The NIHR ARC East of England hosted its annual Fellowship Showcase, bringing together health, care and third sector professionals to celebrate the achievements of the 14th Fellowship cohort. Over 125 attendees from NHS trusts, local authorities, universities, care homes, and charities gathered to hear from Research and Impact Fellows working across a broad range of health and social care settings.
The 14th cohort of ARC Research and Impact Fellows
Last month, the ARC East of England Fellowship Showcase took place in Cambridge, celebrating our 14th cohort of Fellows. The ARC East of England Fellowship supports frontline practitioners to build research skills, strengthen services, and lead projects delivering real impact in their organisations. This year’s event highlighted how Fellows are upskilling the regional workforce and developing as future research leaders. Over 125 attendees from NHS trusts, local authorities, universities, care homes, and charities gathered to hear from Research and Impact Fellows working across a broad range of health and social care settings. The programme was split into three parallel sessions and opened with welcoming remarks from: Professor Wendy Wills, ARC East of England Former Director (2022-2026); Professor Steve Morris, ARC East of England Director; and Dr Danielle Tucker, Academic Knowledge Mobilisation Lead. Their messages emphasised the importance of enabling practitioners to conduct real‑world research that directly supports service improvement and benefits local communities.
Showcasing Diverse Applied Research
Across three themed sessions, Research and Impact Fellows from organisations such as Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, Healthwatch Essex, St Nicholas Hospice Care and Cambridge University Hospitals shared an inspiring range of applied research projects. These included work to reduce avoidable emergency department attendances, improve oral care for older inpatients, understand adolescents’ experiences of physical activity programmes, strengthen musculoskeletal pathways and explore the use of virtual reality in hospital settings. Alongside this, the showcase highlighted work from the ASCENT programme, where Fellows working in social care settings discussed how they are developing research skills, trialling the Researcher‑in‑Residence model and collaborating with practitioners to improve everyday outcomes for people who use social care services.
It was wonderful to see the confidence and skills this year’s Fellows have gained. Throughout the day their passion was evident and it was clear how their projects have taken shape and could have a real impact on services in their organisations. The poster and presentation discussions highlighted their commitment to turning evidence into action.
Dr Naoko Kishita, Academic Career Development Lead, ARC East of England
Posters, Networking and Celebrating Achievement
As part of completing their Fellowship, Fellows developed posters to showcase their research aims, methods and early findings. Throughout the day, attendees explored these posters, giving them the chance to connect with Fellows, share learning and hear more about the challenges and opportunities within their projects. The day concluded with awards presented by Dr Naoko Kishita and Dr Sarah Robinson, recognising the creativity, commitment and impact demonstrated by the 14th cohort.
Research Fellow Poster Award
- Winner: Bethany Pittuck, Healthwatch Essex, Weight and wellbeing in young people: exploring experiences engaging with and responding to weight management programmes.
- Runner up: Olajide Popoola, Norfolk and Waveney ICB, Research delivery in correctional facilities in Norfolk: Barriers and solutions.
- Runner up: Anastasia Tew, Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, A study to explore the potential misuse of GLP-1 agonists amongst the eating disorder population.
- Runner up: Edyta Klata, East Suffolk and North Essex Foundation Trust, Evaluation of the impact on waiting times for surgery at Colechester's new elective orthopaedic centre.
Impact Fellow Poster Award
- Winner: Molly Garfoot, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Improving oral care for adult inpatients in Addenbrookes Hospital: exploring existing practices and areas for improvement, and implementing policy and procedures for standardising oral care.
- Runner Up: Sen Kallumpuram, East London NHS Foundation Trust, Evaluating a training and supervision package for GPs and Nurses in Central Bedfordshire and its impact on dementia diagnosis rates.
- Runner Up: Daisy Jacobs, St Nicholas Hospice Care, Broadening awareness and further implementation of the Families Administering Medications programme across Suffolk and North East Essex ICS.
There was a real sense of pride and shared purpose throughout the day. Seeing Fellows from across hospitals, councils, community services and care homes present projects that respond to local needs was inspiring. Their research quality and passion for improving lives showed why this Fellowship matters- helping practitioners use evidence to strengthen care.
Professor Wendy Wills, Former Director (2022-2026), ARC East of England
Congratulations
We would like to congratulate our 14th Fellowship cohort on completing their year with ARC East of England. Each Fellow has made significant progress in developing their research skills, strengthening services in their organisations, and contributing to the region’s research culture. You can find out more about their backgrounds and projects on their individual profiles found below:
