The Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences at the University of Oxford is excited to share that the deadline for applications to the Rosamund Snow Scholarship for Patient-Led Research has been extended to 14 February 2025.
This unique scholarship supports patients to lead doctorate research projects that leverage their lived experiences to improve healthcare understanding and outcomes. Established in honour of the late Rosamund Snow, an advocate for patient involvement in healthcare research, the scholarship aims to enable individuals to combine personal insights with academic rigour.
Two recent recipients, Amelia Talbot and Jeremy Leslie-Spinks, have used their lived experiences to inform innovative research, addressing gaps in healthcare understanding and practice.
Amelia’s research: Understanding ‘treatment-resistant’ depression
Amelia Talbot is a medical sociologist and qualitative researcher. She was a 2020 recipient of the Rosamund Snow Scholarship to fund her DPhil on patients' experiences of treatment-resistant depression. She now works on a trial looking at an intensive weight loss intervention before bowel and womb cancer surgeries.
Amelia’s project, titled Building a comprehensive understanding of patients' and GPs' experiences of identifying, treating, and managing 'treatment-resistant' depression to improve care pathways, was inspired by her personal struggle with depression. She described her frustration with being prescribed multiple ineffective antidepressants with little concern from her GP, leading her to investigate on her own and eventually discover the concept of treatment-resistant depression.
‘This experience motivated me to pursue the Rosamund Snow Scholarship,’ Amelia says, ‘as I recognised the urgent need to improve the patient experience so others like me would not self-blame or be trapped in cycles of having medications that do not work.’
The scholarship provided Amelia with a platform to explore these issues deeply and share her findings with other researchers and healthcare professionals. ‘At conferences, GPs often approached me, asking about my experiences and how they could improve their own practice,’ she shares.
Jeremy’s research: Bridging dance and medicine
Jeremy Leslie-Spinks has worked in professional ballet companies worldwide for over 50 years, as a performer, teacher, ballet-master, choreographer and Artistic Director. He is a dance researcher with an MSc in Dance Science and is a 2020 recipient of the Rosamund Snow Scholarship at Green Templeton College.
Jeremy’s research project, PAINSONG: A narrative study of career-changing injury and illness in elite professional dancers, with implications for clinicians, explored the impact of injuries on dancers and the communication challenges they face with healthcare providers. Jeremy, a former professional ballet dancer, was inspired to pursue this research after being diagnosed with a spinal condition which meant he could no longer train and coach ballet companies.
‘I have known countless injured performers, not fully understood by medicine, who lost their careers, their dancer identity, the life they loved,’ Jeremy reflects. ‘Some of them generously gave me their stories, trusting me with their lived truth, hoping I could be their voice, perhaps save others from their fate.’
Jeremy’s work highlights the need for better communication between clinicians and dancers, as well as greater awareness of dance medicine.
Advice for prospective students
The Rosamund Snow Scholarship offers an unparalleled opportunity for patients to lead transformative research projects that address pressing healthcare issues.
Both Amelia and Jeremy offered advice for prospective students. Amelia shares, ‘Managing your illness alongside a DPhil can be challenging, so having an open relationship with your supervisor is essential. I was fortunate to have Charlotte Albury as one of my supervisors; she advocated for me and created space to discuss my illness during our fortnightly supervision meetings. I recommend ensuring that someone on your supervision team can play a similar supportive role.’
Jeremy adds, ‘Rosamund was remarkable. Read everything you can about her. Consider her integrity, honesty and energy. Figure out your research question. What is it you want to know and why? How will you find out? How will your work help other people? If you’re happy with your answers, take a deep breath and apply!’
Applications are open until 14 February 2025. To learn more about eligibility and the application process, visit the scholarship page.