Award-winning researcher determined to champion the work of AHPs
An award-winning south London researcher has spoken about her plans to champion the work of Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) in research over the next 12 months.
Senior Anticoagulation Pharmacist Victoria Speed, who works at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, won a British Society for Haematology (BSH) National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) ‘Researcher of the Year Award’ in the AHPs’ category in May.
She won the award for her work as sub-investigator for the First Registry. The registry is investigating whether use of the blood-thinning drug rivaroxaban reduces the long-term complications of venous thromboembolism, which are blood clots that most often form in the deep veins of the legs. Victoria said:
“Winning the award was a really nice surprise. The Thrombosis Service at King’s College Hospital is very research active and the recognition is a testament to the importance that is placed on multi-disciplinary working within both research and clinical practice.
“Going forward, I would like to continue to link my research to clinical practice. I am very grateful to my team for the opportunities they have given to me and I want to support other medical, and especially non-medical clinical staff, in undertaking research to benefit practice.
“I am very grateful to the BSH and NIHR in how they recognise the contributions of non-medical staff members in research. Without the support of the NIHR we would not have been able to recruit as many patients to the registry.”
Allied Health Professionals represent the third largest workforce in health and social care. The practitioners provide system-wide care to assess, treat, diagnose and discharge patients across social care, housing, education and independent and voluntary sectors.
CRN South London’s AHP Research Champion Dr Jacky Jones said: “I’d like to congratulate Victoria on winning her award.
“Allied Health Professionals play a vital role in the delivery of high quality, patient centred clinical research across the NIHR, and I echo Victoria’s call for more healthcare professionals to become aware of and involved in health and social care research.
“Well done!”
You can find out more about the BSH and NIHR ‘Researcher of the Year Award’ on the BSH's website.
