CVCTU Core Team
Professor Amrita Ahluwalia
Director of the CVCTU and Professor of Vascular Pharmacology
Prof Ahluwalia is the Director of the Cardiovascular Clinical Trials Unit (CVCTU), a branch of the Barts Clinical Trials Unit. Under Prof Ahluwalia’s leadership, the CVCTU has been established to manage and coordinate clinical trials with robust systems to ensure the highest quality standards of conduct and delivery of cardiovascular clinical trials and is funded by the Barts Charity Cardiovascular Research Programme.
Dr. Dan Jones
CVCTU Clinical Senior Lecturer - Clinical Lead for Intervention Studies
Dr. Ajay Gupta
CVCTU Clinical Senior Lecturer - Lead for Population Health and Therapeutic Trials
Ajay’s research to date has been in a broader field of preventive cardiovascular and metabolic medicine with a particular focus on hypertension, statin therapy, and diabetes. He has extensive experience of population health research, clinical trials design and management, and has been associated with several large phase-3 clinical trials, such as ASCOT. He has been on the end-point and adjudication committees of a few clinical trials and studies, such as PREMIUM, SABRE, and ORBITA. When working in Imperial College, he gained substantial experience in analyses of large databases. Another research interest of Ajay is on reporting of drug-related adverse events in trials, and how are they captured in databases.
Annastazia Learoyd
Statistics Lead
A neurobiologist by background with a PhD from University of Nottingham studying the effect of infection on ischemic stroke, I became a medical statistician in 2020. I have since completed an MSc in Medical Statistics from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and worked at the Unit for Medical Statistics in Kings College London. My experience includes a range of Phase II and Phase III clinical trials examining novel drugs, cell therapies and health technologies in different diseases/settings. I joined the CVCTU as a Senior Statistician in June 2023.
Georgia Mannion-Krase
Data Management Lead
Georgia has worked in clinical trials since 2011, across delivery, governance, and operations in CTUs at QMUL, KCL, MRC CTU @ UCL and others.
They specialise in designing data management processes, building compliant data infrastructure, and translating complex regulatory frameworks into pragmatic, user-friendly guidance. Throughout their career Georgia has driven cross-departmental collaboration, established peer-support data networks, and led strategic EDI priorities to foster inclusive research environments.
Georgia is passionate about people-first leadership, clear communication, and implementing practical digital systems that reduce cognitive load and streamline trial delivery. Their current projects include improving EDI in research, and using AI ethically to reduce burden on trial teams. They also represent the Barts CTU at the UKCRC AI thematic group.
Elli Enayat
Trial Coordination Lead
I have joined the WHRI CVCTU team in January 2024. I have extensive experience in both clinical trial management and bench work across various disease areas.
I have previously managed observational and interventional trials and studies in both primary and secondary care at UCL, UCLH and King’s College London.
Zay Yar Win
Senior Clinical Trial Coordinator
I joined the WHRI CVCTU in July 2025 as a Senior Clinical Trial Coordinator. I previously worked in King’s College Hospital, The University of Oxford, Newcastle Clinical Trials Unit and Cambridge Clinical Trials Unit in various aspects of clinical trial management (e.g. data coordination, patient facing, trial management and monitoring) for CTIMPs trials over a wide range of disease areas.
Nikeeta Gurung
Clinical Trials Coordinator
I became a part of CVCTU in December 2023, stepping into the role of Clinical Trials Coordinator. My expertise lies in setup and management of clinical trials within our dynamic team.
Yasmin Choudhury
Clinical Trials Coordinator
I joined CVCTU as a Clinical Trials Coordinator in July 2024. I have worked on various clinical trials throughout my career ranging from women's health, cancer and cardiovascular studies. I coordinate the set-up and day to day running of trials.
Natasha Rodrigues
Data Manager
I recently joined the CVCTU as a Data Manager. Before this I worked in Cambridge University Hospitals NHS trust as a Clinical Trials Data Manager responsible for managing data for both early and late phase trials. Besides my working experience I have been equipped by the knowledge and skills having completed my Master’s degree in Clinical Trials from the University of Birmingham in 2023.
Chenguang Wei
Postdoctoral Research Associate / Clinical Trial Practitioner
I joined the WHRI and CVCTU in 2025 after completing my PhD at the University of Exeter. My PhD focused on the effects of nitrate supplementation on nitric oxide congeners in various human biological samples, as well as cardiovascular health, exercise performance, and muscle contractility. I have experience in running clinical trials, nitric oxide research methods, and wet-laboratory based skills. I joined the WHRI and CVCTU to run a clinical trial investigating the feasibility of nitrate fortification in commonly consumed foods for regulating nitric oxide metabolism in healthy individuals.
Diya Bhandari
Statistician
I joined the CVCTU as a Statistician in January 2026. Prior to this, I worked at the University of Oxford as a Trial Statistician, where my main responsibilities included data preparation, statistical analysis, and reporting. I gained my MSc in Applied Statistical Modelling & Health Informatics from Kings College London in 2023.