GOSH celebrates its fifth academic training weekend

In early November 70 early career researchers came together for the fifth NIHR GOSH BRC Academic Training Weekend held at the De Vere Cranage Estate in Crewe.

The researchers who attended the event are all working to improve the lives of children and young people through clinical and laboratory-based research.

Hosted by NIHR GOSH BRC and GOSH Charity, the aim of the weekend was to support and empower them on their research journey as they transition towards becoming independent researchers.

Attendees joined from over 30 institutes and trusts from across the UK and included nurses, doctors, allied health professionals, surgeons, midwives, healthcare scientists and those from the wider healthcare profession.

Across the weekend attendees heard from eighteen senior researchers about their experience and tips for navigating the research process, through talks, workshops, and practical breakout sessions.

The event was chaired by Professor Philippa Mills, Professor of Inherited Metabolic Diseases at UCL GOS ICH and speakers included GOSH's own Professor Sir Terence Stephenson, Dr Gwyneth Davies, Dr Conor McCann and Professor Dame Lyn Chitty.

Topics ranged from publishing research to successfully pitching to funding panels, as well as how to ensure inclusivity in research and meaningfully involve the patient and public in this work.

We also welcomed speakers from our Paediatric Excellence Initiative and their associated institutes - Dr Iain Hennessey, Professor Calum Semple OBE and Dr Louise Oni from Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, alongside Professor Annie Topping from the University of Birmingham and Professor Dame Pamela Shaw from the University of Sheffield - who covered topics ranging from building collaborations to the importance of support networks in research.

Our Paediatric Excellence Initiative is an important collaboration with other children’s hospitals across the UK, bringing together research and clinical trial expertise to accelerate the discovery of new treatments for children with rare and complex conditions worldwide.

We were also joined by Dr Juliana Onwumere from King’s College London who gave a talk on inclusivity and Dr Elspeth Mathie from the University of Hertfordshire on the importance of patient and public involvement and engagement in research, both of which received positive feedback from attendees.

Dr Nick Brown from Uppsala University and Aga Khan University and Simon Cain from Westbourne Consulting also spoke on publishing research and pitching successfully to funding panels respectively, sessions that attendees said they found useful in their feedback.

“All the talks were brilliant, I learnt so much. I also loved the workshops as an opportunity to talk openly about issues and barriers etc and get helpful advice and hear from others in similar positions.”

- Feedback from attendee

We were excited to announce the winner of the GOSH BRC Junior Faculty Prize, Dr Natasha Schoeler, who delivered a keynote talk on her work on ketogenic diets as a treatment for epilepsy.

Natasha is Senior Research Fellow at UCL GOSH ICH, Specialist Paediatric Dietitian at GOSH and the Founder and Chair of Ketogenic Dietitians Research Network. She specialises in ketogenic diet therapies for neurological conditions, and has worked on genetic laboratory and bioinformatics work, clinical trials, meta-analysis and qualitative research.

Natasha’s impressive works spans widely.

She completed her PhD on genetic predictors of response to ketogenic diets in 2014 and is the Founder and Chair of the Ketogenic Dietitians Research Network. She is Research Champion for Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) at GOSH, co-founder of the ‘AHPs in Academia’ network at UCL GOS Institute of Child Health, and a member of the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN) AHP Committee. She also serves on the Awards and Public Relations International Neurological Ketogenic Society (INKS) Committees.

“Dr Schoeler has achieved a huge amount of impact in ketogenic diets around the world and all when working part-time in research.”

- Judging panel for the GOSH BRC Junior Faculty Prize winner

The event also gave attendees the opportunity to connect across institutions, helping them to build their understanding of other research happening across the country and discuss common challenges, as well as helping to build future collaborations across different professions and specialties.

“The format was perfect for discussing topics in more depth and networking with other attendees. It felt like there was a community of researchers at the same stage who shared similar ideas and challenges.”

- Feedback from attendee

Overall, the weekend felt focused and productive but also friendly and open, with lots of discussions taking place over coffee breaks and food as well as in the breakout sessions.

Professor Philippa Mills, GOSH BRC Career Development Academy Lead and Chair of the event said:

"The event was a great success. Each time we run the academic training weekend we make improvements to the structure, always aiming to make sure the event provides attendees with valuable insights to help support their career development.

"This event truly showcased our efforts; I believe it was the best Academic Training Event we’ve hosted so far, with the highest attendance and a diverse range of delegates from over 30 institutes across the UK, along with clear engagement from participants during the discussions. I hope the next iteration of this event continues on this upward trajectory."

The NIHR GOSH BRC team would like to thank all the speakers and attendees from the weekend for making the event such a huge success!