Matthew Beasley - Therapeutic Radiographer

RESEARCH: MIXED METHODS

What stage of your research career are you currently at, and what are your research interests?
I am an early career researcher and a PhD candidate at the University of Leeds. My research primarily focuses on mixed-methods approaches, with a special interest in patient experience and stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy and abdominal image guidance. I am particularly interested in MR simulation and CBCT techniques.

How did you get into research?
After qualifying as a therapeutic radiographer in 2007, I was driven by a desire to enhance patient outcomes and experiences through research. To equip myself with the necessary skills, I pursued an MSc in Radiotherapy and Oncology at Sheffield Hallam University, which I completed in 2015. This experience was pivotal; I mastered handling large datasets and honed my data analysis skills using Python. Motivated to delve deeper, I started attending NIHR research networking events. In 2017, I seized the opportunity to join a groundbreaking project as a Senior Research Radiographer at Leeds, funded by the CRUK Accelerator Award (CRUK ART-NET). My role involved leading efforts in personalised adaptive radiotherapy to manage organ motion and variability during treatment. This role was a stepping stone, and I later secured HEE/NIHR funding to support my transition into a clinical doctoral research fellowship, which I commenced in 2022. I am currently a PhD candidate at the University of Leeds and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust focusing on research to enhance MR-Sim guided liver SABR to improve tissue visualization, immobilization, and overall patient experience.

What do you enjoy about research?
What excites me most about research is the perpetual learning and the opportunity to collaborate with diverse teams aimed at enhancing patient care. It is exhilarating to work alongside patients and professionals from various disciplines, all united by the common goal of advancing medical practice and outcomes.

What challenges do you face as a researcher?
Securing initial funding to facilitate my research was a formidable challenge but immensely rewarding once achieved. Currently, my main concern is effectively balancing the plethora of opportunities and responsibilities to ensure the delivery of my research outcomes.

What difference has your research training and experience made to your career?
Embarking on this research path has significantly broadened my professional horizon, opening doors to numerous opportunities. The interactions and collaborations with esteemed professionals have been invaluable. This journey has not only been about personal growth but also about fostering a culture where more radiographers take the lead in research that catalyses significant advancements in patient care.

What do you think is the greatest misconception about clinical academia?
I think there's a misconception that to become a clinical academic, you have to go it alone, but that's not the case. Collaboration is key— It's essential to partner-up with professionals from both clinical and academic spheres, as well as engaging closely with patients. It's about building an environment where patient care, research, education, and leadership are integrated, utilising our collective expertise to benefit patients. I hope this approach will progressively include more radiographers and other allied health professionals to improve patient outcomes.

How has research changed your clinical practice?
Research has revolutionised our clinical practices, particularly through advancements in technologies like image-guided radiotherapy, IMRT, and SABR, as well as through innovative clinical trials like FAST-Forward. These developments have not only increased treatment precision and efficacy but have also significantly reduced side effects and treatment durations, directly enhancing patient safety and comfort.

What has made a difference to progressing your research career?
The HEE/NIHR funding I was fortunate to secure was instrumental in advancing my research career. It addressed significant barriers such as time and financial constraints, enabling me to focus on and contribute meaningfully to my field.

Where do you see your clinical academic career going over the next five years?
Over the next five years, I aim to complete my PhD and continue to champion radiographer-led research as a consultant clinical academic therapeutic radiographer. My goal is to do more research into improving the experience for patients as well as making improvements to how we utilise medical imaging technology and software to enhance image-guided radiotherapy. I want to mentor and support fellow radiographers in integrating research into their practice to significantly enhance patient care.

Matthew Beasley, HEE/NIHR Clinical Doctoral Research Fellow, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, matthew.beasley@nhs.net