Previous Role: Research Manager

New Role: Associate Professor

My role

I am an Associate Professor in Health Technology Assessment & Implementation Science at Warwick Medical School, the University of Warwick. I originally trained in Health Psychology before expanding into Research Management, Health Services Research and Organisational Science. I am currently Director of Warwick Evidence – a technology assessment team which produces appraisals of new drugs, devices and behavioural interventions for the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and other policy makers in the UK. I am passionate about research into knowledge and evidence synthesis and about getting evidence into practice to improve population health. My role in Warwick Evidence is to lead technology appraisals and conduct clinical effectiveness studies. I have been co-applicant and chief investigator on various research projects over the years which involves significant research management alongside the primary or secondary study. I currently supervise six junior members of the Warwick Evidence team and contribute to teaching across WMS.

This is how I got here

My first degree was in Health Psychology, this was followed by a graduate position in IBM UK. After one year working in business, I knew I wanted to return to study and improve my CV so extended my Psychology training to MSc level. Following this, I was employed as a Research Fellow at WMG, the University of Warwick and Senior Research Fellow at Coventry University. I made the return back to Warwick in 2008 and took up the position of Research Manager in Warwick Evidence, WMS. At the time, this was a newly formed research team which has since grown into a large multi-disciplinary unit of 20+ supported by external collaborators and consultants. I was responsible for setting up the project operating procedures, managing the team and the £5M budget and ensuring high quality project output for our funding bodies. This position required an understanding of the research process which fit my background well, however as the years went by I undertook more of the research work alongside my research management. One specific project we conducted in 2012 led to me applying for, and being awarded an NIHR Doctoral Fellowship which I completed in 2017. During this time, I completed my PhD and started my current position in November 2017.

The transition from Research Manager to Associate Professor would have been impossible without the financial and moral support of the senior team in Warwick Evidence. They were able to give me the time and resource to develop my knowledge and skills, and work up the ideas for my PhD study in the year prior to submission. The academic staff in the DoHS, the research support staff and finance team at WMS have all contributed their time and knowledge help develop my grant application portfolio which led to my current appointment as Associate Professor.

Key recommendations to others

During my career, I have made the transition from management into research, back to management and now into academia so have learned a few lessons along the way:

• Careers are not linear: if you want to move to extend your skills and experience you should. The original discipline you trained in should not restrict where you want to forge a career, my CV enables me to work across research and management in the future
• Seek out opportunities: They are always there. I purposively worked outside of my job description as I knew I was gaining additional knowledge and skills in the technical aspects of health technology assessment which I would not have received in my managerial role
• Find the people who are willing to support you: and make it clear where you want to be. That way you can work together to try and achieve your next steps and career goals without negatively impacting your current work or team.