaging. 2019 Jan 11;5(1):
• Chhabria K, Plant K, Bandmann O, Wilkinson RN, Martin C, Kugler E, Armitage PA, Santoscoy PL, Cunliffe VT, Huisken J, McGown A, Ramesh T, Chico TJ, Howarth C. The effect of hyperglycemia on neurovascular coupling and cerebrovascular patterning in zebrafish. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 2020 Feb;40(2):298-313.
• Alabed S, Providência R, Chico TJA. Cochrane corner: adenosine versus intravenous calcium channel antagonists for supraventricular tachycardia. Heart. 2018 Dec;104(24)
• Lee JA, Chico TJA, Renshaw SA. The triune of intestinal microbiome, genetics and inflammatory status and its impact on the healing of lower gastrointestinal anastomoses. FEBS J. 2018 Apr;285(7):1212-1225. doi: 10.1111/feds.14346.
• Vidal-Rosas EE, Billings SA, Chico T, Coca D. Reproducibility of parameters of postocclusive reactive hyperemia measured by diffuse optical tomography. J Biomed Opt. 2016 Jun 1;21(6):66012.
• Mahmoud MM, Kim HR, Xing R, Hsiao S, Mammoto A, Chen J, Serbanovic-Canic J, Feng S, Bowden NP, Maguire R, Ariaans M, Francis SE, Weinberg PD, van der Heiden K, Jones EA, Chico TJ, Ridger V, Evans PC. TWIST1 Integrates Endothelial Responses to Flow in Vascular Dysfunction and Atherosclerosis. Circ Res. 2016 Jul 22;119(3):450-62.
• Martin RI, Babaei MS, Choy MK, Owens WA, Chico TJ, Keenan D, Yonan N, Koref MS, Keavney BD. Genetic variants associated with risk of atrial fibrillation regulate expression of PITX2, CAV1, MYOZ1, C9orf3 and FANCC. J Mol Cell Cardiol. 2015 Aug;85:207-14.

• Regularly contacted by journalists and Science Media Centre to provide quotes on science and health research. These appear in all major national newspapers and media outlets (Times, Guardian, Financial Times, Express, Mail, Metro, Express, Sun, Mirror, Independent, Huffington Post, ITV, NBC, BBC) and worldwide via Reuters and Associated Post. Between Jan 2015-May 2017 I was quoted in 46 news items; estimated coverage 6.28 million people & 244,000 social media shares (data by Uni of Sheffield Media Office).
• Given a number of TV and radio interviews including phone-ins on heart health for BBC Sheffield and appearances on BBC News programmes.
• Invited speaker at the Cheltenham Science Festival, talking about Blood Pressure (2018) and prevention of Heart Disease (2019)
• Expert panel speaker alongside senior journalists and scientists, on Science Media Centre workshops (2013, 2016) discussing how scientists can (and should) engage with the media
• A BHF YouTube video of my research is the most viewed BHF research video (>22,400 hits) and in permanent exhibition in Glasgow Science Museum.

• My 2 kids (17 and 15) and dog keep my grounded.
• I am a triathlete and duathlete and have competed at all distances up to Ironman (3.8km swim, 180km bike, 42km run). I qualified for the Great Britain Age Group Triathlon / Duathlon teams at the European Championships in 2013 (Antalya, Turkey), 2015 (Geneva, Switzerland), 2017 (Düsseldorf, Germany) and 2023 (Venice, Italy).
• I love reading, cooking, and playing piano.

Professor Stephen Renshaw (current line manager). Sir Arthur Hall Professor of Medicine, Head of Division of Clinical Medicine, Deputy Dean of School of Medicine and Population Health. S.A.Renshaw@sheffield.ac.uk

Professor Sheila Francis (previous Head of Department). Professor of Cardiovascular Biology and Faculty Director of One University Strategy Delivery, University of Sheffield. S.francis@sheffield.ac.uk

Dr Susan Thomas (Current collaborator). Clinical Director, Google Health. SusanThomas@Google.com

Dr Pritesh Mistry (current collaborator). Fellow, Digital Technologies, The King's Fund. P.Mistry@kingsfund.org.uk