Dr Heidi Probst
Current Role: I was appointed a Reader in Radiotherapy in the Allied Health Division of the Faculty of Health and Wellbeing, Sheffield Hallam University in May 2013
Background:
I am a qualified Therapeutic Radiographer registered with the Health and Social Care Professions Council. Prior to joining Sheffield Hallam University I spent 14 years working as a clinical radiographer for the National Health Service primarily for the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. My specialist area was pre-treatment imaging.
Clinical/academic interests:
I have been heavily involved in research capacity development initiatives for the radiography profession locally, nationally and internationally for more than ten years. I am an invited member of the ELIIT (Explore, Learn, Inquire, Initiate, Transfer knowledge) Research Faculty of the Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists delivering research teaching to Radiation Technologists in Canada (2014 and 2015).
I was chair of the College of Radiographers national research group (2007-2015) and chair of the panel that assesses and awards funding for the College of Radiographers and Industrial Partners grant scheme.
I have an interest in e-learning and developed the first fully online module at my Institution. I have introduced a range of novel practices to enhance teaching and learning. These include the use of a Delphi consensus method to design a new Masters module curriculum, the development of a pedagogy to enhance intrapreneurial[1] behaviours in health professionals and the introduction of mobile technology to support the development of research proposals for health students undertaking a Masters dissertation.
My clinical interests are in radiotherapy for breast cancer and I am the founder and chair of the Breast Radiotherapy Interest Group (BRIG).
Research interests:
My research interests are in workforce development and breast irradiation. My research into breast irradiation evolved directly from my clinical practice experience and my PhD research to develop understanding of the impact of technical delivery of radiotherapy on patient outcomes, service efficiency and variations in practice across radiotherapy centres. My PhD was a large randomised controlled trial (n=360) focussing on assessing the implications of radiotherapy protocols for breast cancer, the impact on the patient and the use of NHS resources. The overarching priority of this research was to identify protocols that would maximise use of scarce NHS resources while not diminishing the quality of the applied treatments while also investigating patient choice regarding the use of permanent tattoos for treatment alignment.
My subsequent research in this field has focussed on a method to improve treatment reproducibility and to provide patient modesty (SuPPORT 4 All study). The SuPPORT 4 All study (a nationally funded project) again focuses on enhancing treatment accuracy while minimising radiation side effects, notably skin (dry and moist desquamation) and heart toxicity (ischemic heart disease) while enhancing patient dignity.
Motivations for mentoring:
I have recently been mentored myself and found the process incredibly useful. It helped me to realise personal capabilities and strengths and gave me added confidence in my abilities. I know how powerful mentoring can be in the process of realising personal potential and I am passionate about supporting others to gain this insight.
My mentoring style:
I like to build a care-full relationship (where mentoring is seen as a caring encounter and both parties contribute) in my mentoring to nurture potential and support growth but `I also like to challenge people as I feel this is what helps people to develop. I think it’s important to give people permission to fail, with opportunities to learn from failure in a supportive environment.
Last three publications:
PROBST, H., HARRIS, R., MCNAIR, H. A., BAKER, A., MILES, E. A. & BEARDMORE, C. 2015 Research from therapeutic radiographers: An audit of research capacity within the UK. Radiography (in press).
PROBST, H., BOYLAN, M., NELSON, P. & MARTIN, R. 2014. Early Career Resilience: Interdisciplinary Insights to Support Professional Education of Radiation Therapists. Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences, 45, 390-398.
PROBST, H., BRAGG, C., DODWELL, D., GREEN, D. & HART, J. 2014. A systematic review of methods to immobilise breast tissue during adjuvant breast irradiation. Radiography, 20, 70-81.
[1] Intrapreneurs innovate within existing organisations, developing novel solutions to organisational problems, sometimes referred to as corporate entrepreneurs.