CAHPR and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) created a scheme to have Research Champions based in regional clinical research networks, across the UK. Known as the CAHPR / NIHR Research Champions, they act as role models and connectors for Allied Health Professionals (AHP) across a local area. They are activists who champion the active involvement of AHPs in clinically-focussed research activities, and they build momentum, and maximise the visibility and impact of AHP research.
Below is an introduction to our CAHPR / NIHR Research Champions in your area. You can connect with your local Research Champion and you can find out more about the work they are doing via your local CAHPR hub.
Region: East of England
Profession: Pharmacist
Twitter/X: @DrChristianneM
Christianne was a principal pharmacist in infection at Cambridge University Hospitals for the last 10 years and recently moved to a new strategic new role, as the Lead Pharmacist in Antimicrobial Stewardship in the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Integrated Care Board. She has held several positions both in Malta and in the UK which include academic, national, regional and hospital roles. She has been awarded an Honorary Associate Professorship by the School of Pharmacy at the University of East Anglia, Norwich. Her main research interests are infection/antimicrobial stewardship initiatives.
ORCID: Christianne Micallef (0000-0002-4513-8199) – ORCID
Christianne works with CAHPR through CAHPR East Anglia.
Region: London
Profession: Therapeutic Radiographer
Amanda is currently a CAHPR Research Champion. She is a therapeutic radiographer working in University College London (UCL) Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. She is in a split role; 50% of her week is spent as a R&D specialist therapeutic radiographer and for the remaining 50% she is a CRUK RadNet CoL PhD student at UCL. Her research portfolio focuses on advanced techniques in radiotherapy and integrating the patient voice. She is passionate about AHP leading research projects.
Amanda works with CAHPR through CAHPR London.
Region: London
Profession: Orthoptist
Email: dipesh_patel@ucl.ac.uk
Dipesh is an NIHR Advanced Fellow and Honorary Clinical Research Fellow (Orthoptics) at University College London (UCL), Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, Moorfields Eye Hospital and Great Ormond Street Hospital. His research involves leading a multi-disciplinary team to investigate key issues around treatment for amblyopia (lazy eye). Dipesh is Programme Director of the Orthoptics MSc (pre-registration) at UCL Institute of Ophthalmology.
Dipesh works with CAHPR through CAHPR London.
Region: London
Profession: Physiotherapist
Email: kiranvelingkar@gmail.com
Kiransha is a chartered physiotherapist, specialised in women’s health. Kiransha’s interests include musculoskeletal rehabilitation and the prevention of lifestyle diseases through physical activity promotion. She aims to improve public engagement in clinical research and contribute to delivering high-quality research output to facilitate evidence-based clinical practice.
Kiransha works with CAHPR through CAHPR London.
Region: London
Profession: Physiotherapist
Email: Rebecca.smith@imperial.ac.uk
Rebecca is a physiotherapist working with patients with dizziness and imbalance, based at Imperial College London. Working in both clinical and academic settings, Rebecca is currently completing an NIHR funded PhD. Rebecca is interested in mixed methods clinical research and keen to help other AHP’s get involved in health and social care research to the benefit of their patients.
Rebecca works with CAHPR through CAHPR London.
Region: Midlands
Profession: Physiotherapist
Email: benjamin.smith3@nhs.net
“Ben is a clinical research physiotherapist based at the University Hospitals of Derby and Burton where he works as AHP Clinical Academic Lead. This is in partnership with the University of Nottingham where he has an honorary assistant professor role in the School of Medicine.
Ben has held three NIHR/HEE Fellowships and his research interests include the management of musculoskeletal disorders.”
Ben works with CAHPR through CAHPR Midlands.
Region: East Midlands
Profession: Physiotherapist
Email: helen.tunnicliffe@uhl-tr.nhs.uk
Helen is an upper limb consultant and extended scope physiotherapist based in Leicester. She is a NIHR pre doc bridge fellow. Helen’s interests are in research, complex rehabilitation, improving patient’s care and expanding the role of physiotherapists.
Helen works with CAHPR through CAHPR Midlands.
Region: Midlands
Profession: Physiotherapist
Email: lg317@leicester.ac.uk
Lucy is a Wellcome Trust Doctoral Fellow at the University of Leicester focusing on the impact of long COVID in individuals living with multimorbidity. Following 10 years as a clinical physiotherapist in the NHS, she joined the University of Birmingham in 2019 in pursuit of a clinical academic career.
Lucy works with CAHPR through CAHPR Midlands.
Region: North East and Yorkshire
Profession: Physiotherapist
Email: c.comer@nhs.net
Christine believes that AHPs can play a crucial role in improving healthcare through supporting, implementing and leading research, and that research needs to be embedded in clinical practice. Her own clinical and research interests focus on improving self-management and care for older people with long-term spinal and musculoskeletal conditions.
