NHSE Post-Doctoral Bridging Scheme - Annual Debate Event

National Health Service England (NHSE) Integrated Clinical Academic (ICA) post-doctoral bridging scheme group present this debate as part of an ongoing series exploring contemporary issues in clinical academia. The intention of this series is to explore the value, capabilities and capacity of healthcare focused research.

Speaker Biographies

Our debate panel includes.

This debate addresses the question: " Prioritising clinical academic career development within healthcare systems would enhance patient care and strengthen evidence-based practice”

For

Dr Nilou Nourishad is a Consultant Pharmacist in Adult Mental Health and the Director of the Pharmacy Education Programme at West London NHS Trust. She leads a psychopharmacology clinic within the Mental Health Integrated Network Teams (MINT) and contributes to the care of patients in high secure settings at Broadmoor Hospital. In parallel, she oversees research projects aimed at enhancing health literacy and optimising pharmacological treatment in the context of mental health disorders.

In preparation for her doctoral studies, she pursued training in psycho-behavioural therapy. Her PhD focused on the development of targeted interventions to improve treatment outcomes in individuals living with psychosis. Her research interests centre on underserved and often overlooked populations, including carers, LGBTQ+ individuals, women, migrants, low-income families, and those with autism or learning disabilities. She is particularly passionate about interdisciplinary approaches to research and is committed to advancing mental health care through collaborative, evidence-based innovation.

Against

Dr Eunice Jeffs is an Advanced Nurse Practitioner at St Thomas’ Hospital, London. She project manages the Prospective Epidermolysis Bullosa Longitudinal Evaluation Study, known as PEBLES, which captures the natural history of adults and children with this rare disease. However, her extensive clinical experience is in the field of cancer and non-cancer-related lymphoedema and her PhD addressed the feasibility of conducting a randomised control trial of treatment effectiveness for women with breast cancer-related lymphoedema. Her future research will include exploring ways to build research capacity within the multidisciplinary field of lymphoedema management.

Chair

Dr Jill Massey is a clinical specialist occupational therapist at the Evelina London Children’s Hospital. Jill leads an evidence-based rehabilitation service for children and young people with hemiplegia (REACH service | Evelina London) along with neonatal and childhood stroke services (Stroke service | Evelina London). Her PhD research co-designed a programme to support parents when partnering in the delivery of rehabilitation with their children with neurodisability. Jill’s PhD was the first research study to use Experience-based Co-design methodology, to develop an intervention, in the field of childhood disability. She is an expert paediatric occupational therapist with over 20 years’ experience across diverse clinical contexts. She also currently works as a consultant on an international knowledge translation collaboration in cerebral palsy research. A skilled leader and mentor, she has a proven track record in service innovation, project governance, and presenting impactful work at regional, national, and international levels.