The Research Room

What happens when the podcast hosts step out from behind the mic and into the guest seat?

In this special first birthday episode of The Research Room, co-hosts Lucy Atha and Janine Heeley from the York Trials Unit at the University of York join podcast intern Hayley Stone to celebrate a whole year of chatting with a purpose!

Listen as Hayley interviews Lucy and Janine about their journey creating the podcast, their favourite past e...

How can cutting-edge augmented reality glasses transform traditional physiotherapy into engaging games for people living with Parkinson’s disease?

In this episode, Lucy and Janine are joined by Chief Investigator Professor Rory O'Connor from the University of Leeds and Barri Morgan Jones from Strolll to explore the RESTART-PD project. This innovative research initiative focuses on an essential clinical and digital health prio...

How can a massive, real-world database tracking nearly 60,000 patients revolutionise our understanding of blood cancer treatment and patient care?

In this episode, Lucy and Janine are joined by Professor Alex Smith and Professor Debra Howell from the University of York’s Epidemiology & Cancer Statistics Group to explore the Haematological Malignancy Research Network (HMRN). This major research initiative focuses on a crit...

How can an adapted, chair-based yoga program improve the quality of life for older adults living with multiple long-term health conditions? 

In this episode Lucy and guest host Emma are joined by Dr Laura Wiley from the University of York and Dr Lesley Ward from Northumbria University to explore the Gentle Years Yoga project. This major research initiative focused on a critical health priority: improving the quality of life f...

Did you know that persistent loneliness is as damaging to your physical health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day?

For the final episode of our mental health mini-series, we’re joined by Dr Liz Littlewood and Professor Simon Gilbody from the University of York to explore the BASIL project. This massive research initiative stepped up during a global crisis to tackle a critical but overlooked issue: the mental health, depression, a...

How can digging into the past protect the future of mental health for older people in custody?

For the next episode in our mental health mini-series, we’re joined by Professor Amanda Perry and Professor John Schofield to explore the PAMHOP project. This pioneering feasibility study is tackling a critical but overlooked issue: the mental and physical wellbeing of older people in custody by introducing co-produced, interactive ...

With nearly 2.9 million people in the UK now economically inactive due to illness, how can we balance the drive for national productivity with the personal need for mental health recovery?

For the next episode in our mental health mini-series, we’re joined by Professor Rowena Jacobs and Professor Lina Gega to discuss the Support2Work project. This comprehensive national evaluation is investigating the impact of placing emplo...

In settings where mental health specialists are scarce, how can we ensure patients get the care they need?

For our first episode in our May mental health mini-series, we’re joined by Dr Mehreen Faisal and Karen Coales to discuss the SPiRiT-D project. This innovative hybrid trial is bridging the mental health treatment gap in Pakistan by testing a collaborative care model to deliver evidence-based talking therapy with non-men...

Is an ounce of prevention really worth a pound of cure when it comes to mental health? 

That’s the big question we’re tackling this week as we go on the road! We’ve left the comfort of The Research Room studio and headed to The Milner Hotel in York for the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC)’s An ounce of prevention: How can the NHS make a transition towards prevention in mental health? Event.

Wit...

Can we reduce the mental health impact of war?

This week in The Research Room, we’re venturing outside of the Department of Health Sciences once again! We're joined by Samantha Holmes from the York Law School and the Centre for Applied Human Rights for a fascinating look into the world of international law and conflict-related mental harm.

Sam shares her research as part of the Beyond Compliance Consortium (BCC), a global par...

Happy Easter from The Research Room! We're taking a break for Easter this week and as it is The National Autistic Society's World Autism Acceptance Month we're re-visiting one of our favourite episodes from last year, The ASSSIST 2 Trial!

Dr. Kerry Bell and Dr. Jane Blackwell join us to chat about this fantastic trial, completed in 2022, which explored whether Social Stories™ could be an effective way to support autistic children ...

Can we transform the dental chair from a place of fear into a space of calm for our youngest patients?

Approximately 1 in 5 children between the ages of 8 and 16 experience dental anxiety severe enough to impact their ability to visit the dentist. This week in the Research Room, we're joined by Professor Zoe Marshman and Vicky Exley to talk about the CALM Trial, a brilliant study exploring whether guided self-help cognitive behavio...

How does academic research move beyond universities to actually change lives? This week in The Research Room, we're exploring something we hear a lot about in the world of research but that can often feel hard to define: Research Impact.

We are joined by Dr. Linda Ko-Ferrigno, University of York Impact Manager, and Dr. Jenny Spear, Impact Manager for the Faculty of Sciences, to break down what this term actually means, why it is so...

Did you know that lung cancer rates in Yorkshire are among the highest in the country? This week in The Research Room, we're joined by Professor Rachael Murray and Bec Thorley to tell us all about the YorQuit study. Funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research, this fantastic 3-arm trial aims to find the best way to support people across Yorkshire to stop smoking and improve their lung health.

Join us as we go behind the scenes of the proje...

Biologic therapies have revolutionised the treatment of autoimmune conditions, but when patients with inflammatory joint disease face surgery, clinicians and patients have a tough choice: stop these powerful medicines and risk a painful flare up of the condition or continue them and face potential infection or compromised healing.

This week in The Research Room Professor Kulveer Mankia and Trial Manager Dr Sam Brady tell us all abo...

This week in the Research Room, we are joined by Consultant Hand Surgeons Emma Reay and Nick Johnson to get the full story on the SCOOTT project (Surgery versus Conservative Osteoarthritis Of Thumb Trial). This ambitious three-armed study explores a critical question: is the newer joint replacement, a traditional trapeziectomy (bone removal) or enhanced non-surgical care the best way to ease the pain of thumb arthritis.

We discuss ...

Have you ever wondered what it really takes to run a clinical trial? This week in The Research Room, we kick off 2026 by going behind the scenes of the York Trials Unit (YTU). We are joined by Director Professor Catherine Hewitt and Deputy Director Dr. Jude Watson to discover exactly what a trials unit does and why trials are so important.

From the history of the unit to the importance of the "Gold Standard" Randomised Control Tria...

The tables have turned at The Research Room! For our 2025 Christmas Special, Emma Standley takes the mic as guest host, putting us in the hot seat for a change. Join us as we reflect on our favorite highlights from the past year and share the behind-the-scenes story of how this podcast journey began. Stick around for some festive fun as we talk holiday traditions and reveal the strangest gifts we’ve ever seen.

Plus, get a sne...

How do researchers ensure a clinical trial truly works for the people taking part? The answer is simple: ask the patients.

This week we're revisiting the BioDrive AFS Study, a major trial investigating the best way to prevent and detect fungal infection in patients with blood cancer, to hear from the people helping to design it. We sit down with Trial Manager Dr. Sam Brady and Patient Advisory Group members Kate and Mary to explor...