Healthcare is becoming much more reliant on advanced technologies for both diagnosis and treatment. As a result, research and innovation are embedded across our work and our specialisms. We are involved in a range of activities, from supporting clinical trials at UHS, to evaluating and developing new equipment and software, to establishing our own programmes of research in medical physics.

Our scientific expertise, delivered in a clinical setting, means that we are in an ideal position to address complex clinical research questions, which lead to direct patient benefit, at the centre of our highly multi-disciplinary clinical environments.

We link university academics or industry collaborators, who are often non-clinical scientists and engineers, with clinical staff at UHS, to develop, deliver and translate projects that tackle key clinical research challenges.

Some of our research and innovation areas include:

Developing software solutions to optimise flow through the radiotherapy treatment pathway
Surface guided radiotherapy
Electromagnetic tracking of brachytherapy implants
Developing applications of transcranial doppler (TCD) ultrasound and tympanic membrane displacement (TMD) measurements for brain fluid measurements
Research imaging data curation/management and AI/ML for imaging applications
AI-driven glucose management
Developing a prototype AI system to support early diagnosis of dementia from brain perfusion scans
Dose optimisation and measurement techniques in radionuclide therapy/molecular radiotherapy
Neuro MRI across the life course – neonatal/paediatrics, multiple sclerosis, inflammation, dementia, psychology, and psychiatry projects
Radiation safety optimisation through improved governance, training, and attitudes to compliance

We provide strategic and operational oversight for imaging research across UHS, and national leadership for imaging research delivery within the NIHR. We also have two members of staff on the UHS Research Leaders Programme.

Research and development, and innovation