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Liz Breen1

Director of the Digital Health Enterprise Zone (DHEZ), University of Bradford, Reader in Health Service Operations, University of Bradford
Dr Liz Breen is the current Director of the Digital Health Enterprise Zone, an innovation facility based at the University of Bradford. She is also a Reader in Health Service Operations having held previous position of Senior Lecturer in Operations Management at the University of Bradford Faculty of Management and Law for 13 years.

Prior to this she worked in the University of Manchester Business School as a Lecturer in Operations Management and within the NHS.

Liz’s research focuses on improvement in healthcare service supply chains with a specific interest in the pharmaceutical supply chain. Her work aims to better understand healthcare systems so that they can be improved to ensure greater patient safety and optimal care. Ongoing projects in this area include an evaluation of stressors affecting 999 call handlers with the Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) and the impact of Covid-19 pandemic on community pharmacies. Liz is deputy theme lead for the Safe Use of Medicines in the Yorkshire and Humber Patient Safety Translational Research Centre and co-lead on the Process Evaluation stream of the NIHR-funded ISCOMAT study, focusing on patient safety and medicines transitions. She is also co-investigator on an NIHR-funded study examining access to medicines at end of life, the ActMed study.

Projects focusing directly on the pharmaceutical supply chain explore areas such as medicines shortages, medicines waste management, supply chain risk and medicines deliveries during the pandemic.

She is keen to develop the profile and relevance of Operations and Supply Chain Management in healthcare service supply chains within her research, teaching and business engagement.

ADHD drug shortages are affecting patients in the UK – here's why they're happening

Nov 08, 2023 12:08 pm UTC| Health

Millions of people in the UK who take drugs for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are facing difficulties getting their prescriptions filled due to shortages. These shortages are currently affecting four of...

Price inflation: five ways stronger UK supply chains can help reduce rising food costs

May 25, 2023 14:34 pm UTC| Economy

Annual price inflation has recently fallen below double digits, but food costs are still rising rapidly. Official UK figures show food prices rose by 19.1% in the year to April 2023. To prevent further increases, the UK...

How the 'tripledemic' is restricting cold and flu medicine supplies – and what to do if you're affected

Jan 24, 2023 05:41 am UTC| Health

This winter has been one of the worst on record for the NHS. Ambulance and AE waiting times are at all-time highs, and many are struggling to access emergency treatment. Patients are now reporting difficulties accessing...

Omicron: Britain plans to vaccinate 25 million in two months – but can it be done?

Dec 04, 2021 02:00 am UTC| Health

What impact the new omicron variant will have is still unknown. But with early data suggesting it could be the most transmissible form of the virus yet and that it could be less susceptible to existing antibodies it...

AstraZeneca vaccine: how to fix supply issues

Mar 22, 2021 13:59 pm UTC| Business Health

If you thought that vaccine hesitancy was the biggest challenge of the pandemic, think again. A new challenge is approaching: supply chain hesitancy. The potential for interruption along vaccine supply lines may lead to...

Economy

Time to buy local: war fuel price shocks reveal the folly of a long food supply chain

Most of our food travels many thousands of kilometres across Australia to reach our kitchens. We are highly dependent on a vast web of long-haul trucks to move food between growers, massive food distribution hubs and large...

Gold is meant to be a ‘safe haven’ in uncertain times. Why is it crashing amid a war?

Gold has long enjoyed a reputation as a financial safe haven during stormy times. But over the past few months of geopolitical chaos and market panic, the precious metal has moved more like a roller coaster than a steady...

WTO Reform Talks Begin in Cameroon Amid Global Trade Tensions

Trade ministers from around the world convened Thursday in Yaoundé, Cameroon, for a critical four-day summit focused on reforming the World Trade Organization. The high-stakes gathering comes at a turbulent moment...

Japan Eyes Oil Futures Intervention to Stabilize Yen Amid Middle East Crisis

Japan is exploring an unconventional strategy to halt the yens ongoing decline directly intervening in global crude oil futures markets. The proposal, first reported by Reuters, signals Tokyos growing frustration as...

