We’ve been launching our new Research Hub at the James Paget today, to encourage our staff to make space for research and combine their clinical and academic careers.
The event was all about raising awareness among our staff about the important role research has to play in developing health care in the future and what opportunities are available to individuals to come up with their own research ideas to enhance patient care.
Guest speakers at the event included Professor Christina Jerosch-Herold, Director of Clinical Academic Careers at the University of East Anglia; Linda Tinkler, research lead at Newcastle University Hospitals; National Institute for Health Research/ Health Education England Pre-Doctoral fellowship candidate and Intensive Care Nurse Daniel Harris; and Dr Ruth Strudwick, Associate Professor in Diagnostic Radiology at the University of Suffolk and East Anglian leader of the Council for Allied Health Professions Research (CAHPR) - and each gave an insight to the benefits of a career spanning clinical work and academic research.
The day gave our staff the opportunity to learn more about fellowships, funding, support and networking – and both inspiration and practical advice about how research is done and how it works. It also concentrated on myth busting around freeing up time for research and pathways to further education.
The aim is to encourage more staff to consider research as a means to enhance patient care and future health care, and to progress their careers. The Hub will aim to build the capacity, capability and confidence of our staff, through providing support and information, with a view to developing home-grown research and building research focused links with other organisations.