Exeter GP takes on new health research champion role

A GP in Exeter has a new role championing health research and encouraging doctors to increase the opportunities for their patients to take part in clinical research studies conducted in the county.

Dr Lisa Gibbons – a GP and partner at St Thomas Health Centre - has been appointed as the Clinical Research Specialty Lead for primary care in the South West peninsula.

Lisa, who has practised at the health centre in Cowick Street for almost two years, has been involved in health research throughout her medical training and she says she has seen the positive impact of research directly on patient care and informing advances in healthcare treatments.

She is one of 50 Clinical Research Specialty Leads appointed by the South West Clinical Research Network (CRN) to provide clinical leadership in support of research delivery across Devon, Somerset, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. The CRN is part of the research arm of the NHS.

Lisa, who takes on this leadership role in addition to her GP practice work, said: “I have taken part in many different types of research studies in my GP practice over the last five years.

These studies have been seeking to find the answers to really important questions in general practice including how best to treat a cough, whether urine infections are going undiagnosed in children who have a fever, how we detect early cancer and early rheumatoid arthritis and the best medication for Type 2 Diabetes.

Clinical research informs and guides GPs in their daily decisions on how best to treat and care for their patients now and in the future.”

Commenting on what she hopes to achieve with this regional clinical lead role Lisa said: “I am hoping to use my real life experience of being a busy GP carrying out research to try to make it easier for more GP surgeries to take part in more health research.

"Simple things can help, such as shared computer-based solutions, and sharing ideas more effectively to accelerate adopting best research practice.

"I am hoping to continue working in support of study design to make them as GP friendly as possible in support of good research delivery. I will also support the work being done in the region to raise awareness about the opportunities for patients and the public to take part in studies.”

A passionate advocate for clinical research, Lisa added: “I have seen so many people have a direct benefit from taking part in health research and have heard people say they feel a sense of being able to give something back to the NHS from their participation in studies.”

Last year 6,549 people were recruited onto clinical research studies through their GP surgery. St Thomas Health Centre in Exeter usually runs five health research studies at any given time.