Dr. Ifeoma Amuji, staff nurse, and Stephanie Wakefield, specialist dietitian, have been awarded the chief nurse research fellowship by the Researcher Development Institute (RDI).
Stephanie’s senior chief nurse fellowship will allow her to pursue a research study looking into whether specialist dietetic support during neo-adjuvant chemotherapy improves patient outcomes in patients with oesophago-gastric cancer.
Daphne Steele post-doc chief nurse fellowship
Ifeoma was awarded the bespoke Daphne Steele post-doc chief nurse fellowship. She will use her fellowship to explore what factors influence how internationally educated NMAHPs engage with research opportunities alongside clinical practice in the NHS.
Daphne Steele was a Guyanese nurse and midwife who was one of the first internationally educated nurses to come to the UK in the 1950s. In 1964, Daphne became the first black matron in the NHS.
Her legacy of breaking barriers, advancing nursing practice, and contributing to healthcare strongly resonates with Ifeoma’s own journey as an internationally trained nurse who has pursued research to improve patient care.
Internationally educated nurses make up a significant and valuable part of the healthcare workforce. However, despite their clinical expertise and diverse perspectives, they are often underrepresented in research activities.
Ifeoma felt the Daphne Steele post-doc chief nurse fellowship resonated strongly with her journey and aspirations. She said:
“On a personal level, this topic resonates strongly with me because of my own journey navigating the research environment. I understand how difficult it can be to know where to start, how to access opportunities, and how to connect with the right networks.
“Understanding the barriers that prevent internationally educated nurses from engaging in research is important because their involvement could bring new insights, cultural perspectives, and experiences that enrich healthcare research and ultimately improve patient care.”
Navigating the research environment
Ifeoma first decided to contribute to research while caring for patients. She noticed that many improvements were being introduced based on research evidence. Seeing those results made her curious about how research shapes clinical practice and improves patient care.
At the time, however, Ifeoma didn’t quite know how to get involved in research or how complex the journey might be.
With the support of her family, Ifeoma decided to enrol in a BSc nursing top-up programme, keen to study nursing at degree level but also expand her understanding of research.
After completing her undergraduate nursing degree in Nigeria, and a top-up degree, Ifeoma then pursued a master’s in public health. This helped Ifeoma broaden her perspective and understanding of population health and research, motivating her to pursue a PhD.
Ifeoma completed her PhD, which looked at cultural sensitivities of UK care home services for older Nigerian residents in 2016, after which she paused her research pursuits.
Improving patient care
Restarting again through the chief nurse fellowship has been very rewarding. She says:
“I am truly delighted to be restarting my research journey, and I am very motivated to continue developing my research skills and contributing to improving patient care through evidence-based practice.
“If we can identify the challenges internationally educated nurses face, whether they are related to confidence, access to opportunities, mentorship, or understanding the research system, we can begin to develop better support systems that enable them to participate and contribute.”
Ifeoma hopes to use the fellowship to ensure that the research workforce reflects the diversity of the clinical workforce and that the valuable perspectives of internationally educated nurses are not lost but actively contribute to improving healthcare.
Chief nurse senior research fellowship
Dietitian Stephanie will be using her fellowship to evaluate whether introducing regular dietetic support can improve outcomes for patients undergoing treatment for oesophago-gastric cancer.
The current pathway means that patients do not routinely receive specialist dietetic input while undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy (usually given before surgery to shrink tumours), a period during which nutritional decline is common.
Stephanie’s fellowship will examine outcomes within the existing pathway to establish a baseline.
Outcomes before and after will be compared using several evaluation tools focusing on nutrition, handgrip strength, weight loss, patient experience, and quality of life.
Length of stay in intensive care, overall hospital length of stay, postoperative complications, and hospital readmissions will also be examined.
Stephanie said:
“Together, these findings will help determine whether earlier dietetic involvement can improve nutritional status, patient experience, and clinical outcomes for people undergoing treatment for oesophago-gastric cancer.”
Furthering research alongside clinical care
Stephanie sees the RDI fellowship as a chance to further her research skills within the field of oesophago-gastric cancer alongside her role as a clinical dietitian. She says the protected time will allow her to immerse herself in this project without compromising patient care or the work of the clinical team.
Longer term, she hopes to continue contributing to research alongside her clinical and academic roles, ideally dedicating regular time each week to this work.
Stephanie is particularly keen to build collaborations with other oesophago-gastric centres, both nationally and internationally to share learning and advance care for these patients.
Executive director of nursing, midwifery and allied health professionals, Ian Joy, said:
“I am delighted that Steph and Ifeoma have received a Researcher Development Institute chief nurse fellowship.
“The fellowships provide a great opportunity for our nurses, midwives and allied health professionals to be supported to undertake research whilst remaining in their clinical role.
“A key priority for our NMAHP strategy is to increase research opportunities and impact and I look forward to seeing the impact these projects have on clinical and professional practice”
