The James Brokenshire Research Fellowship
The James Brokenshire Lung Cancer Research Fellowship is dedicated to the late James Brokenshire MP who shared our passion and commitment to improving outcomes for lung cancer.
This research fellowship enables clinical registrars to become national leaders in lung cancer care in the UK. The main focus is to train the fellow in:
- Health service research methods
- Audit/clinical improvement methods, and
- Clinical aspects of lung cancer
The aim of the James Brokenshire Lung Cancer Research Fellowship is to develop the fellow into a knowledgeable advocate for people with lung cancer, who are then able to push forward service improvements effectively.
Lung cancer research has been at the core of our charity since the day it was founded and we remain as focused and as committed to research as ever. The charity has funded three lung cancer research fellows to date – Dr. Emma O’Dowd, Dr Gavin Jones and, currently, Dr. Helen Morgan. We are delighted to be able to now continue this vital activity in memory of James.
Cathy Brokenshire, wife of James and trustee of Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, says:
“I am delighted to be part of the charity’s ongoing commitment to lung cancer research, and I know James would be too.
“James understood the importance of lung cancer research and the vital role it has in saving lives. His initial early diagnosis meant we got more time together and whilst it wasn’t long enough, I am so grateful for those precious years. It is more than so many get.
“But it is my hope that by pledging to raise the money to fund the next generation of lung cancer researchers, more and more families will not, not just years, but decades together.”
Dr. Helen Morgan is the latest Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation research fellow. She shares how important the fellowship has been to her:
“The brilliant thing about being specifically a Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation Fellow is how patient-focused the charity is,” explains Dr Morgan. “All of the research that I’ve completed so far, and that previous Fellows completed, is patient-focused. Absolutely, there needs to be research done in labs to get new medications, but the brilliant thing about Roy Castle is that it’s focusing on people with lung cancer and the people important to them.
Personally, being a Fellow has provided me the opportunity to spend time just doing research for the last three years to further my own research skills.
I have learned about how to conduct a study, about ethics, how to get approval, and how to really start a research project. Above all, I’ve also learned about how to do it well, how to properly work with data, how to do qualitative research, interviewing people and analysing those interviews. The amount I’ve learned in the last three years is just exponential.’’
How to apply
The James Brokenshire Lung Cancer Research Fellowship will be kindly funded by Cathy Brokenshire, with support from James’s family, friends and colleagues.
Applications for the first James Brokenshire Lung Cancer Research Fellowship will open at the British Thoracic Oncology Group (BTOG) annual meeting at the end of April 2023, with a view to funding the fellowship from 2024.
For more information, please email jackie.tebbs@roycastle.org