The research team

Christina leads the growing research activity at LOROS, developing projects, liaising with research colleagues in universities and other hospices and enabling patients and families to participate in research. She supervises colleagues undertaking research for higher degrees and makes sure that findings are known locally, nationally and internationally so that patient care is improved.

Christina has worked as a consultant for 20 years and has been at LOROS since 2003. She has also served on the National Association for Palliative Medicine Executive Committee, chairing the Education Committee and sitting on the specialty committee of the Royal College of Physicians.

Christina holds weekly outpatient clinics and supports patient attending day therapy. She is also on call for emergencies and to give advice to health professionals.

Christina delivers teaching to doctors and a range of health and social care professionals on the masters and other programmes.

Zoebia has a passion for research particularly in the areas of ethnicity and disadvantage. She is a sociologist by background and her doctoral work explored the complex negotiation of identities by Pakistani and Bangladeshi severely disabled young people in the UK.

Before joining LOROS, Zoebia was the Heart of England Hub Manager for the Mental Health Research Network and a Senior Research Fellow at Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Foundation Trust (BSMHFT). She has been involved in a number of innovative projects at the University of Warwick’s Medical School and BSMHFT, including:

• An exploration of organisation, policies, process and service user and carer perspectives in relation to transition from Child to Adult Mental health services (TRACK Study, SDO Funded).
• A programme of research studies exploring the appropriateness of Early Intervention Services in Psychosis for Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities (ENRICH programme, NIHR Funded).

At LOROS Zoebia is involved in developing research in the areas of:

• Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities’ experiences of end of life care planning.
• Young people’s experiences of service transition.

Zoebia is also involved in teaching the foundation degree students at LOROS and medical students at the University of Warwick.

As Research Manager, Wendy is helping to take forward the research strategy for LOROS, providing governance, monitoring and project management support to research projects, whilst ensuring the highest standards of research activity and compliance with statutory frameworks and the Health Research Authority.

Wendy’s interest in research began in 1991 working as a nurse at LOROS and becoming involved in projects happening at that time. She went on to progress her research career, working as a research nurse, and later a research manager, firstly at University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust and latterly for the University of Leicester. For the last four years Wendy has worked as the Research Governance Manager for the University of Leicester.

As a Research Nurse, Jo will be helping to oversee the recruitment of patients to research studies taking place at LOROS, whilst ensuring the care teams are well-briefed about research development.

Jo has been involved with LOROS since 1988 when she worked as a nurse on the Inpatient Unit. In 2004, she spent time working as a nurse in the Community, returning to LOROS in 2011. Since 2015, Jo has worked in the Day Therapy Unit, helping to develop services for patients and carrying out audits. Jo now works three days a week on the Day Therapy Unit and two days a week with the research team.

As a Research Nurse, Naomi will be helping to oversee the recruitment of patients to research studies taking place at LOROS, whilst ensuring the care teams are well-briefed about research development.

Naomi started working at LOROS over ten years ago as a registered nurse on the in-patient unit. In 2004, she undertook a secondment as a Research Nurse at Hayward House specialist palliative care unit at the Nottingham City Hospital. More recently, to accommodate a change in personal circumstances, Naomi has worked as a bank nurse on the Day Therapy Unit at LOROS, working closely with the CNS teams, out-patient clinics and therapists.

Naomi now works two days a week with the research team.

Ruth is Professor of Human Communication and Interaction at Loughborough University, based in the Centre for Research on Communication and Culture. Ruth’s professional background is physiotherapy in the NHS. Her research focuses on interpersonal communication in healthcare, and on communication training for practitioners. She is particularly interested in sharing evidence from research on language and social interaction with healthcare practitioners, educators and policy makers.