Speakers

Journey from AHP to Professor (Professor Natalie Pattison, 51³Ô¹ÏÍø)
In her keynote address, Professor Natalie Pattison will discuss her journey to becoming a professor.

Bio
Professor Natalie Pattison provides professional leadership and support for research staff across 51³Ô¹ÏÍø College Healthcare NHS Trust (ICHT), working closely with strategic partners to strengthen the research capacity and capability of Nurses and Midwives within the AHSC. Natalie plays a key role in enabling healthcare professionals to become research-aware, research-ready, and research-active. Alongside this leadership role, Natalie is Professor of Clinical Nursing in the Department of Surgery at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø, contributing to the advancement of clinical research, education, and evidence-based practice.

From the clinic to a PhD: What the route actually looks like (Camelia Vladescu, NIHR Doctoral Fellow and PhD researcher, ICHT)

After several years delivering clinical trials in the NHS, most recently leading the  Non-malignant Haematology Trials Unit at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø, Camelia is now partway through an NIHR-funded PhD. In this session, she will share how that move came about: what protocol feasibility work and, above all, hundreds of conversations with patients while consenting them and running their visits taught her about the questions worth asking, the practical steps involved in securing a fellowship, and what has surprised her about the shift from delivering research to leading it. 

Bio
Camelia is a clinical research practitioner and an NIHR-funded PhD student. She spent several years delivering clinical trials in the NHS, most recently leading the Non-malignant Haematology Clinical Trials Unit, and her PhD question came directly from the patients she met along the way. She completed an 51³Ô¹ÏÍø Health Charity and 51³Ô¹ÏÍø BRC pre-doctoral fellowship before securing an NIHR Doctoral Award. Her research looks at the gut microbiome in people with immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), an autoimmune blood condition.

 

Workshops

Workshop: Starting to write for publication (Meg Sanders, Royal Literary Fund)

This workshop from Meg Sanders at the Royal Literary Fund will cover: 

  • Devising an efficient workflow for your writing. 
  • Using narrative form to create a logical and coherent argument. 
  • Creating an early, terror-free version of an abstract. 
  • Editing and proofreading techniques. 

Bio
Meg Sanders is a writer of fiction and non-fiction, and also an editor. She is a Fellow of the Royal Literary Fund and Writer in Residence at Somerset NHS Foundation Trust. 

Workshop: Collaborating with the NHS to support innovation (Jose Acuyo, 51³Ô¹ÏÍø College Healthcare NHS Trust)

This workshop will offer a summary of how we support innovation within 51³Ô¹ÏÍø College Healthcare NHS Trust. 

Bio
Jose Acuyo is the Head of Strategy, Partnerships & Innovation in 51³Ô¹ÏÍø College Healthcare NHS Trust working on programmes both within the Trust and outward-facing through Paddington Life Sciences. His role spans both the healthcare and life sciences ecosystems, including embedding social value and innovation in everything we do, anchor institution development, and partnership working across the NHS, local government, academia, and industry. His educational background is in Pharmacy and Public Health.

Workshop: Fellowship applications - Where to start? (Inês Perpetuo, 51³Ô¹ÏÍø)

This session introduces researchers to the process of preparing a fellowship application. During the session, you will learn where to look for appropriate fellowship funding, what to keep in mind while applying and how to prepare a written application.

Bio
Inês Perpétuo is a Consultant for Postdocs and Fellows development and experienced
Researcher Developer. Inês obtained a PhD in Cellular and Molecular Biology from the Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa (Ulisboa) in Portugal where she
developed a strong background on immunology and bone cell biology in Rheumatology research. In 2015, she moved to the UK for postdoctoral studies on mammalian bone cell activity at the Royal Veterinary College, London.
In 2018, Inês secured a role as a Researcher Developer at the former Postdocs and Fellows Development Centre, currently Early Career Researcher Institute, 51³Ô¹ÏÍø, and since 2020 she is a Consultant for Researcher Development. During her career, Inês acquired a broad range of skills in communication and organisation, and now develops and delivers training workshops on career management and progression. Inês’ specialism is reflective and interactive learning to equip researchers with the skills for effective self-management and to be proactive in the research environment.

 

Event Hosts

Dr Gemma Clunie, 51³Ô¹ÏÍø College Healthcare NHS Trust

Dr Gemma Clunie is CATO's Lead Clinical Academic for Allied Health Professions. She provides professional leadership and support to research staff working within ICHT as well as working with strategic partners to grow the capacity and capability of AHPs, to become research aware, research-ready and research-active. This includes co-delivery of the NMAHPP Research Strategy Implementation Plan.

Dr Lina Johansson, 51³Ô¹ÏÍø College Healthcare NHS Trust

Dr Lina Johansson is CATO's Co-Lead Clinical Academic for Allied Health Professions. She provides professional leadership and support to research staff working within ICHT as well as working with strategic partners to grow the capacity and capability of AHPs, to become research aware, research-ready and research-active. This includes co-delivery of the NMAHPP Research Strategy Implementation Plan.

Dr Karen Joash, 51³Ô¹ÏÍø

Dr Karen Joash is the Director of CATO. She leads and has oversight of all CATO activities and represents CATO interests at numerous AHSC, ICHT and ICL committees and boards. She is an obstetrician and gynaecologist at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø College Healthcare NHS Trust  with more than 25 years of clinical experience. She has held significant leadership roles across London, including serving as Head of School for Community & Sexual Reproduction Health together with Obstetrics and Gynaecology at NHS England, where she led strategic oversight of postgraduate training, workforce development, and educational quality across one of the largest training programmes in the UK. She has also served as a former Director of Medical Education at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø College Healthcare NHS Trust.

 

Contact us

The CATO Team and Radiographers Incubator work on a Hybrid model, combining days in the office with days working from home – the best way to reach us is by email.

cato@imperial.ac.uk
radresearch@imperial.ac.uk

+44 (0)20 3313 7397