Researcher Development Course
Research activity improves patient care yet is complex to carry out and requires a wide range of skills. This course is designed to introduce some of the core skills required to carry out research successfully.
Course key facts
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Date
13 Oct - 20 November 2026
Duration
4 days
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Credits
Non credit bearing
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Format
Blended
Fee
£685
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Location
On Campus (South Kensington), Online
Overview
This short course offers a practical introduction to research for healthcare professionals. While it is not intended to cover every aspect of research or replace a Master’s-level degree, it provides a strong foundation - ideal preparation for further academic study or clinical research projects.
The course is particularly suited to clinicians who wish to build confidence and deepen their understanding of research principles. We've carefully selected key skills essential for conducting high-quality research to help you get started.
Some topics, such as research methodology, are only briefly touched upon, as they can often be explored effectively through textbooks and self-study. Similarly, the following areas will not be covered as these are best addressed when you are actively planning or conducting your own research: recruitment, data collection, data management and analysis.
Learning journey
The course is offered in two 2 day modules - Module 1 will be run online and Module 2 will be run in-person. The gap between the modules is intended to allow you time to use and develop the skills taught during days 1 and 2, and to spend time developing a research question and start to formulate a proposal.
Module 1 (online):
Day 1 - 13 October 2026
- 09:30 - 10:45 - Searching the literature: Developing a review question and planning your literature search
- 11:00 - 12:45 - Searching the literature: Practical session
- 13:30 - 15:00 - Understanding Statistics: Getting to grips with the basics of descriptive and inferential statistics
- 15:15 - 16:30 - Understanding Statistics: sample sizes, what tests to use and practical interpretation exercise
Course details
The course aims to enable participants to:
Module 1
- Search the literature comprehensively, in order to research the published literature prior to developing research or audit projects. Also to enable participants to find appropriate papers for journal club review.
- Understand the commonly used terms and statistical techniques, and to interpret statistics used in quantitative research.
- Critically evaluate research papers so they can assess the value of the available evidence, and ensure it is incorporated into practice.
- Understand the processes required to set up a research project in clinical practice and appreciate why governance is required and what ethics committees look for in applications.
- Describe the stages involved in developing and completing a research project successfully, and describe the purpose and content of a research protocol/proposal.
- Understand the value of involving the patients and public in the research process.
Module 2
- Apply an evidence-based approach to the selection of outcome measures which are psychometrically robust and clinically practical.
- Begin to understand qualitative research designs and methods of analysis.
- Describe the stages involved in preparing a grant application and appreciate some of the challenges faced.
- Understand the relevance of assessing the impact of research.
- Identify strategies to disseminate research results and findings, and to prepare successful conference presentations and papers for submission to peer review journals.
All sessions incorporate mixed learning methods remotely and in-person, including lectures, discussion and practical exercises. The searching the literature session is hands-on, giving you the opportunity to use the databases and undertake a small search during the workshop. The statistics session is very practical and apart from basic maths you would learn at school, makes no assumptions about prior statistical knowledge.
For Module 1 you will need a reliable internet connection and a desktop computer or laptop. Further details will be sent to registered participants nearer the time of each module.
The workshops have been designed specifically for healthcare staff. Anyone interested in research and preparing to develop a research project will find them helpful. All the workshops are designed to give basic skills and assume little prior knowledge.
The fee covers tuition and a comprehensive set of notes, but does not cover travel or accommodation.
If you have any queries regarding your booking please contact us via email or by phone: +44 (0)20 7594 6885
Detailed joining instructions will be sent to all participants 10-14 days prior to the commencement of the course. Places on these courses are limited, EARLY BOOKING IS ADVISED.
A limited number of bursary funded places are available for NMAHPPs (Nurses, Midwives, Allied Health Professionals, Healthcare Scientists, Pharmacy Staff and Psychologists) working at Imperial College and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.
Other funding opportunities are available for AHSC staff (Imperial College London, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Chelsea & Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and The Institute of Cancer Research).
To find out more visit the CATO website or contact CATO for further information.
A 20% administration fee will be levied for cancellations made up to two weeks prior to the start of the course. Cancellations thereafter will be liable to the loss of the full fee. Notice of cancellation must be given in writing by letter or fax and action will be taken to recover, from the delegates or their employers, that proportion of the fee owing at the time of cancellation.
Imperial College London reserves the right to cancel an advertised course at short notice. It will endeavour to provide participants with as much notice as possible, but will not accept liability for costs incurred by participants or their organisations for the cancellation of travel arrangements and/or accommodation reservations as a result of the course being cancelled or postponed. If a course is cancelled, fees will be refunded in full. Imperial College also reserves the right to postpone or make such alterations to the content of a course as may be necessary.
Your Instructors
Dr Gemma Clunie (Course Director)
Gemma Clunie is the Lead Clinical Academic for Allied Health Professions at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and Honorary Clinical Research Fellow, School of Public Health at Imperial College London. She is Chair and clinical-academic representative for the Community for Allied Health Professionals Research (CAHPR) strategy committee. Since completing her PhD in 2022 she has had several funded post-doctoral fellowships and is currently a NIHR Senior Clinical and Practitioner Research Award (SCPRA) fellow.
Dr Lina Johansson (Course Director)
Lina Johansson is the co-Lead for Clinical Academic for Allied Health Professionals at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. Her clinical background is as a dietitian specialising in Renal. She has been an active clinician and academic researcher since 2012 after completing her PhD through Imperial College London.
Dr Margaret Coffey
Dr Margaret Coffey is a Clinical Academic Speech and Language Therapist with extensive experience in the evaluation and treatment of dysphagia. Margaret has developed her clinical skills working in recognised centres of excellence in both the UK and the USA. She currently works at Imperial College Healthcare Trust in London and is an honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer at Imperial College London. Margaret is a Royal College of Speech and language Therapists designated national clinical advisor.
Dr Donna Kennedy
Donna Kennedy is an NIHR Imperial BRC Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Pain Research Group, Department of Surgery & Cancer, Imperial College London (ICL) and Clinical Specialist in Hand Therapy at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust (ICHT).
Ms Maria Piggin
Maria Piggin is the Partnerships and Training Manager within the Patient Experience Research Centre (PERC) providing public involvement training, advice and support primarily to the NIHR Imperial Biomedical Research Centre but also to a number of research teams across Imperial College including the Health Protection Research Unit (HPRU) in Modelling Methodology.