Innovation Fellowships Updates

The Healthcare Science Innovation Fellowships have been carrying out some excellent work. Read below about some recent achievements and events that they have been a part of.

Josh First in the World

Huge congratulations to Josh Naylor and the team at University Hospitals Dorset (UHD) for their amazing work supporting Vision RT in developing the Respiratory Module. This is the world's first solution for respiratory motion management in radiotherapy using surface guided radiotherapy (SGRT). 

Radiotherapy to the chest and abdomen is challenging due to breathing-induced movement, which can cause variations in the position of the tumour and internal organs. 

The cutting-edge Respiratory Module addresses this by offering comprehensive motion management with real-time monitoring in six degrees of freedom. While breath hold (a technique used in radiotherapy to minimise radiation exposure by taking a breath and holding it while the treatment beam is on) reduces patient motion, it's not suitable for all. The Respiratory Module ensures highly targeted cancer treatment, preserving healthy tissue for better patient outcomes. It went live with patients at UHD on 24 February 2025 and Josh’s work was made possible through funding and support from the Healthcare Science Innovation Fellowship.

Midpoint Event

An event was held in February 2025 to celebrate the progress of the Healthcare Science Knowledge Transfer Partnership Associates and the Devices for Dignity Healthcare Scientist Innovation Fellows.

The leadership development course was set up to address the growing need to develop the capability and capacity of scientific leadership and expertise across the system, and in collaboration with the Academy for Healthcare Science is delivering a series of leadership development sessions for qualified NHS healthcare scientists in England and Wales.

The partnership includes the Office of the Chief Scientific Officer; the Healthcare Scientist Innovation Fellowship programme run by the NIHR HealthTech Research Centre in Long Term Conditions, Devices for Dignity (D4D) and the Healthcare Science (HCS) Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) Programme at the UK National Measurement Laboratory, hosted by LGC, funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and involving the NPL, MHRA and UKAS.

The event provided an excellent platform to witness the remarkable advancements being made by the KTP Associates and Healthcare Science Innovation Fellows. There were discussions on expanding collaborations and creating robust networks within the healthcare landscape, with representatives from the programme partner organisations. This collaborative effort is not only advancing individual projects but is also paving the way for innovative partnerships that will enrich the future of healthcare science.