International Investment Initiative (I3) Fund

Early career researcher, Wolfson Palliative Care Research Centre

Visiting Down Under

I visited the Improving Palliative, Aged and Chronic Care through Clinical Research and Translation (IMPACCT) group in the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) in Sydney, Australia, during the first week of February 2025. This was my first work trip to UTS, but before then, I had met a number of their researchers who visited us in the Wolfson Palliative Care Research Centre (WPCRC), including Associate Professor Tim Luckett, Associate Professor David Lim, PhD Student Yinyin Phyo and Research Assistant Muneeba Chaudhry, as part of the UKRI-funded International Investment Initiative (i3) project.

I have really enjoyed having visitors to Hull and being able to experience working in IMPACCT. I really appreciate the links we have across the world, researching a lot of similar topics, most notably chronic breathlessness, which is a big interest in both of our departments.

During my visit to UTS, I delivered a seminar, jointly with Dr Sophie Pask, about our PhDs and the service evaluation in which our PhDs were embedded. I also spent time getting to know other researchers in the IMPACCT department, including Tim Luckett, Deb Parker, Michelle DiGiacomo, and Meera Agar. As part of the i3 project, we regularly have joint online seminars, but it was great to be able to talk to UTS colleagues in person and in their environment.

It was very interesting to understand how IMPACCT operates, and to observe how similar we are in many ways, both at the research centre level, but also within the national contexts.

How has this exchange helped me personally in my career?

As an early career researcher, I think networking and making connections on this exchange visit was crucial; it has helped me gain a wider understanding of life in academia. I also spoke to many senior colleagues who gave advice on different pathways for an early career researcher, and this mirrored a lot of the information I have received from colleagues in my own Centre. Knowing that an academic career is similar in two very different countries is quite interesting! Getting to know lots of other researchers may also lead to future collaborations.

How has this exchange helped develop palliative care research?

We have sought advice and guidance from researchers from IMPACCT about ongoing projects, to get feedback and thoughts on initial findings from the study. In particular, we delivered results and early findings from one study about homecare workers and their provision of end-of-life care to IMPACCT Professor Deb Parker, who does a lot of research in the social care sector. This allowed us to get an outside perspective on what we had found and also helped us understand if the results may be internationally applicable (e.g. similar research occurring in Australia, etc).

How has the i3 exchange benefited the research group as a whole?

International collaboration in this way really means we can think and learn together, and from each other. During the i3 programme, we had seminars, masterclasses, and conferences, where WPCRC and colleagues from IMPACCT participated online to share thoughts, findings, new research ideas, or deliver a research methods masterclass on a topic of interest.

There are many shared interests between our two centres, and being able to bring together researchers across countries in a collaboration such as this exchange means we bring together expertise and create a vibrant environment of shared learning. Meeting others who have similar research areas of interest is very rewarding and has resulted in lasting collaborations to sustain research in the future – better together.

Trip to IMPACCT, Sydney, Australia.

It was great to have the opportunity to visit colleagues at the Improving Palliative, Aged and Chronic Care through Clinical Research and Translation (IMPACCT) group in the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) in Sydney, Australia.

For me, it was particularly meaningful to meet colleagues I’d only previously encountered through the online meetings run as part of the i3 exchange programme; having those face-to-face conversations made a real difference in building rapport and understanding.

My time at the UTS Sydney involved both formal and informal connections. I had the chance to share ideas and talk through areas of mutual interest, and I also joined a group dinner hosted at the home of one of the Professors. It was a great opportunity to connect more personally and meet new colleagues working in similar research areas. I also gave a short presentation on my research, which sparked a really rich discussion. We found shared interests in delirium, palliative care, process evaluation, and in the use of comprehensive geriatric assessment- an area that was a core focus in my PhD work.

Overall, the visit helped to strengthen existing relationships, build new ones, and has opened doors to future collaboration.

How has the i3 exchange helped me personally in my career?

