Research leaders awarded new NIHR fellowship

Over £2million has been granted to eight exceptional researchers in the North East to support their development as future clinical academic leaders.

(L-R) Dr Jane Bourne, Dr Louise Coats, Dr Lisa Robinson, Dr Meredith James, Dr Kate Hallsworth

The new Senior Clinical and Practitioner Research Award (SCPRA) from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is designed to support senior clinicians and practitioners from health and care professions who are at post-doctoral level. The eight successful applicants span Newcastle Health Research Partnership (NHIP) partners: Newcastle Upon Tyne NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle University, Northumbria University and Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (CNTW).

The SCPRA award provides two to five years of funding for individuals to engage in research activities to develop their research career. It supports senior clinicians and practitioners who have previously obtained a PhD/MD and provides between 20 and 50 percent protected time within their current roles to engage in research activities, develop their collaborations and prepare for their next step as clinical and practitioner academic leaders.

The eight SCPRA awardees from the North East all benefited from support from NHIP Academy throughout their application process.  The academy provides bespoke training and support for health and care researchers looking to advance their academic careers, this includes intelligence and advice on career opportunities as well as support with external applications for fellowships and training awards.

The successful applicants were:

(L) Dr Earn Gan and (R) Dr Faye Cooles

Dr Faye Cooles, Rheumatology Registrar (Newcastle Hospitals) and NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturer (Newcastle University).  Dr Cooles is interested in studying how type 1 interferons, which are proteins that help fight infections, are involved in autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. She will work on ways to apply this research to help treat patients.

Dr Earn Gan, Consultant Endocrinologist (Newcastle Hospitals) and Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer (Newcastle University).  Dr Gan’s research aims to discover why some patients with benign thyroid disorders continue to have symptoms that don’t go away, even when they are receiving the best standard treatment. This work aims to improve the long-term health and wellbeing of patients with thyroid disorders.

Dr Meredith James, Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer (Newcastle University) and Clinical Specialist Neuromuscular Physiotherapist at the John Walton Muscular Dystrophy Research Centre (JWMDRC), a partnership between Newcastle Hospitals and Newcastle University. Meredith is involved in clinical and research activity for children and adults with Neuromuscular Disorders (NMD) and has developed a validated assessment tool for patients with limb girdle muscular dystrophy, which is now used in many international clinical trials.   The SCPRA will help her to continue her work in driving improvements in the care of individuals with NMD.

Dr Louise Coats, Clinical Intermediate Fellow (Newcastle University) and Honorary Consultant Adult Congenital Heart Disease (Newcastle Hospitals). Dr Coats’ work focuses on adult congenital heart disease, specifically on understanding the medical, social and psychological factors that affect the wellbeing of patients and how this can be used to shape equitable care provision. She has additional academic interests in the Fontan circulation, imaging and advanced heart failure therapies. Her work is characterised by cross-disciplinary collaborations outside the usual medical specialities.

Dr Jane Bourne, Senior Arts Psychotherapist and Dramatherapist (CNTW), and Honorary Clinical Senior lecturer at Newcastle University in the Population Health Sciences Institute.  Dr Bourne’s goal is to deliver the first Randomised Clinical Trial in the UK, in her professional field.  She aims to undertake a large study to test a dramatherapy treatment manual.

Dr Lisa Robinson, AHP Consultant (Newcastle Hospitals) and Visiting Fellow (Northumbria University).  Dr Robinson’s research and clinical work focuses on helping patients recover and regain strength after injuries, illnesses, or surgeries. She is especially interested in how different healthcare professionals work together in hospitals and how this teamwork affects both staff and patients, as well as the quality of care and outcomes achieved.

Dr Iain McKinnon

Dr Iain McKinnon, Consultant Psychiatrist (CNTW) and Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer (Newcastle University). Dr McKinnon works in forensic and intellectual disability psychiatry and his research focuses on the interface between the criminal justice system and mental health services, the use of the mental health legislation and improving the involvement of people with mental health and developmental disorders in research.

Dr Kate Hallsworth, Consultant AHP, (Newcastle Hospitals), Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer (Newcastle University) and Visiting Fellow (Northumbria University). Dr Hallsworth’s research and clinical work focuses on enhancing care and quality of life for people with liver disease. She has conducted several studies to see how non-drug treatments affect a condition called metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD, previously known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease or NAFLD). She has also developed and tested a digital programme called VITALISE specifically for patients with MASLD and aims to expand this research across the UK.

Professor Dave Jones OBE, NHIP Academy Director, said: “It is wonderful to see so many of our leading clinicians across the North East recognised with the new Senior Clinical Practitioner Research Award – they are eight of only 80 across the UK. This is testament to how our region is a leader in inclusive clinical and practitioner academic career development, as well as highlighting the importance of partnership working for excellence.”

Professor David Burn, Director of NHIP and Pro-Vice Chancellor for the Faculty of Medical Sciences at Newcastle University, added: “Congratulations to all eight clinicians for attaining these prestigious awards. This is wonderful recognition for their contribution and commitment to research and an endorsement of the quality of research here at Newcastle, which will ultimately improve patient care.”

Sir James Mackey, Chief Executive at Newcastle Hospitals, said: “Newcastle is home to a rich pool of clinical and scientific knowledge and expertise and we are proud to see the excellent work of our research colleagues recognised with these prestigious fellowships. The awards will give clinicians, from a broad range of roles and disciplines, the opportunity to progress their research and ensure our patients have access to the most advanced treatment options.”

James Duncan, Chief Executive at Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust, said: “This fantastic news demonstrates the strength of research in our region. I am proud and delighted that two of our clinicians at CNTW have been granted these awards, which recognises the quality of their research to date and their potential to be leaders in their field over the coming years. This is good for them, for the Trust and most importantly for the people and communities we serve.”

The NIHR Senior Clinical and Practitioner Research Award is a funding scheme which is due to run annually over the next five years to support post-doctoral clinicians and practitioners especially from under-represented areas and/or disciplines. If you would like to discuss this or a similar career development opportunity, please contact nhip.academy@ncl.ac.uk

You can also find out more about the next round of the NIHR SCPRA scheme at a special NHIP Academy Know Your Funder event on 10 October. Find out more here: https://newcastlehealthresearchpartnership.org/events/nhip-academy-know-your-funder-nihr-scpra-round-2/