I am a speech and language therapist by background and have been a clinical researcher based within the NHS since the mid 1980s when I embarked on my PhD studies in the area of speech disorders and cleft lip and palate. Over the years, I resisted moving into the Higher Education sector as I firmly believed in the need and value of clinical based research and wanted to discharge this from within the context of the multidisciplinary Cleft Lip and Palate Team. It is great to see the formalisation of the academic clinical research environment which the NIHR initiative formalises.

I have regularly supervised BSc and MSc students and Research Fellows. I have supervised 3 PhDs of clinical researchers. I am clinical advisor to a fourth, and the named mentor for a student on the NIHR Masters Research Programme. Until 2011, I was Head of the Speech and Language Therapy Department at Great Ormond Street Hospital and Lead Speech and Language Therapist for the North Thames Regional Cleft Service, but recently have moved into the Centre for Nursing and Allied Health Research to jointly lead on AHP research, retaining some clinical practice.  I have an understanding of the UK research landscape through my membership of the NIHR Medicines for Children Research Network Cleft & Craniofacial Anomalies Clinical Studies Group, my work with the Healing Foundation UK Centre for Cleft Research supported by VTCT, and my alternate role on the AHPRF. Furthermore my background on RAE 2008 as user representative and my honorary positions in the Institute of Child Health (UCL), University of Sheffield (Research Fellow) and City University (Visiting Professor) provide me with an understanding of the university environment. I have an understanding of the publication process, not only through my section editor work for the Cleft Palate Craniofacial Journal, but I have published 14 chapters, 53 peer reviewed papers and have co-edited 2 text books. I have some success in gaining grant monies.

Mentoring is very complimentary to the work I am now doing in the Centre for Nursing and AHP Research where one of its aims is to enhance the research quality of staff projects and foster the development of clinical researchers of the future.