The exchange has had a really positive impact on me professionally. I was given the opportunity to co-present a symposium and deliver an oral presentation at the International Delirium Conference (DECLARED) in Sydney. Presenting in that environment, alongside leading experts in the field, really boosted my confidence and helped me feel more rooted in the delirium research community. It was also a chance to meet and speak with people whose work I’ve followed for years, some of whom I’d only encountered in the literature until now. Those conversations were encouraging and reaffirmed the relevance of the research I’m doing. Since returning, I’ve stepped into a new role as Research Fellow lead and co-applicant on a large-scale NIHR-funded trial in delirium. The relationships built during the exchange, and the sense of confidence it gave me, have definitely contributed to my progression.

How has the i3 exchange benefited the research group as a whole?

The exchange has helped build stronger links between researchers with shared research interests across different countries. We had the chance to think together, learn from one another, and explore new ideas through informal discussion, seminars, and teaching sessions. It also strengthened existing research collaborations. Two of the colleagues I met during the visit are co-applicants with me on the NIHR-funded delirium trial, which was shaped by the earlier feasibility work we worked on together. So, this visit wasn’t just about networking – it has fed directly into live research activity.

More broadly, it’s helped grow the critical mass of researchers working in this area and created a more connected and vibrant environment where shared challenges and approaches can be explored together. This kind of exchange really adds value to the Wolfson Palliative Care Research Centre, as we continue developing high-quality, collaborative work.

How has this exchange helped develop palliative care research?

This exchange has been invaluable in advancing palliative care research, especially in delirium assessment and management. By working closely with our Australian colleagues, we’ve shared insights and compared approaches across healthcare settings. Their involvement in the initial delirium feasibility study helped shape our current main trial. This collaboration is contributing to a deeper understanding of delirium detection and prevention in hospice and palliative care settings, an area where further research is much needed. Together, we’re working towards improving how delirium is assessed, managed, and prevented, with the ultimate goal of enhancing care and outcomes for patients at a vulnerable time. This international collaboration enriches our perspectives and helps ensure that our findings and approaches are relevant across different healthcare systems globally.

Whilst I had been able to benefit from members of the IMPACCT group visiting Hull and numerous virtual events as part of the UKRI-funded International Investment Initiative (i3) project, I was also given the opportunity to visit the IMPACCT group at UTS Sydney with another colleague (Helene Elliott-Button) in February 2025.

During the week that we had there, I was able to meet with several colleagues, including Yinyin Phyo (PhD student), Tim Luckett (Associate Professor), Deb Parker (Professor), Michelle DiGiacomo (Associate Professor) and Domenica Disalvo (Post-doctoral Research Fellow) to discuss current work related to our newly established Policy Research Unit and reflecting on findings from my PhD.

Helene and I also presented to the IMPACCT group on the Proactive Anticipatory Care Evaluation, a non-randomised controlled study assessing the effectiveness of a proactive, multidisciplinary care intervention for older people living with frailty. This related well to the interests of the IMPACCT group around aged care and care of chronic conditions.

How has the i3 exchange helped you personally in your career?

Personally, this exchange has helped me to consider what kind of researcher I want to be and the next steps for my career progression. Learning from international colleagues about how they have approached their careers was invaluable. Stories of how they carved out their niche were inspiring, and hearing this from people at different stages in their careers - all with a vast range of experience and expertise – gave a range of insights.

How has the i3 exchange benefited the research group as a whole?

The i3 Exchange has provided a springboard of opportunity, from developing international contacts and networks, collaborating on areas of research interest, joint grant applications and papers, knowledge exchange and development of critical thinking through workshops/masterclasses/journal clubs, and the chance for exchange visits.

The masterclasses allowed the research group to connect with other researchers internationally on a variety of topics and with a range of expertise. In these sessions, we considered how we can assess rigour in qualitative research, the philosophy of knowledge, the application of mixed methods, and designing implementation research so that knowledge can 'travel'. We have also been able to hear from researchers from the IMPACCT team about their research or papers of interest in our Wolfson ‘Pod Papers’ (a journal club and forum for peer review) and fostered critical friendships. From these experiences, we have interrogated a range of methodologies and considered how we can approach research – creating a vibrant environment. It has also been useful for horizon scanning and thinking about the important research and policy questions, developing grant applications and joint papers, as well as shaping each other’s work early on. It has supported people at all stages of their career, provided inspiration for what is next and has allowed us to foster lasting relationships and go beyond a UK focus.