Briefly, tell us about your background and career up to this point?
I have worked predominantly in Schools in the area of School Business Management, as well as Events Management. In the past, I used to coordinate and host events on the London poetry circuit in Holborn and Shoreditch. When my father was diagnosed with prostate cancer, my sister and I committed ourselves to being his carers. Following my father’s passing in August 2017, I had the desire to help the people who helped my dad throughout his prostate cancer journey. So I rang Fee Kelly, a Research Nurse from the TOUR Team, who had a way of always making my father smile, as well as Louise Fleure, his Clinical Nurse Specialist, and expressed my desire to volunteer. I began volunteering in April 2018 completing administrative tasks at TOUR, and for Louisa. In July 2018 the post PPI Coordinator was advertised and I was encouraged to apply. I did and the rest is history. I am now the PPI Coordinator for the ReIMAGINE Study and coordinate all engagement activities for TOUR. I work closely with the Head of TOUR, Dr Mieke Van Hemelrijck, and lead for Work Strand 6 of the ReIMAGINE study. Work Strand 6 involves all our communication with the public and all the patients in the study, for example, website, newsletters and events.
What is a typical day like for you, and how has this changed from when you’d commute to the office?
As a PPI Coordinator my role is varied. A typical day begins at 6am with a shower, a coffee and a bowl of muesli. Then the dreaded Transport for London (TFL) commute which gets me to the office for a 9am start. I begin with checking my emails and responding accordingly, followed by a face-to-face meeting usually with the ReIMAGINE Consortium at UCL, or a catch-up with Mieke, or an update with the wider team in the department.
Many things have changed since the pandemic, while a lot has remained the same, like, there are still a number of emails to sift through and meetings to attend. However, meetings are now exclusively on Microsoft Teams and my day starts and ends at my dining table, where I complete all my tasks. Since the pandemic my days starts at 8am as it is now a very short distance to work. Admittedly, I do miss the TFL commute – just a little bit. My attire now is what I would like to call ‘lounge wear chic’ and lunch is prepared and eaten in my kitchen. After lunch there are generally more emails to sift through which may prompt supporting PPI activities of other research groups or adding additional content to the ReIMAGINE website – it varies. My day never ends without a tweet or two for TOUR (@TOUR_KCL) and/or ReIMAGINE (@ReIMAGINE_PCa). We are very active on Twitter.
What do you think people in the School would find most surprising about you?
I think a number of people will be surprised that I used to be a teacher.
How have you adjusted so far to working from home?
Initially it was a struggle, as I enjoy being active and waking up and going to work each day. In the early days, I was mixing up the days of the week and found it difficult to get out of bed. Once I managed to get out of bed and started working I then found it very hard to switch off, sometimes working well into the night. However, now I try to maintain as much of my usual routine as possible which is working well.
How have you been staying connected with friends and family?
I was never a person that enjoyed talking on the telephone much, but since lockdown my phone has become my best friend, communicating with friends and family at least three times a week.
What’s your typical morning coffee order?
I love milk! So a milky coffee or latte is perfect first thing in the morning.
What advice would you give to yourself to your 18 year old self?
Boys are not the enemy!
Can you tell us a bit about your current research project(s)?
TOUR predominantly undertakes research on urological cancers, however, since the pandemic we are now involved in Covid-19 research. The team has been very busy during lockdown. We signed up for the 2.6 Challenge where each member of the team has completed an individual or family challenge to raise funds for the Guy’s and St. Thomas’ (GSTT Charity).
Each team member captured their respective challenges via video or photo and we have been posting them on Twitter since 26 April when the London marathon should have taken place.
May is Bladder Cancer Awareness month so once again TOUR will be raising awareness of the disease via Twitter. Each week during the month of May we have a schedule of posts: on Tuesdays we have Tuesday with TOUR where we will be highlighting all the work the team has been doing on Bladder Cancer, on Thursdays, Throwback Thursday, showcasing some of what we did last year for Research and to raise awareness of the disease, and then on a Friday, Friday Facts, sharing informative facts about the disease. Bladder Cancer Awareness culminates on Sunday 31 May, when we will be blowing bubbles for bladder cancer. Each member of our team will take a photo of themselves blowing bubbles from their respective locations during lockdown. It’s a nationwide initiative where everyone gets involved blowing bubbles from all over the country for a great cause.
QUICK-FIRE
You'd prefer to be locked down in which season... Summer (winter would be even more depressing)!
Your favourite book... The Colour Purple by Alice Walker
You'd binge watch which Netflix series... Love is Blind
You'd happily spend an hour cooking... Ackee and Saltfish