In March 2022, I was finishing my Master’s at Queen’s University Belfast and eagerly awaiting the outcome of my interview for the TMRP Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP). Upon hearing that I was successful and the excitement of it, I couldn’t have anticipated the great things it would bring. As well as creating the foundations to my PhD over the first year, the TMRP has provided a variety of events and resources, including funded trips to an international trial methodology conference and skills workshops across the UK, access to working groups where research is shared and discussed, and events to connect DTP students with industry partners. These have been fantastic for learning about the field of methodology research, connecting with other students, the TMRP team and learning about ongoing research. The DTP is great for connecting students with one another, the TMRP team and its researchers, bringing a sense of community and encouragement by seeing the reach your own research can have.
In addition to the great experiences the TMRP has provided, there has still been plenty of time to develop my PhD project. My project is focused on trial attrition (participants dropping out of trials before completion), and aims to build a model that predicts the risk of attrition occurring for different reasons, based on the characteristics of participants and trials they participate in. If successful, outputs of this model could point to the aspects of trial designs that increase the risk of attrition occurring and the types of participants at higher risk of dropping out. This would be useful to trialists and methodology researchers interested in developing strategies that can maximise retention (keeping participants in trials until completion). Given the work involved, I have joined the Statistical Analysis and Trial Conduct working groups within the TMRP to keep updated on similar work.
It’s hard to believe how quickly the first year has progressed, and I look forward to what coming years will bring, both for my project and being a part of the TMRP. To readers considering a PhD or beginning on their journey, I cannot emphasise enough the importance of enjoying the process. Try not to get too caught up in seeing the end goal at the beginning, because there will likely be roadblocks and changes along the way. Your first year is the best time to get familiar with the skills you need to reach that end goal, and will set up the following years to pursue it. You are a part of a team during the project, both within your university and within your organisation, be it the TMRP or another body. Use available resources and jump at opportunities for training and events that accommodate your schedule. Lastly, check-in with yourself frequently to reflect on your work and how you are doing.
Thanks for reading and I wish any new and future PhD students all the best, and look forward to meeting new DTP members at the next ICTMC conference in Edinburgh!
mrctmrpdtp.com 