Christine works with CAHPR through CAHPR North East.
Region: North East and Yorkshire
Profession: Speech and Language Therapist
Email: heather.waldron@nhs.net
Heather is a highly specialist speech and language therapist, and the clinical lead for adults with aphasia at the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Heather is particularly interested in research relating to communication and swallowing difficulties after stroke, and completed a PhD funded by the Stroke Association in 2013.
Heather works with CAHPR through CAHPR North East.
Region: North East and Yorkshire
Profession: Dietitian
Email: L.A.Cave@leeds.ac.uk
Laurie is a research fellow at Leeds Institute of Clinical Trials Research, University of Leeds and lead clinical research dietitian at University of Glasgow. Laurie’s research focuses on developing complex interventions related to diet and the gut. Her clinical work focuses on the nutritional management of children with long-term conditions. She is passionate about supporting NMAHPs to conduct research that informs evidence-based clinical practice.
Laurie works with CAHPR through CAHPR North East.
Region: Northern Ireland
Profession: Physiotherapist
Email: Helen.welch@belfasttrust.hscni.net
Helen is a consultant physiotherapist working in Belfast Health and Social Care Trust. She lecturers for the University of Ulster on their Masters level musculoskeletal (MSK) physiotherapy courses and was one of the project leads for the development of the UK multi-professional MSK Advanced Practice Standards. She is currently in year 2 of her professional doctorate exploring the complexity of First Contact Physiotherapist (FCP) caseload and their experiences of dealing with clinical and diagnostic uncertainty in primary care.
Helen works with CAHPR through CAHPR Northern Ireland.
Region: Northern Ireland
Profession: Dietition
Email: Veronica.Lynch@belfasttrust.hscni.net
Veronica is the regional dietetic clinical lead in Northern Ireland for adult Cystic Fibrosis (CF), based at the regional specialist CF centre in Belfast. Veronica’s current job role has a strong emphasis on research, she has completed a postgraduate certificate in clinical research and has carried out several research projects.
Veronica works with CAHPR through CAHPR Northern Ireland.
Region: North West
Profession: Physiotherapist
Email: candiss.argent@lthtr.nhs.uk
Candiss is a paediatric physiotherapist and children’s yoga teacher. Candiss is committed to being a strong advocate for children with disabilities and is passionate about promoting inclusion, participation and health equalities for all. Candiss feel strongly that one of the best ways to achieve this is through AHP lead clinical research.
Candiss works with CAHPR through CAHPR North West.
Region: North West
Profession: Dietitian
Email: Abayomij@edgehill.ac.uk
Reader in Dietetics & Associate Head of Medicine & Nutrition at Edge Hill University, Julie graduated in Nutrition and Dietetics from Cardiff in 1993 and worked as an NHS dietitian for over 20 years, specialising in women’s health and nutrition for 12 years. Research interests include: maternal nutrition, overweight and underweight in pregnancy; diabetes and pregnancy. Previous projects include ‘Fit for Birth’ – a longitudinal cohort study of obese pregnant women at Liverpool Women’s Hospital and two qualitative studies exploring the experiences of midwives and pregnant women regarding healthy eating and weight management advice during pregnancy. Julie has a collaboration with Sao Paolo University, Brazil and has recently worked with the midwifery team there to publish a paper comparing nutrition education of midwives in Brazil, to midwives in the UK. She has also written the ‘Nutrition in Pregnancy’ chapter of the new edition of the Mayes Midwifery text book.
Julie works with CAHPR through CAHPR North West.
Region: North West
Profession: Dietitian
Email: maria.barrett@nca.nhs.uk
Twitter: @MariaPBarrett
Maria is an advanced clinical practitioner dietitian. She has been a CAHPR Research Champion since 2019, involved in local and national peer support and promotion of research engagement. As part of her clinical role, she is actively involved in clinical research and service evaluation in the area of intestinal failure. She also speaks on research related topics at both a local and national level. Maria is an honorary research assistant at the University of Manchester.
Maria works with CAHPR through CAHPR North West.
Region: Scotland
Profession: Physiotherapist
Email: j.c.jones@rgu.ac.uk
Julie is the CAHPR Research Champion for Scotland and a physiotherapist. Julie is an Associate Dean at the Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen. Passionate about clinically oriented research for people living with neurological conditions, Julie’s research interest include physical activity, gait and augmented reality-based rehabilitation. Julie’s current research has focussed on Parkinsons, this includes working a number of national committee looking at service improvement and research participation in relation to the Parkinsons community.
Julie works with CAHPR through CAHPR Scotland.
