5 minutes with...
Emma Foster

"It's been a fantastic introduction to the world of research
and has complemented my clinical role
in many different and unexpected ways."

Can you tell us a bit about your background and how you became interested in research?

I've worked in neurology for most of my nursing career, beginning in spinal injuries before becoming a specialist nurse in multiple sclerosis and more recently, progressive ataxia. Research has always been present in the background of my roles and I've always kept up to date with publications in my specialty areas. However, it has only been since working in ataxia that I've been able to become more actively involved.

In my current role, I help facilitate research projects within the field of ataxia and support the development of our Ataxia PPIE group, which is a particularly rewarding aspect of research to be involved in. I'm fortunate to work within a research-focused team and with ataxia being a group of rare and still relatively poorly understood conditions, there are so many opportunities to learn more and improve our understanding. Having supportive colleagues with research experience has given me the confidence to take on this internship.

What is your project and how did you decide on your research question?

This year, I've primarily focused on reviewing the overall caseload of patients with ataxia seen by our service over the last 30 years. The caseload was last reviewed 10 years ago, and since then a number of newly classified genetic and autoimmune conditions have been identified. We wanted to better understand how common these conditions are within our cohort.

Re-evaluating this long-term patient population has allowed us to explore changing diagnostic trends, shifts in genetic prevalence and the impact that advances in genomic technologies and immunology have had on patient care.

During this work, it became clear that I also had the opportunity to examine the epidemiology of ataxia in the UK and produce an updated prevalence estimate using the data we had collected. The last published estimate was around 20 years old and is now very outdated. By looking at prevalence within South Yorkshire, I was able to generate an estimate of the national prevalence of progressive ataxia. The findings suggest that progressive ataxia may be far more common than previously reported, so I was delighted to have this short report accepted for publication.

Fortunately, choosing a research topic was relatively straightforward. This was something our team had wanted to explore for some time and the internship provided the perfect opportunity to finally focus on it.

What are you most proud of during your internship?

I'm really pleased to have had the opportunity to immerse myself in research and perhaps more importantly, proving to myself that I can produce work of a high enough quality to be published. The possibility of publishing two pieces of work within a single year is something I never expected when I started the internship and it's an achievement I'm proud of.

What impact do you hope to have with your research?

I hope the work I've been able to carry out helps challenge perceptions of ataxia at a national level. Ataxia is often viewed as a rare condition that is predominantly genetic, but our findings suggest the reality is much more complex.

Raising awareness of the true prevalence and diversity of these conditions is essential if we want to improve the diagnostic journey for patients and ensure they receive the support and care they need as early as possible.

"Having experienced the benefits first hand this year,
I genuinely feel that research should be embedded
within routine clinical practice."

What comes next for you? Do you hope to continue in research?

I'd really like to continue being involved in research. It complements the Clinical Nurse Specialist role so well. Having experienced the benefits first hand this year, I genuinely feel that research should be embedded within routine clinical practice.

Exactly what that will look like for me in the future remains to be seen, but I feel positive knowing there are plenty of opportunities to explore. This internship has definitely given me the confidence to keep going.

Finally, what advice do you have for anyone who is considering applying for the internship?

Find a colleague who is experienced in research, understands your speciality and is willing to support you throughout the process as a supervisor. Having someone to guide you and answer questions along the way is invaluable.

I'd also recommend protecting your research time and scheduling it in meaningful blocks rather than trying to fit in the odd hour here and there. I found it took time to mentally switch from my clinical role into research mode, so having a full day dedicated to research was far more productive than trying to squeeze a couple of hours into a busy clinical day.

Most importantly, go for it! The experience has left me feeling re-motivated and excited about my career. It has also reminded me of the incredible research taking place in Sheffield and the real difference it can make to patients. In a healthcare system facing many challenges, that's something worth feeling positive about.