Welcome to the South West Peninsula Diabetes Local Research Network
Hosted by the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Trust
Introduction
Dr Ann Millward, Clinical Lead and Consultant, Plymouth Diabetes Clinical Research Unit, Derriford Hospital
The SW Peninsula Diabetes Research Network has been in existence since the beginning of April 2006. It is led by Dr Ann Millward, academic consultant from Plymouth, with support from Professor Andrew Hattersley and Dr Phil Evans, and is managed by Mrs Rosemary Sowden.
The Network is providing additional research staff in the existing Diabetes clinical trials teams in Exeter, Torbay, Truro and Plymouth. These teams are working on well designed trials and studies to benefit those with Diabetes or at risk of developing Diabetes, drawing on patients from both Primary and Secondary Care.
Contact Details
Network Manager: Mrs Rosemary Sowden
3rd floor, Noy Scott House
Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital (Wonford)
Barrack Road
Exeter
EX2 5DW
Telephone: 01392 406912
Email: Rosemary.Sowden@rdeft.nhs.uk
Administrator: Alison Foden
Peninsula Diabetes Local Research Network Administrator3rd floor, Noy Scott House
Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital (Wonford)
Barrack Road
Exeter
EX2 5DW
Telephone: 01392 406984
Email: Alison.foden@rdeft.nhs.uk
Area Map & Contacts
(Click on map below to see large version) – pdf opens in new window
User Involvement workshops held in 2009
Five very successful workshops were held this year, in Exeter, Plymouth, Barnstaple and in Torquay. We are happy to be able to run these events in different places to enable people to attend from all over the SW Peninsula.
Our introductory diabetes research workshops, in Plymouth in April and in Torquay in October, were very well attended by people interested and fairly new to diabetes research. The ‘follow-on’ diabetes research workshops were held in Exeter in February and Plymouth in October, and these are designed for people who have attended one of our previous introductory diabetes research events.
In February we held a very successful ‘follow-on’ diabetes research workshop for people in Exeter. This was attended by people interested in diabetes research who had previously attended one of our introductory workshops. We were joined by three researchers from the Exeter Clinical Research Facility, to explore the realities and difficulties of research study design. The workshop then looked at the possible opportunities for personal involvement in projects.
Our first diabetes research modular training event was held in Barnstaple at the end of November 2009, and was well attended by 18 people interested in learning more about the research process. Professor Eleanor Kennedy from the Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism (OCDEM) facilitated sessions on ‘Research from concept to design’ and ‘Research Funding’, which participants all thought highly relevant. The feedback we received from participants was very positive: ‘Well balanced, all useful and informative. High caliber of speakers’, ‘Very enjoyable day, very informative but also enjoyable and fun. Excellent food’.
There were some constructive comments too, from which we will learn in readiness for planning our next DRN modular training day, which we hope to put on later this year.
Diabetes Research Events and Training for 2010
We will be running more diabetes research events and training days this year, and will keep this website up-to-date with full details – so watch this space!
Folk.us Conference 2010 (Click on the poster below to view large pdf version)
The Launch
Photo from the Official Launch, 7th March 2007. Clockwise from top left corner: Dr Phil Evans, Professor Andrew Hattersley, Professor Sir John Tooke, Dr Ann Millward, Rosemary Sowden, Professor Des Johnston, Joy Wylie, Joanne Holloway.
The official launch of the South West Peninsula Diabetes Local Research Network was held on Wednesday 7th March 2007 at the John Bull Building, Peninsula Medical School, in Plymouth.
There were presentations from Professor Des Johnston, Director of the UK DRN, and from the three clinical leads of the Peninsula LRN: Professor Andrew Hattersley, Dr Ann Millward and Dr Phil Evans. In addition, there was a poster display of diabetes research previously carried out in Torbay, Exeter, Plymouth and Truro.