The Council for Allied Health Profesions Research (CAHPR) and National Institiute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) have developed a network of Research Champions to improve the link between health research in academia and health research in the clinical setting. There is now a network of AHP research champions across the UK, 5 of whom are dietitians, they are happy to be contacted to support members’ research.
Meet the dietetic research champions:
Dr Laurie Cave - CAHPR/NIHR Research Champion for Yorkshire and Humber. Email: [email protected]
Laurie splits her time equally between clinical and research activities. She is a specialist paediatric dietitian at Leeds Children’s Hospital and a research fellow at Leeds Institute of Clinical Trials Research, University of Leeds.
Her clinical speciality is cystic fibrosis and she is passionate about supporting children to self-manage their diet and gut. Her research focuses on developing complex interventions related to diet and/or the gut, to improve outcomes valued by patients, carers and healthcare professionals.
Laurie brings experience of supporting dietitians both regionally and nationally to develop their research interests and capacity, to advance evidence-based clinical practice.
Maria Barrett. Email: [email protected]; Twitter: @MariaPBarrett
Maria Barrett 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.
Veronica Lynch Email: [email protected]
Veronica is the regional dietetic clinical lead in Northern Ireland for adult Cystic Fibrosis (CF), based at the specialist CF centre in Belfast. Her current job role has a strong emphasis on research and she has completed a postgraduate certificate in clinical research.
Dr Julie Abayomi Email: [email protected]
Julie is Associate Head of Medicine & Nutrition at Edge Hill University in Lancashire; she is also a Reader in Dietetics. Her area of interest is maternal nutrition and dietetics, and she has an honorary contract for research at Liverpool Women's Hospital, in Liverpool. Current and previous projects include: obesity in pregnancy, diet and physical activity in Black pregnant women, an evaluation of Mamafit (a healthy lifestyle intervention for pregnancy) and nutrition for twin/multiple pregnancy.
Jo Smith Email: [email protected]
Jo has been a research champion since 2020 when she moved into a new role in research. She is a Consultant Dietitian (Clinical Academic) working jointly between Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust and Teesside University. She is also studying part-time for a PhD in Nutrition at Teesside University. Jo was Head of Dietetics at Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust for 15 years and previously chaired the Mental Health Specialist Group of the BDA. She is the Chief Investigator on several NIHR research grants and has a specialist interest in food insecurity, obesity, health inequalities, dietary intakes, and the eating behaviour of people with mental health conditions.
Twitter: @Jo_AnneSmith Webpage: https://research.tees.ac.uk/en/persons/jo-smith