When I tell people I’m doing a PhD in cancer research, they pretty much always assume that I’m in the lab wearing a white coat curing cancer – and until I came across the MRC-NIHR TMRP DTP, I didn’t know that methodology projects existed either! I had never pictured myself doing a PhD as I really don’t get on with lab work, but I knew I was interested in clinical trials; so when my friend sent me the advert for a project called “increasing representation of underserved groups in randomised oncology trials”, I was intrigued. I have a background in pharmacology, but I’ve always been more interested in whole patients rather than their cells! I decided to apply although I thought there was no chance of my application being successful, but after a few months, I was pleasantly surprised with an offer.
The first 3 months of my project were a whirlwind, and included a lot of training, meeting new people, reading papers, and even the chance to attend the International Clinical Trials Methodology Conference in Harrogate. This is where I first met some of the other students on the PhD programme, which was great as it meant I now had some contacts who were working in a similar area to me. We have since met again for training events in Manchester and Liverpool, which were fantastic opportunities provided by the TMRP DTP leadership team to learn new skills and socialise with others in the PhD cohort. It’s been really useful to make these contacts as the other students in my office are working in very different areas to me, so it’s encouraging to know that there are people I can speak to who are using similar methods. I also became the student rep for the TMRP DTP leadership team during this time, which is a position I’d suggest applying for as it gives you an insight as to how the programme is run, encourages you to speak with the other students in your cohort, and allows your voice to be heard!
Since January, my project has really started to take shape. I’m currently working on 3 sub-projects with a focus on bladder and head & neck cancers which all satisfy a different aim of my project. These are an audit of demographic data of patients who have taken part in our trials, a scoping review of the contents of eligibility criteria of oncology trials, and some mixed methods research at a hospital to try and learn why some people are offered a clinical trials and some are not, and also why some people choose to accept participation and some don’t. I’m hoping to use the results of these projects to develop and test an intervention to increase participation of underserved groups in clinical trials.
As I work towards submitting my transfer viva report, I can reflect on how far I’ve come in such a short time of being a PhD student. Whilst it feels like it’s zoomed by and some days are certainly busier than others, I’m very proud of the fact that I’ve developed my own research for the first time, and I can’t wait to continue making progress!
mrctmrpdtp.com 