Celebrating 20 years of research excellence at the Annual Research Showcase
This year’s Annual Research Showcase, held at Royal Brompton Hospital, marked its 20th anniversary, bringing together staff and researchers from across Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust to share the latest advances in heart, lung and critical care research.
The milestone event showcased the depth and diversity of research taking place, with a wide range of posters presenting innovative projects designed to improve patient outcomes and experience. Over the past two decades, the showcase has grown into a key annual event celebrating research excellence and fostering collaboration across clinical teams.
This year’s submissions explored topics including telehealth approaches to insomnia, mental health support within pulmonary rehabilitation, and remote cardiac rehabilitation. Other studies looked at advances in cardiac imaging, medication use in critical care, and ways to support patients and families, including communication and care in intensive care settings.
As part of the programme, two standout posters were selected by the judging panel for oral presentation.
Victoria Waites, highly specialised cardiac physiologist, presented her work on “Timeliness of implanted cardioverter defibrillator deactivation for patients at the end of life.” Her research highlighted important opportunities to improve care and decision-making for patients approaching the end of life.
Laura Moth, clinical specialist physiotherapist, presented “Improving mental health pathways in pulmonary rehabilitation using experience-based co-design.” Her work demonstrated how involving patients in the design of services can lead to more responsive and supportive care.
The event also featured an inspiring keynote address from Melissa Rochon, Trust lead for SSI surveillance, research and innovation. In her talk, “From poster competition to Chief Investigator: Learnings along the way,” she reflected on her research journey and shared practical advice for staff looking to develop their own research careers.
Awards were presented across a range of categories, recognising both scientific excellence and impact on patient care.
To mark the 20th anniversary, an additional award, the “Research Excellence Award”, was introduced this year. This one-off award, judged by the Research Office, recognised a project that best exemplifies the values of academia and research and demonstrates outstanding quality, relevance and impact.
The 2026 winners are:
Greatest Patient Benefit: Victoria Conner, clinical cardiac scientist, for her poster titled “Timeliness of Implanted Cardioverter Defibrillator deactivation for patients at the end of life.”
Most Innovative: Dario Freitas, healthcare scientist in cardiology, for his poster titled “Feasibility, reproducibility, and accuracy of three-dimensional knowledge-based reconstruction for right ventricular assessment in adults with repaired Tetralogy of Fallot.”
Early Career Researcher: Nimra Kahn, radiotherapy clinical assistant, for her poster titled “Efficacy of Nebivolol/Valsartan combined pill for anti-hypertensive therapy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.”
Director’s Choice: Ella McDonnell, clinical nurse specialist for adult congenital heart disease, for her poster titled “Safety and efficacy of a 12-week remote cardiac rehabilitation programme in adults with Fontan circulation: a pilot study.”
Staff Favourite: Victoria Conner, clinical cardiac scientist, for her poster titled “Timeliness of Implanted Cardioverter Defibrillator deactivation for patients at the end of life.”
Research Excellence Award: Timothy Jenkins, specialist physiotherapist, for his poster titled “Defining a diaphragm-focused and patient-acceptable inspiratory muscle training load in difficult-to-wean, mechanically ventilated patients: a protocol for a prospective mixed-methods study.”
The judging panel praised the high quality of submissions and the strong focus on improving outcomes and experiences for patients.
Congratulations to all of this year’s winners and thank you to everyone who submitted a poster and contributed to this special anniversary showcase. The event continues to provide an important platform for sharing ideas, celebrating achievements and supporting the next generation of researchers.