The NIHR FAN is delighted to host a series of events to share NIHR expertise and experience, featuring both external and internal speakers.
13th October 2022
What makes a good Research for Social Care application? – link here
This session combined colleagues with NIHR and Social Care expertise and RfSC-specific knowledge. All contributors shared their insight and experience of this funding area, followed by a chance for attendees to ask questions.
Our Chair:
Professor Vicki Goodwin MBE, Professor of Ageing and Rehabilitation and Chair of the NIHR Funder Advisory Network at the University of Exeter. Vicki is a physiotherapist specialising in the care of older people. Her main research interests are around the rehabilitation of older people, including those with dementia. She particularly specialises in areas including rehabilitation after falls – working towards ensuring older people can have the best quality of life possible. Before moving to academia she worked clinically for over ten years in the South Devon area.
Contributors comprised:
Professor Claire Hulme, Professor of Health Economics, and Head of the University of Exeter’s Department of Health and Community Sciences. Claire’s interests lie in complex interventions (specifically those which span the health and social care sectors) with interlinked interests in health inequalities, particularly informal care and the economic impact of ill-health on individuals and their families. She is a current member of numerous NIHR funding committees and steering groups, including the RfSC scheme panel.
Professor Jill Manthorpe CBE, Professor of Social Work at Kings College London, and Director of the NIHR Policy Research Unit in Health and Social Care Workforce. Jill is an NIHR Senior Investigator Emeritus. She is currently involved in advisory work for the Department of Health and Social Care, and works closely with several social care and health sector employers to link research, policy and practice. Jill was made CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2022 for services to social work and social care research.
Dr Siobhan O’Dwyer, Associate Professor in Social Care at the University of Birmingham. Siobhan was Senior Lecturer in Ageing and Family Care at the University of Exeter from 2016-2022. Siobhan leads research on suicide, homicide, and self-harm in unpaid carers; she also collaborates on research into other aspects of caring, as well as dementia, ageing, and social media. She has direct experience of successfully applying for RfSC funding, and is currently running her live RfSC project “Suicidal ideation, homicidal ideation, and self-harm in parent carers”.
11th July 2022
Writing a good HTA application: Evidence Synthesis and Trials – link here
The panel combined colleagues with NIHR knowledge and HTA-specific insight, clinical trials expertise, and evidence synthesis expertise. Our contributors comprised:
Professor Siobhan Creanor, Director of the UKCRC-registered Exeter Clinical Trials Unit (ExeCTU) and Professor of Medical Statistics & Clinical Trials at Exeter. Siobhan is an experienced senior statistician and clinical trial methodologist, working across a wide range of clinical and healthcare areas and different trial designs. She is an expert reviewer of funding applications and final reports for numerous funders and calls, including the NIHR HTA scheme and was previously chair of the NIHR RfPB South West Committee.
Professor Simon Gates, Professor of Biostatistics and Clinical Trials at the Cancer Research UK Clinical Trials Unit (CRCTU) at the University of Birmingham. Simon is involved in design, supervision, analysis and reporting of clinical trials in a variety of clinical areas. He is a member of the NIHR HTA Board.
Professor Claire Hulme, Professor of Health Economics, and Head of the University of Exeter’s Department of Health and Community Sciences. Claire’s interests lie in complex interventions (specifically those which span the health and social care sectors) with interlinked interests in health inequalities, particularly informal care and the economic impact of ill-health on individuals and their families. She is a current member of numerous NIHR funding committees and steering groups, including the RfSC scheme panel.
Professor Jo Thompson-Coon, Professor of Evidence Synthesis and Health Policy at Exeter. Since 2009 Jo has led the PenARC (previously PenCLAHRC) Evidence Synthesis Team in producing systematic reviews and evidence syntheses to inform locally relevant evidence based practice. She also leads two NIHR funded evidence synthesis units, the Exeter HSDR Evidence Synthesis Centre and the Exeter PRP Evidence Review Facility both of which produce evidence syntheses to inform national policy. Jo is a member of the NIHR HTA General Funding Committee.
7th April 2022
What makes a good Research for Patient Benefit application? – link here
The panel combined colleagues with NIHR expertise, RfPB-specific insight, and successful RfPB award-holders. Our speakers comprised:
Dr Rebecca Abbott, Senior Research Fellow within the College of Medicine and Health’s Evidence Synthesis Team. Becca has extensive experience on RfPB Panels, as a member of the RfPB South-West Regional Advisory Committee.
Dr Samantha Van Beurden, ESRC Postdoctoral Research Fellow within Sport and Health Sciences. Sam has direct experience successfully applying for RfPB funding, and is currently running live RfPB project “Feasibility study of a novel digital intervention promoting physical activity in young people with Fystic Fibrosis”
Dr Sam Merriel, GP and CRUK Clinical Senior Research Fellow within the Institute of Health Research. Sam has direct experience successfully applying for RfPB funding, and is currently running his live RfPB project “Primary care models for the detection of clinically significant prostate cancer: the ProsDetect study”
Professor Gordon Taylor, Medical statistician and director of the NIHR Research Design Service for the South West (RDS SW). He has considerable knowledge of NIHR and its funding streams, and of advising applied health researchers in the development of high quality funding applications.
17th March 2022
The NIHR Academy: A vision to offer equality of opportunity for all – link here
The FAN welcomed Professor Waljit Dhillo, Dean of NIHR Academy, for this webinar and Q&A.
Professor Dhillo shared an overview of the ambitions of the NIHR Academy, as well as future challenges and opportunities.
Professor Waljit Dhillo took up the role of Dean of the NIHR Academy in September 2021. The Dean of the NIHR Academy provides oversight on the development and delivery of NIHR research training programmes, to ensure they meet the needs of the current research landscape, as well as identifying future gaps and formulating solutions.