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Lightning talks showcase diverse research from across the fellowship

THIS Space 2025 – THIS Institute’s annual conference – featured diverse perspectives and real-world learning on healthcare innovation and improvement. Six THIS Institute fellows showcased their research and how their work is improving the quality and safety of healthcare.
Faye Gentile
Faye Gentile
Communications and Engagement Manager
A grey box with headshots of six fellows. The logo reading 'THIS Space 2025' sits in the middle.

THIS Institute’s fellowship programme comprises of talented researchers leading high-quality studies healthcare innovation and improvement studies. Six fellows presented a series of engaging lightning talks at THIS Space 2025, covering critical and diverse topics from why evidence-based policies don’t always work as intended to mental health referral decisions in A&E for people presenting with self-harm. Whether you want to revisit a discussion, explore a session you missed, or share insights with colleagues, the full playlist is now live on YouTube.

What influences mental health referral decisions in A&E for people presenting with self-harm?

Mimi Suzuki’s research explores mental health practitioners’ referral decisions for admission to mental health services in the emergency department. In her talk, she shares some of her study findings which investigated journeys through the mental health system for people who self-harm. Watch Mimi’s 10-minute lightning talk:

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Personal values and values-based healthcare for an ageing population

Marsha Dawkins is a clinical academic investigating personal values and testing whether a value-based framework can be developed to improve care in advanced illness. Better care for people with multiple conditions starts with understanding what truly matters to them. In her talk, Marsha explains why personal values should inform care for an ageing population. Watch Marsha’s 10-minute talk:

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Sustainable and resilient healthcare estates

Frederica Pascale shares insights from her research on making healthcare more environmentally sustainable. Her lightning talk explores how we can prepare healthcare for a climate-resilient future and asks what are the practical challenges of making hospitals climate ready? Watch Federica’s 10-minute talk:

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Cardiorespiratory training after stroke

Peter Hartley is a clinical academic physiotherapist. In this lightning talk, he shares findings from a national survey on the beliefs, challenges, and risks related to exercising after stroke. As a leading cause of long-term disability, strokes can leave people with cognitive, physical and emotional challenges. Peter’s study explores what influences whether stroke survivors engage with cardiorespiratory exercise – a key clinical recommendation for recovery. Watch Peter’s 10-minute talk:

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Co-production in abortion and contraception services

Nicola Boydell shares insights from her study which used participatory methods in a service improvement study for sexual and reproductive health services for young people. In her lightning talk, she asks the question: how can we improve abortion care and contraception services for young people? Watch Nicola’s 10-minute talk:

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Interpretive policy analysis for healthcare improvement

Nina Fudge draws on her research in polypharmacy to explore how interpretive policy analysis can help us understand the gap between policy and practice and improve health outcomes as well as understand why evidence-based policies don’t always work as intended. Watch Nina’s 10-minute talk:

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If you want to learn more about the rest of our fellows and their projects, visit our fellowship programme page.

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