Profile
Helen Elliott
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About Me:
I live with my husband and two children on a farm in Durham. I work a nine to five job in the NHS as a researcher and I have a busy home life on the farm too. We have lots of animals including sheep, chickens, cats, a dog and horses. Outside of work I spend a lot of time with the horses and I like to go to competitions with them on the weekends.
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My pronouns are:
she/her
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My Work:
I work in a hospital with patients, doctors and other scientists as well as companies outside of the hospital who are making new machines which they want to use to help patients. My job is to work between these groups of people to make sure that the new machines will make a real difference to patients in the hospital.
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To do this I talk to all the people involved in a particular area, such as breast cancer, I ask questions about what currently happens to patients with breast cancer and ‘map’ this out,
this is called the ‘patient pathway’. I also ask about what could be done to improve the patient pathway and if there is anything missing from the pathway, such as a better test which can find more breast cancers. I create feedback for the companies, this can be written, visual or verbal information, which will help them to make sure that the machines they make are needed by patients and doctors to improve the patient pathway. It can cost a lot of money to make new machines to use in hospitals, so it is important that this money is being spent in the right places and can really improve the pathway for patients. -
My Typical Day:
I have a hectic morning feeding all the animals (and people) on the farm before we leave for school and work. After dropping the kids at school, I arrive at work around 9am, where the first thing I do is have a cup of tea and check my emails. I’ll action anything that needs doing and then get to work on whatever task(s) I have that day. Typical jobs include writing reports, designing and delivering presentations, attending meetings, interviewing clinicians or patients and writing up my research for publication. I always make time to have a break for lunch, and then I leave at about 5pm. On the way home I collect the children from after school care and think about what to cook for dinner.
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What I'd do with the prize money:
Wow – I didn’t know there was prize money! I’d like to start a YouTube channel explaining cancer terminology in easy to understand, short videos. They would be aimed at helping everyone understand cancer and the different healthcare pathways in the UK. Starting with cancer screening, ‘why do we screen?’, ‘who do we screen?’, ‘how does it work?’, then, ‘what is cancer?’, ‘how do we get cancer?’, ‘what are the treatments?’, ‘what will happen to me if I get cancer?’ and so on. Are there any you can think of that you’d like to see? It would be great to build up a library of helpful, easy to understand videos full of information with different videos for different age levels too.
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Education:
I went to school in Newcastle and studied Biology, Chemistry, Maths and Psychology at AS and A Level. Unfortunately I didn’t get the grades I need to be a vet, so I took some time and worked for two years. Then I decided I wanted to go to University anyway to get the best job I could. I did an undergraduate degree in Biology from 2006 until 2009 at Newcastle University and at the same time I worked part time as an administration assistant in a hospital research department. I enjoyed working in the hospital environment and wanted to have a career involving patients working within clinical teams. In 2014, I started working in the National Health Service (NHS) as a ‘clinical trials officer’, where I worked with cancer teams as a research lead enabling patients to take part in national research studies. I developed an interest in breast cancer specifically and was lucky enough to get my current job in 2019, where I am able to undertake breast cancer research and work with patients as well as continuing my own education by studying for a PhD as part of the work that I’m doing.
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Qualifications:
GCSEs: English language, English literature, Maths, History, Art, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, French
AS levels: Maths, Psychology
A Levels: Chemistry, Biology
Undergraduate degree: BSc (Hons) Biology
Currently in the 4th (and final) year of a PhD
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Work History:
- Sept 2018 – Jan 2019, Living with and Beyond Cancer Facilitator, City Hospitals Sunderland
- April 2014 – June 2018, Oncology Clinical Trials Officer, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
- June 2012 – April 2014, Purchase Ledger Clerk, Northgate Vehicle Sales
- Sep 2009 – May 2010, Trials Officer, i2L Research, Close House Field Station
- Sep 2007 – June 2009, Research & Development Administration Assistant, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
- Summer 2008, Dissertation Data Collection (for 6 weeks), Kruger National Park in South Africa
- Apr 2005 – Sep 2006, Administration Officer, Rural Payments Agency, DEFRA
- Sep 2004 – Feb 2005, Research Technician, University of Newcastle
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Employer:
Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
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My Interview
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What did you want to be after you left school?
A vet.
Were you ever in trouble at school?
No, I don't like to be in trouble, even now!
If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?
I still want to be a vet!
Who is your favourite singer or band?
A tough one, probably Dire Straits.
What's your favourite food?
Anything Italian.
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
I wish that I could win the lottery, that winter days had more daylight hours and that dinner made itself every night!
Tell us a joke.
I've got literally nothing.
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