Researcher praises CRN South London’s ‘Greenshoots’ programme

A researcher has praised CRN South London’s ‘Greenshoots’ programme for helping to transform his research practice.

The programme aims to support new principal investigators and emerging areas of research by giving them funding to ensure protected time for them to work on NIHR-supported portfolio studies.

Consultant in Endocrinology and Obesity Medicine at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Dr Georgios Dimitriadis has received over £12,000 to support research in these specialty areas until September. He said:

“I am very grateful for the support I have received from the Network. The funding has really helped me to find my feet within research and has allowed me to expand the research portfolio in endocrinology and obesity.

“My message to other researchers is: approach CRN South London, work with their team and apply for their funding support programmes. The Network plays a very important role in supporting the development and delivery of vital research in south London.”

The researcher said the programme and support from the NIHR/Wellcome King’s Clinical Research Facility has enabled him to work on developing his research portfolio across King’s College Hospital and Princess Royal University Hospital throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

He mentioned the DAISy-PCOS Phenome Study, which is aiming to assess participants’ metabolic health and their male hormone levels to identify whether there are biological markers inside the body that could predict the risk of a person with polycystic ovary syndrome; The LONG LIMB-2 Study which is investigating if a modified gastric bypass procedure improves blood sugar control compared to standard gastric bypass in patients with type 2 diabetes and obesity; and two further studies in development as examples of his growing portfolio of work.

CRN South London’s Chief Operating Officer Dr James Lyddiard said: “I’m delighted to hear that our ‘Greenshoots’ programme has supported Georgios to grow the portfolio of endocrinology and obesity studies.

“The more research we can do into pivotal areas, the faster we will be able to implement changes in clinical care to help people living with different conditions. This Network will always stand shoulder-to-shoulder with researchers and the wider scientific community in delivering high-quality health and social care research, including drug trials that people can access in south London.”

If you’re interested in finding out more about the programme, please email crnsouthlondon@nihr.ac.uk.