Speaker Biography
Ed Hughes
Ed joined the Council of Deans of Health (CoDH) as its Chief Executive in July 2023. CoDH represents the UK’s university faculties engaged in education and/or research for nursing, midwifery and the allied health professions. At any one time the Council’s 108 members are educating around 200,000 current and future health professionals and undertaking research that improves the population’s health and wellbeing. Operating as a multi-professional organisation at the heart of policy and political debate, the Council aims to lead policy at national and UK level, promoting the essential contribution of its members to health and social care.
Prior to joining CoDH, Ed was Director of Insight and Engagement at Research England, part of UK Research & Innovation (UKRI), with responsibility for stakeholder engagement with the HE sector across England. Ed worked for over 15 years at the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and at the Office for Students (OfS), including as Head of Health and Medicine at both HEFCE and the OfS. He led HEFCE’s work in partnership with Health Education England on the expansion of medical schools, and the Strategic Interventions in Health Education Disciplines programme to increase awareness of Allied Health Professions amongst prospective students and develop a better understanding of student recruitment and retention patterns for nursing, midwifery and allied health courses.
Whilst at HEFCE, Ed held a number of senior roles including as Manager of the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise on behalf of the four UK HE funding bodies, and as Regional Consultant with responsibility for leading HEFCE’s relationships with universities and colleges in the South East of England. Alongside his role as Regional Consultant, Ed had responsibility for HEFCE’s engagement nationally with further education colleges delivering HE, and led HEFCE’s work to support social enterprise in the HE sector.
