“I want Allied Health Professionals to feel like they can engage with research”

15 July

Speech and Language Therapy is one of Wales’ 13 Allied Health Professions (AHPs) targeted as part of a new research action plan from Welsh Government which aims to broaden opportunities for these professions to engage in research at every level.

Emma Louise Sinnott is a Speech and Language Therapist based in the community neurological rehabilitation service at Aneurin Bevan University Health Board. She has previously published work evaluating clinical academic journeys, identifying the structures and support that would help more nurses, midwives and AHPs into research careers, despite these roles not having traditionally had a strong research culture.

The new action plan also aims to challenge traditional assumptions about engagement with research. Emma Louise said,

I think there’s such a stereotype about research. You think of a scientist in a lab in a white coat but actually there's so much happening on the ground in our clinical work that we could constitute as research and we don't realise it. I’m really hoping this action plan will help with changing those perceptions.”

Emma Louise is a strong advocate for mentoring others and supporting them to take on clinical academic careers, but recognises the work needed to fully embed research into the career pathway. She hopes to see this plan help establish research as a core part of these roles, from student level onwards.

Emma Louise continued, “Mentoring people to establish more clinical academic careers is really important to me. It’s great to see more efforts being made to embed research into the NHS and into the career pathway, so that people don’t feel like they can only be a clinician or an academic – they can bring those paths together. I really want students and people who are newly-qualified to feel they can engage with research, as well as colleagues with PhDs still being able to put their skills into practice with patients.”