Recipients of 2022 NHS Research Time Awards announced

The successful recipients of the 2022 Health and Care Research Wales NHS Research Time Award Funding Scheme have been announced. 

This scheme, which has a total value of £450,000, makes an important contribution to supporting research capacity and capability development in NHS Wales by providing aspiring researchers with protected time, training and development, supporting them to pursue their research ambitions.   

The award-holders will also benefit from membership of the Health and Care Research Wales Faculty. This will provide enhanced support throughout their awards to become Lead or Co-investigators on grants won through open, peer-reviewed competition.  

The funding will support research across a diverse range of areas, from neurology to paediatric emergency medicine.  

Professor Monica Busse, Director, Health and Care Research Wales Faculty, said:

This cohort are the first to receive awards since the creation of the Health and Care Research Wales Faculty. Through Faculty membership they will be able to access the support of a researcher community as well as learning and development opportunities intended to fast-track their progression along their individual research career pathways.  

We very much look forward to seeing them develop their research experience and skills across a range of priority areas and the positive contributions they can make to health and social care in Wales." 

  The recipients of the 2022 NHS Research Time Awards are:   

Dr Helen Tench, Lead Research Nurse  

• Area of research interest: Stroke recovery and neurological disorders  

• Institution: Hywel Dda University Health Board  

Dr Helen Munro, Consultant in Sexual and Reproductive Health  

• Area of research interest: Human papillomavirus (HPV) and sexually transmitted infection (STI) urine testing and testosterone use in peri- and post-menopausal women  

• Institution: Hywel Dda University Health Board   

Dr Jordan Evans, Consultant in Paediatric Emergency Medicine  

• Area of research interest: Paediatric infectious disease, recognition of sepsis and serious infection in emergency care settings  

• Institution: Cardiff and Vale University Health Board  

Dr Krishna Narahari, Consultant Urological Surgeon  

• Area of research interest: Urological cancer  

• Institution: Cardiff and Vale University Health Board   

Dr Mark Willis, Consultant Neurologist  

• Area of research interest: Neuroinflammation and neurological complications of novel cancer immunotherapy  

• Institution: Cardiff and Vale University Health Board   

Dr Duncan McLauchlan, Consultant Neurologist  

• Area of research interest: Treatment of psychiatric disorders in neurodegenerative diseases, specifically Huntington’s disease   

• Institution: Swansea Bay University Health Board