U.S. Stock Futures Steady as Iran Reviews U.S. Ceasefire Proposal

U.S. stock index futures held relatively steady on Wednesday evening after Iran signaled it was reviewing a ceasefire proposal put forward by Washington aimed at ending the ongoing Middle East conflict. The cautious market...

Politics

Russia-Iran Military Alliance Deepens With Drone Shipments Amid Middle East Tensions

Moscow is moving closer to completing a multi-phase transfer of lethal drones, medicine, and food supplies to Tehran, according to Western intelligence sources cited by the Financial Times. The deliveries are designed to...

Iran-U.S. Negotiations: Tehran Reviews American Peace Proposal Amid Ongoing Gulf Conflict

Irans foreign minister confirmed Wednesday that Tehran is examining a United States peace proposal aimed at ending the escalating Gulf war, though officials stressed this falls short of direct negotiations between the two...

FEMA Reinstates $1 Billion Disaster Prevention Grant Program After Court Order

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has announced the resumption of a key disaster prevention initiative after facing legal challenges that forced the reversal of its earlier cancellation. The agency is once again...

Taiwan Arms Deal on Track Despite U.S.-China Summit Uncertainty

Taiwans Defense Minister Wellington Koo confirmed Thursday that the next major U.S. arms sale to the island remains on schedule, revealing that Taipei has already received a formal letter of guarantee from Washington...

G7 Foreign Ministers Gather in France Amid Global Tensions and U.S. Policy Uncertainty

Foreign ministers from the worlds top Western democracies have convened in France this week for a high-stakes two-day summit at the historic 12th-century Abbaye des Vaux-de-Cernay, located roughly 40 kilometers southwest...

Science

SpaceX Pivots Toward Moon City as Musk Reframes Long-Term Space Vision

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has revealed a significant shift in the companys near-term space exploration strategy, announcing that SpaceX is now prioritizing the development of a self-growing city on the Moon rather than focusing...

SpaceX Prioritizes Moon Mission Before Mars as Starship Development Accelerates

Elon Musks SpaceX is shifting its near-term space exploration strategy, choosing to prioritize a return to the Moon before pursuing missions to Mars, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report citing sources familiar...

NASA and SpaceX Target Crew-11 Undocking From ISS Amid Medical Concern

NASA has confirmed that the agency, in coordination with SpaceX, is targeting no earlier than 5 p.m. Eastern Time (2200 GMT) on Wednesday, January 14, for the undocking of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission from the International...

Neuralink Plans High-Volume Brain Implant Production and Fully Automated Surgery by 2026

Elon Musks brain-computer interface company Neuralink is preparing for a major expansion, announcing plans to begin high-volume production of its brain implant devices and transition to a fully automated surgical procedure...

Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator, making him the 15th leader in the agencys history. The confirmation, which took place on Wednesday, marks...

Technology

Reflection AI Eyes $25 Billion Valuation in Massive $2.5 Billion Funding Round

Nvidia-backed artificial intelligence startup Reflection AI is in advanced discussions to secure $2.5 billion in fresh funding, with negotiations pointing to a staggering pre-money valuation of $25 billion, according to a...

Nanya Technology Shares Surge 10% After $2.5 Billion Private Placement from Sandisk and Cisco

Shares of Taiwan-based memory chip manufacturer Nanya Technology soared to their daily limit of 10% on Thursday morning following the companys announcement of a major $2.5 billion private placement deal backed by prominent...

SK Hynix Eyes Up to $14 Billion U.S. IPO to Fund AI Chip Expansion

South Korean memory chip giant SK Hynix has submitted a confidential filing for a U.S. stock market listing in 2026, with sources indicating the move could raise as much as $14 billion. The company intends to offer...

Meta Ties Executive Pay to Aggressive Stock Price Targets in Major Retention Push

Meta Platforms made a significant move this week by granting restricted stock units and stock options to several of its most senior leaders, including Chief Financial Officer Susan Li and Chief Technology Officer Andrew...

SpaceX IPO Filing Expected This Week as Valuation Could Surpass $75 Billion

Elon Musks SpaceX is reportedly moving closer to going public, with plans to submit its initial public offering prospectus to regulators as early as this week or next, according to a report by The Information citing a...