Month: July 2020

Thomas Barbera, Research Technician, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction

“As the lockdown began, I ensured that the multitude of samples in our department were safe, meaning our liquid nitrogen tanks were filled and our -80 freezers were monitored.” 

I studied Biomedical Science at the University of Manchester and after graduating, I worked as a Laboratory Technician before joining Imperial. In my current role as a Research Technician, my main duties include aiding clinical trials alongside biobanking. Biobanking involves approaching outpatients attending clinics to manage their liver-based diseases, and asking them to donate extra samples to our biobank sample repository. These will then be used in research to investigate liver disease, pending approval from the Biobank Governance Committee. As well as working at Imperial, I am also completing my master’s in clinical research.   (more…)

Dr Dasha Nicholls, Clinical Reader in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Brain Sciences

“Since COVID-19 struck, I have worked as hard as ever, clinically and academically, but now it’s from home. The first task was getting all our existing research up and running again…”

I moved to Imperial in May 2018 after 23 years at Great Ormond Street Hospital as a trainee, lecturer and then Consultant and Joint Head of the National Feeding and Eating Disorders Service. Now as a Clinical Reader in Child Psychiatry, I spend part of my working week in Central and North West London NHS Trust’s eating disorders service for children and young people and various advisory roles for the NHS, and the rest of my week on research.   (more…)

Andy Pritchard, Photographer and Videographer, Faculty of Medicine

Celebrating our community during COVID-19

“Since COVID-19 began I’ve filmed, edited and distributed 40 videos about COVID-19 protection for frontline staff with Dr Iqbal Malik for the European Cardiology (ePCR) response to the pandemic – one video has over 100,000 YouTube views. 

Following a BA, an MA (Video), and an MSc (Medical Illustration – Photography and Video), I started working at St Mary’s Hospital as a Medical Photographer in 1994, and subsequently filled several audio-visual roles until my current post as Photographer and Video Producer within the Faculty of Medicine.  (more…)

Anique Varleigh, Head of Examinations and Assessment, Business School

Celebrating our community during COVID-19

“We have successfully moved 70 exams and 1,400 students from April to June into the digital exam world, ran numerous student training sessions, created demos and video for students and faculty.” 

I am the Head of Exams and Assessment at Imperial College Business School and Co-Chair of the Race Equality Charter‘s Self-Assessment Team. I joined the Business School in 2013 after leaving a similar role at a Royal Medical College where I worked for 14 years. Throughout my career, I have worked on process and procedure improvement projects such as moving examination applications online, to moving exams online here at Imperial. 

Before the pandemic, the Business School had been working on our biggest ‘bring your own device’ digital exam pilot using WISEflow. Myself and my colleague Emma Stoakes, our digital exam project lead, had been working on this big moment for the past 12 months… and then the pandemic hit!  (more…)