Successful applicants announced for this year's Research Associate scheme

Eight health and care professionals from across the region have been appointed as the new 2022/23 Research Associates for the NIHR Clinical Research Network South West Peninsula (CRN SWP) following successful applications.

The CRN SWP Research Associate Scheme is aimed at all health and care staff (including public health and social care) to support an increase in future research capacity. It supports researchers to develop their careers, acquire new skills in research methodologies, increase recruitment into NIHR research and much more.

The successful eight will now be given time to develop knowledge and insight into the research process, supporting recruitment into NIHR Portfolio studies, whilst also acquiring skills to become future Principal and Chief Investigators and therefore becoming ambassadors for the Network.

This year’s successful applicants are as follows: 

• Dr Neil Tan, Consultant ENT Surgeon at Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust
• Dr Prodromos Anastasiadis, Neurology Registrar, University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust
• Jessica Mandizha, Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) Nurse Specialist, Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
• Vitor Morgado Weaver, Chief Cardiac Physiologist, Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
• Amanda Gulbranson, Lead Pharmacist- Children & Family Health Devon, Devon Partnership NHS Trust
• James Bruce, Occupational Therapist and rehabilitation coordinator intensive care unit, Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust
• Joseph Lanario, Research Fellow in Respiratory Health, University of Plymouth
• Dr Vandana Dhawan, Consultant in Clinical Neurophysiology, Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Professor Michael Gibbons, Clinical Director, NIHR CRN SWP, said: "Participation in research enables doctors to evaluate their practice objectively and to be involved in advancing their discipline. You can learn so many skills that make you a better clinician around appraising the evidence and thinking critically about a situation. The dedication and enthusiasm of our Research Associates ensures our patients benefit from the very latest treatment options both now and in the future.”

Dr Pauline McGlone, Deputy Chief Operating Officer, NIHR CRN SWP, said: “I’d like to say a big congratulations to all eight of this year’s successful Research Associates. They all submitted great applications that clearly demonstrated the ways in which they were going to develop their  early research career pathways. It is great to see a range of different professions accessing the scheme and acquiring the skills to support them becoming future Principal or Chief Investigators for NIHR research.”