A new generation of
medical researchers

Third year Oluwanilo Awoloto is one of a number of undergraduate medical students furthering their research ambitions with the support of an EXSEL Scholarship.

Starting in the second year of their studies, EXSEL scholars gain valuable insights into the world of academic medicine and are mentored by established research leaders while they work on key research questions during each of their summer vacations.

Funding from Heart Research UK enabled Oluwanilo to join a number of projects, including examining why people with heart disease, diabetes and other chronic diseases are less likely to come forward for cancer screening, despite them being more likely to be diagnosed with cancer.

“I am also undertaking a scoping review on the combined impact of cardiovascular disease and related co-morbidities in diabetic patients undergoing cancer chemotherapy. Through this research I have gained an understanding that the impacts of cardiovascular disease extend beyond their immediate effects on the circulation to affect every system in the body.”

Outside University, Oluwanilo is a member of the VITA Network vita-network.com, which aims to advance the health response to modern slavery and human trafficking. “I am so grateful for the support given to me through my EXSEL Scholarship,” she says. “My research and leadership goals stem from a deep desire to improve clinical practice and patient quality of life.”

Now qualified, Dr James Nicholson is developing the skills he learned during his EXSEL Scholarship in a two-year role as an Academic Foundation Doctor in South East Scotland. Funding from Heart Research UK enabled James to investigate the role of virtual reality in medical training – and to present at major conferences including the European Resuscitation Congress in Slovenia.

“EXSEL has been a tremendous formative experience for me and one for which I will forever be grateful,” says James. “I’ve worked on laboratory projects and others with a more clinical and educational focus. I've gained leadership experience coordinating CPR training campaigns across the UK – and spent placements at the Department of Health and Social Care and East Anglian Air Ambulance. It has all allowed me to develop a broad-based research grounding during my undergraduate years.

“The programme in Scotland is combining clinical practice with dedicated time to develop my research interests in resuscitation science, which I was able to first embark on through the EXSEL scholarship. I am so grateful for this support.”

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