Alison Finch, an Assistant Chief Nurse at UCLH, features in a National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) video this week to encourage healthcare professionals to get involved in research.

Watch the video which is part of the NIHR’s Your Path in Research campaign.

Alison – who has worked predominantly within haematology and oncology – is the recipient of a 2019 Health Education England/NIHR Clinical Doctoral Research Fellowship.

For her research she is evaluating ambulatory care for young people with cancer – where complex cancer treatment is offered on an outpatient basis. In the course of her fellowship she plans to engage other healthcare professionals in research earlier in their career and encourage them to develop their own research projects.

“My message to those wanting to apply for NIHR funding or a fellowship would be to access the service as early as possible to see what services are available to you.”

Alison said: “I would encourage anyone considering getting more involved in research to explore how they can develop their career in this way – first steps include speaking with your line manager and seeing what support organisations like the NIHR offer.”

The video aims to raise awareness of the NIHR’s Research Design Service (RDS), a free service which helps and advises researchers looking to carry out research and which supported Alison in applying for her fellowship.

Alison said: “I found the support from the NIHR RDS invaluable. For example, my advisor had the expertise to guide and challenge my proposed methodology, and much later offered a mock interview situation.”

“My message to those wanting to apply for NIHR funding or a fellowship would be to access the service as early as possible to see what services are available to you.”

Find out more about the NIHR’s Your Path in Research campaign and the Research Design Service.

Read more about the HEE/NIHR Integrated Clinical Academic Programme.