Dr Ben Bowers, Co-Theme Lead for our Palliative and End of Life Care theme, shares how our Research Fellowship supported his journey from clinical nurse to researcher. In this video, Ben reflects on the fellowship's impact, offers advice for community nurses interested in research, and encourages applications from underrepresented disciplines. Watch the video below.
Watch the video with Dr Ben Bowers below:
The NIHR ARC East of England Fellowship supports professionals working in health, care and voluntary sector settings across the East of England to lead small-scale research projects that bring fresh thinking and practical insight to health and care research.
We offer two fellowship opportunities: the Research Fellowship and the Impact Fellowship. Fellows receive expert teaching, backfill funding for one day a week for a year (up to £12,500), support from an experienced supervisor, and opportunities to build their professional networks.
The NIHR and ARC East of England have been there as dynamic, steadfast support and advocates through my research career to date. The Fellowship gave me confidence in my abilities, personal growth and the support of world-leading clinical academics.
Dr Ben Bowers
Former ARC East of England Fellow and Co-Theme Lead for our Palliative and End-of-Life Care theme
Dr Ben Bowers is an Honorary Nurse Consultant in Palliative Care at Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, and an Assistant Professor of Primary Care at the University of Cambridge.
Ben began his career as a healthcare assistant before working in and leading district nursing teams. He later specialised in palliative care nursing, where he recognised the need for a stronger evidence base to inform practice. Through the ARC East of England Research Fellowship programme, he conducted a systematic review of the evidence on anticipatory prescribing and an exploratory interview study with GPs about their prescribing decisions. The fellowship provided Ben with dedicated time, mentorship and research experience, helping to establish the foundations of his research career.
Since completing the fellowship, Ben has continued to develop his research career. In 2023, he was named one of the top 75 nurses and midwives whose work has contributed in a significant way to the NHS since its creation. He is now the Co-Theme Lead for our Palliative and End-of-Life Care research theme where he leads numerous research programmes into Anticipatory Prescribing for end-of-life symptom control for patients in the community.
The ARC fellowship was a way for me to realise, actually as a nurse I can do research and I do high-quality work, but I need to be working interdisciplinary...I would love to hear from community nurses and people working in social care...we bring different lenses and that is why I am keen we have more underrepresented groups really doing research.
Dr Ben Bowers
Former ARC East of England Fellow and Co-Theme Lead for our Palliative and End-of-Life Care theme
