Hunter Medical Research Institute chair says 'business…

Hunter Medical Research Institute chair says 'business as usual' after swift mid-contract departure of its hand-picked leader

GONE: Professor Tom Walley, seen here in June.

THE Hunter Medical Research Institute is in a state of upheaval after the resignation of its imported English director Professor Tom Walley, two years into a five-year contract.

HMRI chairman Kyle Loades yesterday played down the significance of Professor Walley's departure, saying "Tom chose to resign and we're disappointed he made that call ... for his own personal reasons".

He said the HMRI board had moved quickly to stabilise the situation and had appointed Professor Mike Calford, a former HMRI board member, as interim director.

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Professor Calford left the University of Newcastle in 2013 as deputy vice-chancellor (research) and has since served in executive roles at three other universities.

He was credited during his time in Newcastle as playing a key role in securing funding for HMRI's $90 million headquarters at the John Hunter Hospital campus.

"It's literally business as usual," Mr Loades said.

The Newcastle Herald has been unable to obtain a response from Professor Walley but his supporters and detractors alike say his departure is a significant event related to a substantial program of change - affecting both HMRI staff and high-profile medical researchers - that he had driven at the institute.

Mr Loades acknowledged Professor Walley's changes in a short statement issued on Friday to announce his departure.

"Tom has delivered a new strategy and structure to position HMRI to be able to better support researchers and the community in a changing research funding environment," Mr Loades said.

Yesterday, he said Professor Walley had "done a fantastic job" and that "most people acknowledge it was the right strategy and structure".

Tom has delivered a new strategy and structure to position HMRI to be able to better support researchers and the community in a changing research funding environment
HMRI chair Kyle Loades

Despite efforts to downplay his departure, various sources said the Englishman had "lost" the support of key people at HMRI and its partner organisations, the university and Hunter New England Local Health District.

Pressed whether Professor Walley had lost the confidence of the HMRI board, Mr Loades responded: "The board has full confidence in the strategy and structure that Tom developed.

"The new director will have the skills and experience to continue its implementation."

HMRI began in 1998 as a way to amalgamate various Hunter research bodies and by the time its present building was opened in September 2012 it was boasting 1100 researchers, research students and support staff across the region.

That number is now put at more than 1500. Many of its researchers are formally employed by the university or Hunter Health, which are both represented on the HMRI board.

HMRI also has a fundraising foundation, which supporters say is raising $10 million annually - not counting a major bequest of about $10 million, announced in June.

Sources say Professor Walley was very focused on what has become known as "translational research" - a term that Mr Loades said meant converting the discoveries of science into "real world" benefits as quickly as possible.

Professor Walley's supporters said this push had "threatened" traditional structures where key academics would pursue the one area of research for long periods of time.

Both sides said Professor Walley, as an "outsider", had not fully appreciated "the politics and power structures" of Newcastle.

They also said that about 10 people with important roles had been removed by not renewing their employment contracts.

They said the future of HMRI was anything but "business as usual".