A Public Health approach to health research – collaborating for the benefit of the local population
NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Greater Manchester (NIHR ARC-GM) provides Research Internships as a way of supporting the development of research culture and capacity in under-represented groups and settings.
Research Internships are useful entry-level opportunities for those from a variety of backgrounds to explore applied health and care research. They are designed to be flexible to suit each intern's needs, whilst also including elements of structured training and the opportunity to contribute to research activity.
Research Internships are not just available to clinicians and medics – we support backgrounds where there is a greater need for research infrastructure, including those from the Allied Health Professions, Social Care and Public Health.
Harry Wallace,Commissioning Manager at Trafford Council, took part in the Research Internship programme. The programme allowed Harry – one of 35 Interns from across Greater Manchester – to refine and develop ideas for research and how to conduct research as well as connecting with a wide range of experts in different fields.
Harry told us about his experience of the Internship: “I already had a keen interest in research having previously worked in that area before moving into a commissioning role. I wanted to connect with researchers in the region, improve and expand on my research skills and gain a better understanding of potential career opportunities in research and/or further opportunities to pursue research alongside my career.
“I went into the programme with very broad ideas around potential research and career opportunities. To get the best out of the Research Internship I think you need to make some decisions on what you want to do, which can be challenging to define.
“Since completing the Research Internship I have begun the Public Health Registrar training programme. The Internship was a great introductory step to starting this. My first year has consisted mainly of completing a Masters in Public Health, so having previous access to public health modules of research meant I already had an idea of how to critically analyse papers and understand research methods. In addition, the training programme presents further opportunities to work with researchers at academic institutions and the NIHR, so having an initial knowledge of how that world works is useful.
“If you work in healthcare, the Research Internship provides a great insight into how research is conducted and how it informs practice, which is really valuable. Whether you want to collaborate with researchers, or become one yourself, the Internship provides a great first step towards that.”
The programme, along with NIHR ARC-GM’s Pre-doctoral Fellowship programme, has been undertaken by professionals across Wigan, Bolton, Bury, Rochdale, Salford, Trafford, Manchester and Tameside.
Internships, which involve 225 hours (or 30 days) over 12 months, allow participants to enhance their research knowledge and skills through first-hand, supervised experience of applied health research. The programme also offers a training budget and the potential to undertake a fully-funded Masters level research module and explores opportunities for postgraduate study in research. Interns are matched with an academic supervisor within NIHR ARC-GM and the topic for each Internship is aligned to at least one of our research themes.
Our Research Internships are available for healthcare professionals in the Greater Manchester area – to find out more and to apply visit https://arc-gm.nihr.ac.uk/hcp-internship