Rachael Andrews, of Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, has been selected for The Chief Scientific Officer’s Women in Science and Engineering (CSO WISE) Healthcare Science Leadership Development Programme for NHS England 2019.
It means Rachael will join a dedicated career development programme that provides mentoring support, communication and leadership skills training, networking days, and access to top-level conferences.
The programme aims to develop aspiring NHS leaders, inspire the next generation of female healthcare scientists and showcase the wide variety of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) based careers within the NHS.
Rachael, one of just 32 women from across the country to be chosen, works for the clinical engineering department’s innovation team, which seeks to solve unmet clinical needs and problems through the application of science and engineering.
She has a background in clinical research and is passionate about facilitating the translation of research findings into clinical practice to improve patient outcomes.
As part of the CSO WISE programme, Rachael is embarking on a project to create a healthcare science network in Cambridge, with plans to expand across the East of England.
The network aims to improve local links between healthcare science disciplines, increase collaborative working, and raise the profile of healthcare science within and beyond the NHS.
She said: “I am absolutely delighted to have this fantastic leadership and development opportunity. I am looking forward to the learning and networking on offer, and I hope my project to create a healthcare science network will benefit NHS staff and patients across the region.”
CUH head of clinical engineering, Professor Paul White, added: “I am extremely pleased for Rachael. Her enthusiasm for healthcare science, and in particular identifying solutions to unmet needs across all patient pathways, is second to none. Healthcare scientists are key to transformation and are a workforce that is extremely important in delivering efficiencies and improvements in patient care, which are key to meeting the ambitions of the NHS Long Term Plan. I am sure Rachael will benefit from this latest opportunity by developing leadership skills for the future.”
Anyone interested in learning more about careers at CUH should visit the Trust’s website.