The high number of registrations from across the UK (registrations from Dundee to Exeter) for the recent Research Careers Showcase event for Nurses, Midwives, Allied Health Professionals, Healthcare Scientists, Pharmacists and Psychologists (NMAHP’s) was encouraging and demonstrated the appetite for this type of career development event.
Around 100 professionals attended the online event in January hosted by the National Institute of Health and care Research (NIHR) Oxford Health BRC (OH BRC), in partnership with the NIHR Mental Health Research Incubator, NIHR Mental Health Translational Research Collaboration (MH-TRC) and UKRI Mental Health Platform.
Setting the scene for the event which focused on personal career journeys and opportunities, the Keynote Address was delivered by Professor Anne-Maree Keenan OBE.
Proudly identifying herself foremost as a podiatrist, Professor Keenan also holds roles as the Associate Director at NIHR Leeds BRC, the Chair of Applied Health Research at the University of Leeds, and as the Emeritus Associate Dean for Infrastructure at the NIHR Academy. She focused on explaining the NIHR’s investment in Healthcare Professionals, the wide range of opportunities available and the benefits of a research-active NHS, as well as providing personal reflections, lessons learnt, and covered how to deal with Imposter Syndrome.
Her summary encouraged reflection on personal strengths and on the need to overcome current barriers in mindset and culture.
Professor Keenan provided the perfect introduction to the personal career journeys of Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust’s (OHFT) Harinder Singh Sokhal (digital pharmacist), Amy Jenkin (mental health nurse, Sheffield Health Partnership University NHS FT), Philip Hodgson (physiotherapist, Newcastle University), University of Oxford’s Department of Psychiatry Jiedi Lei (clinical psychologist) and Dr Marion Waite (nurse and Associate Professor in nursing academic development, Oxford Brookes University). Every story was inspirational, including personal reflections on career pathways that were far from linear and how it was possible to take career breaks and still progress.
Of particular note was a comment from Amy Jenkin that your personal career development is achieved over an extended timeline, “It is a marathon, not a sprint.” The involvement of good mentors and collaborators, focusing on maximising questions around the “Why” and impact of your research, and taking that initial first step, were emphasised in more than one story and picked up during the roundtable session.
During the event, Allied Health Professional (AHP) Research Lead at Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust and Professor of Rehabilitation at Oxford Brookes University Professor Benita Olivier, the event’s lead host, chaired a session focused on networking and collaboration, providing a personal story of a chance encounter at a conference which has led to a research collaboration spanning several decades.
Kings College London’s Dr Rhiannon Thompson and University of East Anglia’s Dr Eleanor Chatburn provided an example of a successful ongoing collaboration involving the establishment of a methodology group and reaching agreement on publication authorship that resulted from an NIHR Mental Health Research Incubator event bringing together different cohorts.
A session on opportunities featured a talk from Harry Chapman on an Industry Internship from the Capacity Development workstream of the MH-TRC resulting in a new role for him in CareLoop Health. Reflecting on his session, Harry provided advice for fellow NMAHP’s: “Don’t leave your clinical heart at the door. It is the single most valuable asset you can bring to industry”.
Professor Olivier told us: “Harry shared how industry and research can work together and is a living example of the fact that not all research opportunities lie within academia. It was an inspiring talk that will certainly urge our audience to explore industry-related opportunities.”
Beatrice Shelley presented information about the significant support and opportunities available from the NIHR Mental Health Incubator. Dr Marion Waite, another member of the organising committee, presented details of funding schemes from the NIHR at different stages of the research trajectory.
A final session saw a variety of questions answered, thanks given to speakers and attendees and Professor Olivier’s final summing up: “As research enablers, we often hear the comment “I want to get involved in research, but I don’t know where to start”. This event provided an answer to exactly that! I realised, once again, how many inspiring role models there are in the research space. Research is a vehicle to improve the lives of patients and staff alike, and if that is your calling, take that first step! Onwards and upwards as we, together, make this world a better place.”
Dr Pamela Reid, Oxford Health BRC Strategic Partnerships Manager said: “This partnership event surpassed our expectations regarding the number of attendees and their geographical location in the UK, showing an appetite for on-line career development events that can be attended alongside busy clinical roles. The inspirational career journeys we heard about, following on from an excellent keynote address from Professor Anne-Maree Keenan has provided us with an impetus to continue our work as part of OH BRC’s Academic Career Development Strategy We have some ideas for follow up from the event and the resources highlighted, soon to be available on the BRC website, are likely to be of use to multiple professional groups.”
You can access and download further resources from the event on the OH BRC website
Contact OH BRC Training: [email protected]