Deirdre Brooking

Reading University MSc. Biotechnology,  Liverpool University BSc.(Hons) Biochemistry

Deirdre started her research career in The Biochemistry Department of the Royal Free Hospital part of the team trying to answer the popular myth at the time: ‘Cholesterol - Good Guy, Bad Guy?’

Deirdre moved onto a surgical role in the Heart Valve Bank at the Royal Brompton Hospital, and was registered with the AHCS as a tissue banker.  Dissecting and cryopreserving the aortic and pulmonary valves from donor hearts for homograft valve surgery. She enjoyed this enormously so stayed for 17 years! It opened up the world of clinical medicine, ethics, data management and patients to her. 

She enjoyed the MDT approach, and ultimately improving people’s lives.  She never lost sight of research presenting posters at The British Association for Tissue Banking meetings in Prague and Kuala Lumpur.

Deirdre joined the Royal National Orthopaedic hospital, Stanmore in 2011, and began her clinical research journey. Working under Professor Adrienne Flanagan, within a year Deirdre was very well versed in Sarcoma, consenting patients, phlebotomy and data management. Working across multiple sites including the Cancer Institute and MacMillan Cancer Centre 

She moved into the Research and Innovation Dept at RNOH in 2014 and over the course of 7 years  became the  delivery team lead. She coordinated multiple studies, including IMP’s, surgical, device and observational studies. She was passionate about the recognition CRP’s deserve, and sat on the formative committee to bring about the directory and then the registry. She contributed to the mandated requirements needed to join the register. Deirdre joined the register in 2019. 

In 2021 Deirdre joined North Thames CRN as the Workforce Development Lead. A fierce supporter of the Clinical research Practitioner registry and alumni of the Advanced Leadership course, Deirdre welcomes the opportunity to support others in their career journey. Appointed as the  National Strategic Engagement Lead for CRP by the NIHR Coordinating Centre in June 2023.

Presentation:
12:00pm - National Update and Future Strategy
See slideset here (downloads as .pdf)

Joy Agbonmwandolor

I am a healthcare scientist registered with the Academy for Healthcare Science (AHCS). I work in research delivery at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) as a Senior Research Officer and a Research Associate at the University of Nottingham working on research inclusion project for adults with a learning disability, which ends this September. I am an HEE/NIHR Fellow and a Specialist Assessor/ Verifier for AHCS CRP registration.

I played a key role in the launching of NUH CRP forum in August 2021 and currently work closely with the Research & Innovation workforce development team and CRP forum leads at NUH to identify the developmental and educational needs of the CRP workforce and provide support for AHCS CRP registration.  I have a breadth of research experience across a diverse range of specialties, developed through academic and work experiences and have a number of publications in peer-reviewed journals.

I hold a bachelor in Biochemistry, masters in Biomedical Science, diploma in Applied Science and a graduate diploma in Management studies. It is my desire to become a clinical academic practitioner, leading research into health inequalities and promoting innovation in healthcare through research that is ethnically diverse.

Presentation:
1:45pm - CRPs, where next?
See slideset here (downloads as .pdf)
Watch included video here

Georgia Melia

I started working as a CRP in 2020 and worked across a number of specialties. I am currently responsible for overseeing the portfolio of clinical research studies at the East Midlands Major

Trauma Centre at Nottingham University Hospitals. I joined the CRP register in 2021 and have maintained my registration since.

I have always been interested in academic work and was one of the first CRPs in the country to be accepted onto the ‘HEE/NIHR pre-doctoral bridging fellowship programme’ in 2022. This was made possible as a result of being on the AHCS accredited register.

Since completing the programme I have secured funding to undertake a PhD beginning in October 2024.

Presentation:
2:00pm - Registration and Beyond
See slideset here (downloads as .pdf)