'Your generous support helped me pursue my research dream'

'Your generous support helped me pursue my research dream'

01 November 2022

Nunzia Altieri was awarded a fellowship grant in 2020 and completed her first full research project earlier this year – despite the challenges of working through the pandemic.

Her study explored ways of helping people with type 2 diabetes manage their condition more effectively by building specific food groups into their diet.

Nunzia, who works as a Cardiac Health & Rehabilitation Dietitian at St Mary’s, believes her research fellowship was instrumental in enabling her to move forward in her academic career.
 

"Without the charity's support I wouldn't be where I am today. The fellowship played a massive role in helping me to progress in research."

Nunzia Altieri, Dietitian and Research Fellow

“The fellowship played a massive role in helping me to progress in research,” she said.

“I learned how to conduct a full study, how to arrange ethical approvals, how to review and analyse academic literature, and how to write an article for publication – which is a great achievement in only a year and a half!

“I’m so grateful to Imperial Health Charity for giving me this opportunity. Without their support I wouldn’t be where I am today. I’ve learned so much and gained new knowledge and skills, and I feel much more confident in approaching research.”

Thanks to your generous donations, we’ve been able to help dozens of healthcare professionals like Nunzia take the first steps in their research career.

Last year we awarded 10 fellowships to hospital staff at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, covering their salary and research expenses for one year and giving them the opportunity to explore research that may otherwise not be possible.

As well as translating their research into improvements in patient care at our hospitals, many of our fellows go on to further academic study. Nunzia is currently applying for a PhD to take her research to the next level.

“I’m very keen to progress my academic studies further,” she said. “When I started the project we didn’t have a lot of experience of research within our team, so to be able to write a proper application for a PhD and progress into an academic career has made a massive difference for me.”

If you’re a member of staff at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust with a passion for research, you may be eligible to apply for our Research Fellowships programme. Applications are now open for this year’s programme. You can find out more here.