Case study: My path in research - Tasmin's story

Tasmin Akhtar, a Research Nursing Associate  at Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust has worked at the Trust for 11 years but it was only in 2021 that she started on her path in research.

She has worked on a number of research studies since then, including:

- BADBIR (an observational study seeking to assess the long-term safety of biologic treatments for psoriasis)

- Add-Aspirin (which will recruit 11,000 participants to help find out whether regular aspirin use after treatment for an early stage cancer can prevent the cancer from coming back and preventing deaths

- Fast Forward, a radiotherapy trial for breast cancer patients.

Her commitment to research has also led her to taking part in several trials, including the SIREN study (SARS-CoV-2 immunity and reinfection evaluation) for NHS healthcare workers, and a primary care study which was questionnaire-based.

Tasmin said: “I became involved in research as I was interested in a different way of helping patients.  I wanted to find better treatments and become a better practitioner”

She added: “As I live in Walsall, being part of the community gives me an insight into its needs. I would really encourage anyone to take part in research - it can help them to understand their condition and contribute to improvements for the future.”

Interested in signing up to research?  Find out more here.  

You can find information on research at the Trust on this link.