Together with the British Geriatrics Society, we funded the MED-AGE undergraduate research placement programme at Queen’s University Belfast. The programme is designed to introduce undergraduate students to ageing-related research over a six-week period, allowing them to develop their interest in research at an early stage and enhance their opportunities for a future career in research.
The three participating students – Katie Lloyd, Emily Lavery and Chloe McGinty – have just completed their placements. They were supervised by academics from different backgrounds across the university and attended bespoke training and development opportunities.
The research they carried out on their placements was incredibly varied:
- Katie carried out a systematic review of non-steroidal injection therapies in hand osteoarthritis, comparing them with existing corticosteroid injection therapies.
- Emily investigated community pharmacy accessibility using public transport for older adults, adopting a case study approach which highlighted a lack of bus infrastructure and the multifactorial nature of accessibility.
- Chloe investigated the monitoring of antimicrobial resistance in care homes, isolating samples from wastewater, culturing bacteria from those isolates and carrying out antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Chloe said: “I’m incredibly grateful for everything I’ve learned and the people I’ve had the opportunity to meet along the way. Looking forward to taking these experiences forward into the next stage of my pharmacy journey!”
Find out more about the programme and hear from Dr Heather Barry, Director of Postgraduate Research at Queen’s University Belfast, here.
_________________
In this round, four awards were made to support 12 placements. You can read more about the scheme, and find out about all the centres and placements that were funded, here.
