Hannah Thurlbeck, one of our trainee healthcare scientists has won an international competition for designing a poster that summarises a project aiming to optimise the use of the radiotherapy CT scanner. Hannah has recently completed a part time Masters at Newcastle University and will be graduating with a MSc in Clinical Science. As part of her studies she undertook a project to look at ways to optimise the use of existing equipment to see if it could improve imaging for patients undergoing radiotherapy for prostate cancer. The project required making a poster about the protocol as part of the assessment which Hannah then used to enter the competition with Sun Nuclear.
Winning the competition has given Hannah the opportunity to present to peers in the USA and UK and her prize will be a paid for trip to the Radiological Society of America Annual conference, which she hopes to attend next year once COVID-19 restrictions are hopefully lifted.
At United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust (ULHT), Hannah will be rolling out the protocol with teams to assess the difference that the protocol changes will make to patient imaging and treatment. Her educational poster summarises the methodology that was used which could benefit users of the radiotherapy machines within the UK and US.
Hannah said: “I chose this project because we see a high number of prostate patients in Lincolnshire and part of my job is to see what improvements we can make for patients. I entered the competition because attending RSNA will be an amazing opportunity to learn from colleagues from around the world and discuss imaging technology with manufacturers. I’m excited about the opportunity to expand my knowledge and also to travel to Chicago.”
Yaves Lalloo, Managing Director of the Clinical Support Services Division at ULHT – which includes Diagnostics and Cancer Services said: “We are delighted that Hannah has won this competition and it highlights the vital skills, knowledge and innovation that our trainee scientists can bring to their specialist fields. We all know that diagnostics and treatment is an essential part of beating cancer and any work that improves these areas is a bonus to all patients. The fact that Hannah’s work will be shared not just here, but internationally means she is not just helping our Lincolnshire patients, but those in other hospitals in the US as well as the UK, which is a fantastic achievement. Well done Hannah.”