“The BRC has been fantastic” - success for former PhD student

A former PhD student supported by the BRC is celebrating after securing a permanent lecturer position at Newcastle University.

Laura Haigh, who was a BRC trainee, joins the University as a lecturer in human nutrition and dietetics.

Laura was the lead specialist dietitian in the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, contributing to the translational research programme and delivering evidence-based diet treatments in the dedicated Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) clinical service. This service is led by Professor Quentin Anstee, lead for the BRC’s research theme in liver disease, multimorbidity and lifestyle.

Explaining how she began in research, Laura says: “I was an NHS dietitian for more than 15 years, and in the specialist liver clinic I realised that there were important questions I wanted to explore. It’s been great to be able to translate that research back into patient care which is what it’s all about.”

“Research is also good for personal development and adds an awful lot of skills to your CV, like clinical trial management, laboratory skills and interpersonal skills.”

“The BRC has been fantastic as a funder and provided me with so many opportunities and extra skills. There have been opportunities for networking across different disciplines and picking up knowledge that can ultimately be delivered back to the patients and public.

“I’m looking forward to hopefully inspiring the next generation of dietitians. And I hope to continue to build on the collaborations across the university and NHS, working in the BRC liver theme, building on the impact of my PhD project for the benefit of patients.”

And to any other health professionals thinking of getting involved in research, Laura says: ““As an AHP (Allied Health Professional), the equity of access to research was invaluable and it is becoming more and more commonplace. There are so many opportunities out there to become research active and it’s important to do as research is everyone’s business.”

Read more about Laura’s research journey

Find out more about the BRC’s liver disease, multimorbidity and lifestyle research