Case study: Your Path in Research - Timothy Townend, Senior Research Data Officer at Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust

Timothy Townend is a Senior Research Data Officer at Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust. Here he explains why embarking on a career in health and care research was an easy choice.

Q: How did you become involved in health and care research?

A: My first job after graduating was at Guys Hospital Medical School in London, working in a clinical diabetes laboratory. After a year there, I worked for 6 years for the Ministry of Defence developing Medical Countermeasures at Porton Down in Wiltshire. I then entered the Pharmaceutical industry in 2000 where, across a 20-year span, I have worked in every stage from early exploratory research right through to clinical study sample analysis. In mid-2021 I left 'Big Pharma' and took a career break whilst relocating to Cornwall with my family (I am Cornish and still have family down here). After a year off, in 2022 I started working for the NHS at RCHT in Truro, where I am now responsible for handling of data from patients participating in front-line clinical trials.

Q: Why did you get involved in research?

A: I had always been interested in science since an early age, particularly the chemical and biological sciences, so it was an easy choice for me to follow that path through my school studies, to University, and then out into a career in the real world.

Q: What do you enjoy about working in health and care research?

A: Science can be rewarding in and of itself, but the fact that the end results can tangibly and significantly benefit the lives of patients and their families definitely adds an element of motivational pride in the job.

Q: How can research benefit/add to your career?

A: My entire career to date (aside from a few bar jobs, and a short stint selling Cornish pasties in St Ives) has been within the medical research arena, whether in early exploratory research, R&D, or in clinical trials. I'm not sure what I would have done with myself if scientific research wasn't an option for me!

Q: Why do you think health and care research is important?

A: Without health and care research, I suspect the longevity and lifestyle of humans would be pretty dire. Modern-day medicines, therapies, vaccines, surgical techniques, etc... wouldn’t exist without health and care research that has been evolving and ongoing for hundreds (more likely thousands!) of years.

Q: What are your hopes for your career in research?

A: That I eventually come out of the end of it in a few years when I eventually retire, not only having enjoyed the fascinating work and challenges of being a scientist, but also having actually been part of a process that really has made a difference in improving people’s lives.

Q: Why is it important more people become involved in delivering health and care research?

A: New and better medicines cannot be developed without individuals at every stage, from fundamental exploratory scientific research, through drug discovery, development and into clinical trials in hospitals and research centres. The whole process takes years from start to finish, and a huge number of people at each stage to do the work. Without new input of skilled personnel at every stage from schools and universities, the process will falter...

Q: What impacts have you seen research make in health and care?

A: In previous roles in Big Pharma, the work was geared around attrition of the huge numbers of compounds developed as potential drug candidates, running experiments to identify those that were worthy of progressing up the drug development ladder and, arguably more importantly, identifying the compounds that were no good, so no further time and effort would be wasted on testing them. In my current role at RCHT, the reason for all the effort put into Pharma R&D is very apparent to me, meeting patients who I'm told might not have been spending this Christmas with their families if it wasn't for the new experimental drugs that they are being given.

Q: What would you say to someone thinking of starting a career in research?

A: Do it! And remember that there are a multitude of varied roles that fall under the umbrella of "research". I always loved the practical side of science and working in a lab, hence that is where I spent the majority of my career. However, there are so many other processes critical to ensuring the research can continue that I am certain almost every skill-set and interest can be put to good use somewhere. Also, shop around - from my experience, there are many opportunities to move around within industries and try out different environments before settling on a role that you feel suits you best and that sparks your interest.