Network welcomes 2021 Research Fellows

An NIHR programme to develop the research leaders of tomorrow has welcomed this year’s intake.

The five Research Fellows receive NIHR and NHS funding to spend half their time supporting or developing recruitment into NIHR-backed studies.

The scheme aims to provide fellows with knowledge and insight into the research process and to become an ambassador for the NIHR.

This will in turn build future research capacity in the NHS whilst supporting and developing recruitment into NIHR-backed studies.

The scheme is open to post-graduates training in medicine, nursing and allied health professions and provides up to £40,000 a year.

Fellow Tanya Baron (pictured left) is a consultant in emergency medicine at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and a qualified GP.

She said: “I became involved in research in the last few years and have helped to deliver several trials within the emergency department, a challenging environment for researchers!

“I look forward to using my fellowship time to combine both, looking at ways to bring more patients and colleagues into research from within the department and to gain a broader understanding of the research landscape within the UK.”

Sofia Cerdeira (pictured second from left) is a clinician scientist at the Nuffield Department of Women's and Reproductive Health at the University of Oxford who previously conducted research into pre-eclampsia at Harvard Medical School, Boston, US. Her research explores the prediction, diagnosis and treatment of pre-eclampsia with the aim of leading to changes in patient care.

Dr Sanjay Ramakrishnan (pictured centre) is a Clinical Research Fellow in Respiratory Medicine at the Oxford NIHR Biomedical Research Centre. His research interests are into treatments for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Mital Shah (pictured second from right) is a senior surgical ophthalmology trainee at Royal Berkshire Hospital and Honorary Clinical Lecturer in Ophthalmology at the University of Oxford.  He aspires to become a clinician scientist with clinical expertise in retinal ophthalmology and research expertise in retinal imaging and artificial intelligence.

Laura Taylor (pictured right) is a research optometrist at Oxford Eye Hospital at the John Radcliffe Hospital and was previously a community optometrist.

She said: “My main research role involves overseeing the visual function assessments in patients with inherited eye disease, enrolled onto gene therapy clinical trials. Alongside this, my own research involves evaluating new visual function outcome measures that can be used to support future clinical trials.”