20 September 2017
Three respiratory researchers at the Trust have been recognised for their outstanding research leadership in the NHS.
Dr Nicholas Simmonds, Dr Will Man and Dr Justin Garner were all awarded the Royal College of Physicians/National Institute for Health Research Clinical Research Network (RCP/NIHR CRN) award, which recognises the outstanding contributions of clinicians in the NHS, who carry out research that contributes to the NIHR CRN portfolio. The award was given to ten individuals across the NHS (both trainees and consultants) and the Trust managed to secure three of these.
Clinicians and trainees in the NHS usually have many competing demands for their time and resources. This award is used to highlight those researchers who continue to actively engage in research alongside their clinical duties.
Dr Nicholas Simmonds, consultant physician, is the associate director of the Adult Cystic Fibrosis (CF) centre at the Trust, and his research covers a range of studies from trials of novel drugs to improvements in clinical care for CF.
After receiving the award, Dr Simmonds said: “I am delighted to have received this prestigious award. Research is something that I feel very passionate about, so to receive this recognition for myself and the Trust is extremely pleasing. Without the support of my colleagues and the wider Cystic Fibrosis research team, this would never have been possible, so I’m grateful to everyone who has been involved”.
Dr Will Man, consultant physician, is an international authority on pulmonary rehabilitation and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) research. His research group focuses on the phenotyping and non-pharmacological management of patients with chronic respiratory disease, particularly COPD, and he has secured support for his research from several funders including NIHR, the Medical Research Council (MRC) and the British Lung Foundation (BLF).
Dr Justin Garner, clinical research fellow, is currently working on several clinical trials including one which looks at the use of valve implants in the lungs of patients who suffer from COPD.
Dr Garner said “It is an honour to have received this award. The pursuit for research excellence reflects the amazing work of the team here at Royal Brompton. I would like to thank my supervisors, Professor Pallav Shah, Dr Sam Kemp and Dr Omar Usmani for their guidance, as well as my colleagues in the research office, the clinical research facility, the lung function unit, Lind ward and the muscle lab; without whom this would not have been achievable.”
The award comes with £500 which the clinicians all plan to fund back into supporting their research.
Dr Simmonds will use the money to fund the travel costs for a research nurse in his team to attend the North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference so she can stay up to date with the latest research advances.
Dr Will Man will use his prize money to support the lay patient group at Harefield to fund their travel costs and to recompense their time for face-to-face peer education sessions.
Dr Garner plans to use his award money to plan an engagement event for the patients on one of his research studies. The event will be an opportunity for participants in the research project to share their experiences of taking part in research as well as a chance for them to hear some interim results on the trial.
Read more about the award on the NIHR website.
If you would like to find out more about any of the research mentioned please contact us.