E228: Dr. Amy Hancock and Rebekah Girling - Research in Advanced Practice

Trigger Warning: this episode discusses cancer and cancer treatment. Episode 228: Part of the Education and Workforce Development series (Part 80) Description: In this insightful episode, Naman Julka-Anderson and Jo McNamara sit down with Dr. Amy Hancock and Rebekah Girling. Dr. Amy Hancock is a therapeutic radiographer and Director of Medical Imaging at the University of Exeter. A qualitative researcher, Associate Editor and published author, she is a passionate advocate for research that enhances patient care and services. Amy holds several research and academic leadership roles in Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE). She is a College of Radiographers Doctoral Fellowship awardee, Deputy Chair of the College research committee, Chair of the CoRIPS funding panel and Lead for the University of Exeter Ageing and Long-term Conditions research group. She is also part of the multidisciplinary team awarded £3.4 million of NIHR Health Technology Assessment funding for TOURIST, a series of randomised controlled trials in palliative radiotherapy for stage IV non-small cell lung cancer. Rebekah Girling is a Diagnostic Radiographer and Clinical Research Lead at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, where she has led the development of clinical research across diagnostic and clinical services since 2013. She is also an NIHR Senior Research Leader and Imaging Specialty Lead for the NIHR Research Delivery Network in the East of England. With an Executive MBA and a background in clinical practice, research delivery and service development, Rebekah is passionate about embedding research into everyday healthcare, developing clinical research capability and improving opportunities for patients and staff to take part in research. This episode is a deep dive into why research matters in advanced and consultant practice, how the NIHR and its research portfolio work, routes into research such as becoming a Principal Investigator or joining an NIHR internship, and how CoRIPS funding can kick-start your first project. CPD Reflection Points: Embedding research in everyday practice: Rebekah explained that research-active organisations are linked with better patient care, and that the challenge now is giving clinicians the infrastructure and time to take part. How does research currently feature in your role, and what step could you take to get involved, such as supporting recruitment or acting as a Principal Investigator on a portfolio study? Starting small: Amy described CoRIPS as a starter pot of funding, and highlighted that service evaluations, audits and pilot work can all change practice. What question from your own clinical practice could become a small project, and who would you need on your team to make it happen? Patient voice and real-world impact: Amy's patient diaries showed that moving patients between machines, which staff saw as helpful, left them confused and anxious. How do you currently involve patients' lived experience in improving your service, and how would you turn research findings into tangible changes in practice? Complete this form for your accredited digital badge: Digital Badge Form. Links from the Episode: CoRIPS research grants – College of Radiographers CoRIPS guidelines College of Radiographers Research Strategy 2021–26 East of England NIHR Health and Care Professional Internship Programme NHS advanced practice: consultant-level practice TOURIST trial Research links from the Episode: Does the engagement of clinicians and organisations in research improve healthcare performance: a three-stage review Research Activity and the Association with Mortality The College of Radiographers Research Strategy for the next five years Radiation Reveal: Moving from research engagement to involvement Rad Chat Links: Rad Chat Website Link Tree Facebook Instagram LinkedIn TikTok BlueSky YouTube Credits: Music and jingle credits: Dr. Ben Potts and Adam Cooke. © Rad Chat 2026. All rights reserved. We (or our licensors) own all intellectual property rights in this podcast and all related content, online and offline. You may not use, copy, modify, download, archive, reproduce, distribute, display, publish, licence, create derivative works from or commercially exploit any part of our content unless we expressly agree in writing. You must not use any images, audio, video, graphics or clips separately from their accompanying context. Please acknowledge Rad Chat (and any identified contributors) clearly whenever referencing or sharing our content.