Jay Hall and Tim Hicks from the NIHR Newcastle MIC shared why research matters to them as part of NIHR’s Your Path in Research campaign.

We helped the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) deliver their latest Your Path in Research campaign from 31 October – 9 December 2022. This annual campaign encourages people working in social care, public health and the NHS along with students, recent graduates and school leavers to consider doing research. Your Path in Research also aims to demonstrate that adopting a research culture benefits the organisation by helping to deliver better services to the public. The campaign uses inspiring stories to illustrate what a career in research looks like and show the diversity of research the NIHR support.

The Newcastle Health Innovation Partners Academy promoted the campaign on social media by highlighting some of the excellent researchers within the NHIP Academy community. This included sharing quotes from Jay Hall and Tim Hicks from the Newcastle MIC.

Jay Hall is an aspiring clinical psychologist who is undertaking a PhD funded by ourselves along with the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration for the North East and North Cumbria (NIHR ARC NENC) and NIHR Newcastle Biomedical Research Centre (NIHR Newcastle BRC). Jay’s research aims to help refine the diagnosis of depression and bipolar disorder. This project is part of NIHR’s biggest-ever coordinated investment in UK mental health research.

Jay said:

“My PhD aims to improve the diagnostic process for patients with depression and bipolar disorder through researching emerging techniques and conducting interviews to understand the unmet needs. This research is hugely valuable to me as I aspire to one day work as a clinical psychologist and researcher. Conducting in-depth mental health research is allowing me to develop many different skills that will allow me to later intertwine research with my clinical work.”

Tim Hicks is a Clinical Scientist employed by Newcastle Hospitals. Tim is examining the benefits and challenges of using diagnostic testing in care homes as part of his recent research at the Newcastle MIC. The NIHR ARC NENC funds this research project.

Tim said:

“As a Clinical Scientist who enjoys solving problems, healthcare research allows me to meet interesting people, tackle interesting and ever-changing challenges, whilst having a positive impact on people’s lives. Recently my research involves exploring which types of medical tests Care Homes need following the pandemic.”

To find out more about how NIHR can help to support research careers visit:
https://www.nihr.ac.uk/health-and-care-professionals/your-path-in-research/