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Blog written by Yogini Jani, Director, Centre for Medicines Optimisation Research & Education (CMORE)
Regular blogging was one of my personal objectives and challenges when I was awarded a post-doctoral improvement science fellowship 7 years ago. I realised I have yet to achieve that objective … but,as the saying goes, you have to start somewhere, and so, read on for my first, invited, public blog: a reflection on my research journey!
In summer of 2005, a colleague of mine suggested I may be interested in a fully funded PhD opportunity at Great Ormond Street Hospital evaluating Electronic Prescribing in Children. My first formal step into research - or was it?
With the benefit of hindsight and reflection, I realise that my journey of systematic enquiry and dissemination of the findings began during my pre-registration year. I was based at a geographically small, yet clinically, a highly diverse and specialist organisation at the time: Mount Vernon Hospital. The year involved exposure to and experience in all areas of pharmacy practice: core activities such as prescription review and dispensing, general and specialist clinical activities in collaboration with other clinicians, through to more niche services including aseptic and non-sterile manufacture, and medicines information provision for complex enquiries. It was with the latter that I had my first publication: a case report and review of the literature about the neurological complications of 5-fluorouracil chemotherapy. My contribution in the literature review was recognised and acknowledged by the lead and co-authors – luck, or a display of good research ethics?
I was also involved in a number of innovative projects during my early career, including pharmacist led discharge services (participant in a MPhil project led by a senior colleague), a new clinical pharmacy service model in an outpatient chemotherapy setting (responsible for project delivery and evaluation in an organisation that was applying ‘total quality management’) and developing an emergency department pharmacy service including attendance in some ‘majors’ calls e.g. to help minimise dose calculation errors (my Masters project). Always willing to try something new, these early experiences in pioneering roles and unique opportunities continued to lead to research collaborations and publications – serendipity, or the success of effective collaborations?
By the time I completed my doctoral studies, during which I had the pleasure of working with leading researchers on a range of digital health systems and medication safety projects, I was clear about two things: I am not a ‘pure academic’ and I could not return to clinical practice without the academic enquiry – a definite decision to build my path for a clinical academic career by establishing CMORE.
My research journey continues as CMORE becomes woven into the UCLH Trust and Pharmacy strategy, and I embark on new collaborations including NIHR Central London Patient Safety Research Collaboration and the NIHR Pharmacy Incubator.