Six healthcare rising stars are due to begin their careers in clinical research.
The group from Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) recently completed a nine-month part-time internship through the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre: Oxford (BRC).
It is a programme that gives early-career professionals the chance to develop research skills through workshops, seminars, and hands-on project experience - supported by mentorship from established clinical researchers.
The internships are open to nurses, midwives, allied health professionals, healthcare scientists, pharmacists, and clinical psychologists with little or no research background.
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Each intern chooses a project relevant to their clinical practice.
Dr Clair Merriman, organiser of the BRC internship scheme, said: “This popular scheme continues to attract healthcare professionals from across the Trust, who not only see this as a way of launching an clinical academic career, but also recognise the positive impact it can have on service delivery and outcomes for patients in their area of work.
“The presentations given by these interns have been fantastic; they reflect the hard work and dedication they have demonstrated over the past nine months.”
The cohort includes:
- Kelvin Tse, hand therapist
- Hema Sree Nirmal Kumar, healthcare scientist (intraoperative physiologist, neurophysiology)
- Soroyya Moradi, research technician (Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences)
- Sandhya Rai, clinical specialist nurse (congenital myasthenia service)
- Gemma Carpenter, physiotherapist (neuromyelitis optica service)
- Laura Russell, speech and language therapist (ENT/voice service)
Ms Nirmal Kumar, who works in clinical neurophysiology at John Radcliffe Hospital, said: "This internship laid the foundation for my research career and opened up the networking opportunities.
"Now, I know where and how to seek guidance. Working as a clinician, I never thought that I would be able to do research myself even though I’ve always been intrigued by innovative ideas.
"This internship has definitely eased the fear of the unknown regarding research."
Her systematic review of 13 studies found that quadriceps muscle monitoring during spinal fusion surgery in adolescents with scoliosis can help identify early signs of nerve risk.
She now plans to apply for an NIHR doctoral fellowship.
Gemma Carpenter assessed why some patients do not complete outcome measures, finding that vision difficulties and uncertainty about how the information would be used were key barriers.
Kelvin Tse’s project reviewed digital rehabilitation for traumatic hand injuries.
He found that movement-tracking technology shows promise for short-term recovery, but larger studies are needed before it can be recommended for wider use.
Hand therapist Kelvin Tse examined the effectiveness of digital rehabilitation for traumatic hand injuries.
He concluded that technologies such as virtual reality and smartphone sensors may improve short-term recovery.
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