Traditionally, there have been limited opportunities for health professionals outside medicine and dentistry, to become more research active. The Nursing, Midwifery, Allied Health Professionals (NMAHP) Research Internship Programme is an initiative from the National Institiute of Health Research (NIHR) that seeks to address this gap. Through a competitive application process, three staff members from Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT), Ms Sadie Clarke, Staff Nurse, Ms Carly Weeks, Speech & Language Therapist and Melissa Hicks, Staff Nurse, all based within the Trust's Norfolk services secured research internship positions in 2023. Supported in this process by HPFT's neurodevelopmental research stream and the RADiANT network, they were mentored by Ms Verity Chester, Dr Sreeja Sahadevan, and Professor Regi Alexander.

Please listen to them talking about their experiences here.

The research internship programme is suited to aspiring clinical leaders, those interested in pursuing a clinical academic career, or those who simply want an opportunity to find out more about research. As part of HPFT's research strategy, we will continue to support those completely new to research as well as those currently working in research delivery roles. For further information, you can contact Professor Tim Gale or Dr Chetan Shah, research leads for the Trust.