Dr Kristin Veighey

Dr Veighey identifies and promotes research training opportunities for healthcare researchers in Southampton and leads the Research Leaders Programme. 

She is an NIHR Clinical Lecturer in General Practice at the University of Southampton Primary Care Research Centre and is dual-qualified as a Consultant Nephrologist and a General Practitioner.

From Belfast to Southampton - a career built around kidney health

After graduating in Medicine from Queen's University Belfast, Kristin spent time in Australia and Norway before beginning her pre-registration year at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust. 

She remained in Wessex for the early years of her junior medical training, before moving to London to complete specialist training in Renal Medicine.

During her time in London, Kristin was awarded a PhD from University College London in Clinical Pharmacology and Nephrology and was a key member of the team that delivered the REnal Protection Against Ischaemia Reperfusion in transplantation (REPAIR) trial. 

This NIHR Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation programme funded, multicentre, multinational randomised controlled trial demonstrated the potential for remote ischaemic preconditioning. This is a simple, safe, and virtually cost-neutral intervention to improve long-term kidney transplant function.

Building a kidney research programme across the care interface

After completing her nephrology training in Wessex at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, Kristin became a Consultant Nephrologist at the Wessex Kidney Centre. 

There she established a renal research group, and developed collaborations with the Primary Care and Public Health research teams at the University of Southampton. 

This work included research on treatment burden and capacity in people living with chronic kidney disease, and laid the foundation for her subsequent move into primary care research.

Recognising that the greatest opportunity to improve outcomes for people with kidney disease lies in earlier identification and management, Kristin made the decision to retrain as a clinical academic general practitioner. 

She secured an NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowship in General Practice in 2021 and completed training in 2026.

Leading primary care kidney research

Kristin has been appointed in 2026 as an NIHR Clinical Lecturer in General Practice. This is a competitive post that provides dedicated research time to develop an independent primary care research programme. 

Her research focuses on improving how people with chronic kidney disease are identified, risk-stratified, and managed in primary care, with a strong emphasis on health equity and the prevention of CKD progression and associated cardiovascular risk. 

She leads the Screening Protection Outreach and Treatment for health equity in Chronic Kidney Disease (SPOT-CKD) programme across Hampshire and Isle of Wight. This is a GPwER-led integrated kidney care model, developed from the insights of her qualitative work with primary care teams, that has secured £2.5 million in Integrated Care Board investment. 

She also holds leadership roles with the UK Kidney Association.

Supporting Southampton's research community

Formerly the research fellows training lead, Kristin has been involved with the Research Leaders Programme since its inception in 2020. She now leads its delivery as Co-Director of the Southampton Academy of Research. 

The programme's members have collectively generated over £32 million in grant and fellowship income to date.

Kristin says the most rewarding aspect of the role is seeing Research Leaders Programme awardees grow in confidence as researchers, acquiring new skills and going on to secure competitive funding in their own right.