Allied health professionals research better care
Six allied health professionals from Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust will be undertaking research in the fields of pharmacy, midwifery, nutrition and physiotherapy as part of a programme to support non-medical healthcare workers in their research careers.
The Imperial College Research Fellowship Scheme was established three years ago to give allied healthcare professionals working at the Trust the same clinical academic training opportunities as doctors. Recipients have the opportunity to develop their research skills and experience so that they can apply for a Masters or PhD and progress in their clinical academic career.
This year's fellows will undertake research projects including: ensuring patients take their medication following a kidney transplant, testing a device to measure muscle strength of patients with a rare spinal cord disease, implementing a new education and diet programme to help diabetes patients on dialysis and increasing the number of healthy women having their babies in birth centres or at home.
The six fellowships are worth up to £50,000 each and are jointly funded by Imperial College Healthcare Charity and Imperial NIHR Biomedical Research Centre (BRC). Some of the fellows will work alongside researchers at Imperial College London.
Champion of the scheme and Professor in Endocrinology and Metabolism at Imperial College London, Waljit Dhillo said: “I am very pleased to welcome this year’s new cohort of talented staff to the Research Fellowships Scheme. Allied healthcare professionals have a unique perspective of patient care that is vital for academic research. This year’s recipients are working on a diverse range of projects that have the potential to make a real difference to patients.”