Region: South East
Profession: Physiotherapist
Email: chantel.ostler@solent.nhs.uk
Chantel is a consultant clinical academic working across Portsmouth Hospitals University Trust, Solent NHS Trust and the University of Southampton. She has over 20 years experience in the NHS as a specialist physiotherapist working with patients following lower limb loss and has been splitting this role with clinically focused research for the past 12 years. She is currently undertaking her PhD exploring meaningful outcome measurement and is passionate about real world research that improves clinical care for patients.
Chantel works with CAHPR through CAHPR South Central.
Region: South East
Profession: Physiotherapist
Email: chorler@nhs.net
Chris is an advanced practitioner physiotherapist working within an NHS musculoskeletal service in Sussex. He has progressed through the NIHR Integrated Clinical Academic Internship and Masters in Clinical Research programmes and is now working towards a doctoral fellowship application. Chris has published peer-reviewed research articles in the field of musculoskeletal physiotherapy.
Chris works with CAHPR through CAHPR Sussex and Surrey and CAHPR South Central.
Region: South East
Profession: Physiotherapist
Email: Jimreeder@nhs.net
Twitter: @JimReederphysio
Jim is a children’s physiotherapist and an NIHR doctoral clinical and practitioner academic fellow. His research area of interest is partnership working, specifically promoting the empowerment of parent carers of children with long-term disabilities. He is a strong advocate for public and community involvement and engagement (PCIE) and authentic coproduction.
Jim works with CAHPR through CAHPR South Central.
Region: South West
Profession: Physiotherapist
Email: angie.logan@nhs.net
Twitter/X: @logan_angie
Angie is a consultant physiotherapist in stroke rehabilitation at Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. She works across inpatient and community stroke rehabilitation teams in eastern Devon.
Angie is a clinical academic and is funded 1 day per week collaborating on a 4-year project on community-based stroke rehabilitation self-management in the Philippines. This project is funded by the NIHR Global Health Research Programme.
Her research portfolio also includes task-specific training for people with severe sub-acute stroke, adherence to trial protocols and TeleRehabilitation. Angie is passionate about implementing clinical research and completed a Masters module on Implementation Science.
Angie works with CAHPR through CAHPR South West.
Region: South West of England
Profession: Physiotherapist
Email: elaine.willmore@nhs.net
Elaine a physiotherapist with a background in Advanced Practice particularly centred around the management of people with complex shoulder problems. Having completed a NIHR Doctoral Bridging programme, Elaine is now undertaking a full-time PhD based around the practice of Social Prescribing. Elaine’s PhD is funded by NIHR ARC West, the University of Gloucestershire, and Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (GHNHSFT). Elaine is the Head of Research and Development for Therapy at GHNSHFT.
Elaine works with CAHPR through CAHPR South West.
Region: South West of England
Profession: Podiatrist
Email: richard.collings@nhs.net
Richard is a lead podiatrist working in Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust and his research portfolio focuses on diabetic foot complications. Richard is passionate about embedding clinical research into the NHS. Until early 2024 Richard was a vice-chairs of the CAHPR Strategy Committe and the Coordinator of the CAHPR-NIHR Research Champions.
Richard works with CAHPR through CAHPR South West.
Region: Thames Valley and South Midlands
Profession: Therapeutic Radiographer
Email: sarah.ruane@ouh.nhs.uk
Sarah is the clinical research therapeutic radiographer at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford, working on technical development, radiotherapy research QA and supporting trial delivery teams. She works with the Trust’s NMAHP Lead Research Forum, promoting awareness of AHP clinical research within the workforce and the wider healthcare community.
Sarah works with CAHPR through CAHPR Oxfordshire.
Region: Thames Valley and South Midlands
Profession: Physiotherapist
Zoe works with CAHPR through CAHPR Oxfordshire.
Region: Wales
Profession: Physiotherapist
Email: Ceri.Battle@wales.nhs.uk
Ceri is a consultant respiratory physiotherapist in Morriston Hospital and an honorary professor in Emergency Medicine research at Swansea University Medical School. Ceri is co-lead for CAHPR Cymru Consortium and Hub, and the speciality lead for Trauma and Emergency Care research in Wales. Ceri is chief investigator on a number of chest trauma studies.
Ceri works with CAHPR through CAHPR Cymru.
Region: Wales
AHP: Speech and Language Therapist
Email: Rachel.Evans45@wales.nhs.uk
Rachel is the Macmillan Lead Cancer AHP within the Wales Cancer Network and a speech and language therapist specialising in oncology and palliative care. She is passionate about using her strategic role and CAHPR Research Champion position to enhance AHP opportunities in research within Wales and beyond.
Rachel works with CAHPR through CAHPR Cymru.
