NIHR Clinical Doctoral Fellowships at GOSH: Class of 2018

Three Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) staff members have been awarded National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Clinical Doctoral Fellowships.Ian Simcock, Joanne Brind and Phillip Harniess were all supported in their applications by the Centre for Outcomes and Experience Research in Children’s Health, Illness and Disability (ORCHID) at GOSH. ORCHID offer tailored support for nurses and Allied Health Professional interested in research and run a writing internship scheme and a drop in clinic with the support of the NIHR GOSH Biomedical Research Centre’s Experimental Medicine Academy. The candidates will start their studies in September.

Dr Kate Oulton, Clinical Academic Programme Lead or Nursing and Allied Health Professional research and ORCHID Senior Research Fellow said, “These three awards are testament to Ian, Joanne and Philip’s hard work and dedication. All three projects will address important gaps in our understanding of child health and have the clear potential to lead to patient benefits”.

Ian, Joanne and Phillip will join Polly Livermore and Lesley Katchburian as part of the current cohort of NIHR Clinical Doctoral Fellows at GOSH. The awardee’s projects are outlined below.

Ian Simcock (photograph above). Research Radiographer. Development of microCT for human fetal post-mortem imaging.
This project will assess the usefulness of a new imaging method that could be used instead of an invasive autopsy following early pregnancy loss. Healthcare for miscarriage is lacking in the UK, largely through a misunderstanding of what support can be offered at this time. In this project, a new imaging technique called Micro Computed Tomography (microCT) which can take clear images of very small organs and body parts, will be compared with CT, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images and tissue obtained at a post-mortem, to see which method gives the most useful information.

This study aims to understand issues around, and provide practical recommendations on how best to engage parents in early physical therapy for babies at high risk of developing cerebral palsy. The study will include in-depth interviews and video analysis of therapy sessions to bring fresh insights on physical therapy practice in this area.

Joanne Brind. Clinical Nurse Specialist. Clinical and Patient Reported Long-Term Outcomes in Children with Chronic Intestinal Pseudo Obstruction

This UK wide multi-centre study will investigate outcomes for children diagnosed  with Chronic Intestinal Pseudo Obstruction. between 2011-2012. The project will compare current interventions and their impact on clinical burden, artificial feeding dependency, access to education and Quality of Life.

Find out more about ORCHID.