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In the first episode of our Building Capacity: Past, Present and Future series, recorded at the RCPCH Trainee Research Network National Conference in Stafford, we explore some of the different ways paediatricians can become involved in research.
Dr Leila Ellis of the Trainee Research Network speaks with Professor Will Carroll, Professor Damian Roland and Dr Jon Elliot about the current child health research landscape and why research should be part of everyday paediatric practice.
And if we are going to be successful in child health in the future, we need every resident doctor to be as trained as they can be in understanding research processes, research governance and research delivery, regardless of whether they go on to have a career where all they're doing is studies or not.
They discuss the importance of building research capacity beyond traditional academic centres, how collaborative networks can help answer clinically important questions, and the opportunities available for resident doctors to contribute to research at different stages of their careers.
About the speakers
Dr Leila Ellis is a member of the RCPCH Trainee Research Network and the Severn Paediatric Audit, Research and Quality Improvement Network. She is currently undertaking a Wellcome-funded PhD at the University of Bristol.
Professor Will Carroll is the Honorary Professor of Child Health at Staffordshire Children’s Hospital. He has gradually carved out a career in medical education and paediatric research to complement his years as both a general paediatrician (11 years as a consultant) and a respiratory paediatrician (11 years). He is the ex-officio RCPCH Joint Officer for Research and the RCPCH Officer for England (West).
Professor Damian Roland is a past chair of PERUKI where he led on developing the research group into a self-sustaining organisation that delivers care through over 70 affiliated Children’s Emergency Departments in the UK and Ireland. He is a Paediatric Emergency Medicine Consultant at the Leicester Royal Infirmary, the System Clinical Director for Urgent and Emergency Care at the Leicestershire and Northamptonshire ICS and the NHS England lead for the deteriorating child.
Dr Jon Elliot is a Neonatal GRID Resident at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and Co-Chair of NeoTRIPS, the national neonatal resident doctor-led research and quality improvement network.
Resources
- RCPCH Trainee Research Network – find out about the national network, regional trainee research networks, research resources, and opportunities to get involved.
- RCPCH Progress+ domain resources: Research and scholarship – resources supporting the research and scholarship domain of the paediatric curriculum.
- Paediatric Emergency Research in the UK and Ireland (PERUKI) – a collaborative network supporting multicentre paediatric emergency medicine research across the UK and Ireland. PERUKI also accepts study proposals and provides information for clinicians interested in joining the network or bringing forward a research idea.
- NeoTRIPS – a national neonatal study group using resident doctor networks to deliver large-scale research and quality improvement projects.
Stay tuned
Look out for the next two episodes of Building Capacity: Past, Present and Future which will cover alternative research pathways, critical appraisal and publishing.