NHIP Academy: Meet our Community – Dr Hayley Alderson
Wednesday July 17, 2024
Dr Hayley Alderson is a National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Advanced Fellow at Newcastle University and a Senior Research Fellow with the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) North East and North Cumbria.
Dr Alderson is currently undertaking a research study that aims to understand the experiences of those who have endured sexual assault in accessing health and social care services. This is to develop a trauma informed framework to guide health and social care professionals regarding their response to those who have experienced sexual assault.
Dr Alderson is a practitioner-researcher working at the interface of Social Care and Public Health. Commenting on what inspired her current project, she said:
“My work focuses on individuals who have experienced multiple disadvantage and complex needs, particularly in the arena of domestic violence and abuse (DVA), mental health, substance use and safeguarding. Within my practice and research, people described feeling that they felt misunderstood or unsupported when accessing health and social care support. This inspired me to work alongside frontline professionals to respond to these individuals in a trauma informed way.”
It can be difficult for people who have experienced sexual assault to access support services. Trauma-informed practice ensures that frontline professionals can respond in a trauma informed way, which in turn increases the likelihood of individuals receiving support that responds to their needs.
This research will co-produce a trauma informed framework with people who have experienced sexual assault and frontline practitioners within health and social care. The framework will be piloted to understand the feasibility and acceptability of implementation alongside the scalability of delivery.
Patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) will play a significant part of this research and people with lived experience shaped the research proposal.
Addressing why she is involved in research, Dr Alderson said:
“Being involved in research is hugely important; it provides an opportunity for a topic of importance to be explored and understanding to be developed through the collection, analysis, and dissemination of evidence. This is of significance when considering people who are not routinely involved in research.”
NHIP Academy
Newcastle Health Research Partnership (NHIP) Academy unlocks career development opportunities for the next generation of health and care researchers.
The Academy provided Dr Alderson with support throughout the process of being granted this award by engaging in discussions to develop the research idea, proof reading sections of her application, organising a mock interview and introducing her to colleagues within the NHIP Academy network.
Ruth McGovern, Senior Lecturer in Public Health Research and Pillar Lead for the NHIP Academy Public Health and Social Care Pillar, said:
“This award is an impressive and well-deserved achievement. Dr Alderson’s NIHR Advanced Fellowship will enable her to undertake a hugely important programme of work and provide opportunities for her career to go from strength to strength in what is an outstanding trajectory.”
Dr Alderson’s Advice
My advice for those thinking about applying for a fellowship would be to ensure you give yourself time to think through and process you application but to be prepared for your initial idea to evolve as your application develops. It is also important to communicate with anyone who is willing to listen, this will help to ensure you can describe you research in terms accessible to individuals outside of your specialism.