I examined the psychosocial implications of a diagnosis of HPV-related head and neck cancer, starting with interviewing health professionals and asking them about their experiences of talking to patients about the causes of their cancer. I also interviewed patients and their partners about their experiences with a view to developing information about HPV that can address patients’ needs. I have developed information materials to assist health professionals in talking to patients with HPV-related head and neck cancer and also provide patients with much needed information they can use to address questions or concerns they may have around their diagnosis.

I worked on research projects in the area of human papillomavirus (HPV) and the link with both cervical cancer and head and neck cancer. This involved interview studies, conducting statistical analysis regarding HPV testing awareness in USA, UK and Australia, collecting school-based knowledge and awareness data in a cohort who have received the HPV vaccine and the development of novel research projects.

I was part of the promoting early presentation group in the piloting of implementation of an intervention in the NHS to increase breast cancer awareness in older women. I was responsible for the day to day running of the project. This included processing and cleaning data returned from the breast screening services, liaising daily with key members in the breast screening services, conducting interviews with health professionals involved in the project, assessing the costs associated with the project, conducting statistical analysis and writing reports to present the data. I conducted the statistical analysis for comparisons from baseline to one month which has been used in reports, papers, conferences and presentations presenting the project findings. I have also submitted a paper for the one year results. This role has expanded my knowledge of SPSS and the use of syntax. I helped in running training for both health professionals and non-health professionals. I have gained knowledge of the administration behind a large scale project and the necessity of building rapport with key members in the project. I have gained experience in preparing posters and powerpoint slides for presentations at conferences.

I contributed to research projects conducted with older people in care homes and advanced cancer patients. I was also very involved in a National Institute for Health and Research Service Delivery and Organisation systematic review into 'Understanding Preferences for Place of Care and Death in Patients with Non-malignant conditions'. My role in the review involved literature searching, physically finding papers, making decisions about whether to exclude/include papers based on their abstract and data extraction. I also attended to general departmental administration. The role involved working on grant and ethics applications, proof reading, SPSS analysis, and qualitative analysis using the NVIVO programme. The systematic literature review enhanced my ability to conduct comprehensive electronic searches using systematic search strategies and the Reference Manager database. I co-authored a peer reviewed paper, with another submitted. Through the various courses I have attended, the position helped me expand my skills in project management and in depth qualitative interviewing. In addition, I administered room bookings for meetings, purchasing, minute-taking and liaised with project advisory teams for regular meetings.

My contribution involved working as a telephone counsellor for Childline on a voluntary shift on a weekly basis. My key responsibilities consisted of listening to young people with a wide range of issues, and offering help, advice and support during difficult experiences of their lives, whilst adhering to Childline’s strict confidentiality and safe guarding procedures. I have attended additional training workshops on suicide, self harm and hearing voices. This role expanded my knowledge of a variety of health problems and developed my skills of communicating with young people with difficulties.

This role was undertaken partly alongside my Masters. I was responsible for the day to day running of an internet based vignette study entitled ‘The Effects of Cause and Vulnerability on Perceived Effectiveness of Different Types of Treatments for Risk of Heart Disease’. This involved developing the study through an internet based survey tool. I contributed to the study design, setting up and recruitment for the project and drafting of the final paper. I was simultaneously involved in conducting a systematic review titled ‘How does genetic risk causal information affect perceived control over health problems’. I worked on developing the search strategies for the review. I worked mostly independently and gained further knowledge into study design and recruitment strategies. Through the running of the project and the systematic review, I was required to utilise my time management skills and be highly organised.