Gateshead Council colleague wins prestigious research funding
A member of Gateshead Council's Localities team has won a prestigious award to develop research aiming to make Gateshead a healthier place for everyone to live, whilst also boosting his research career.
David Andrew, Locality Coordinator for West Gateshead, has won a 12-month fellowship from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) (opens new window), the UK's largest funder of health and care research. The award will provide funding for David to scope and submit an application to study for a PhD - the highest academic degree someone can earn. The preparation David does as part of his application will have an impact now, whilst also paving the way for him to carry out a much larger study in the future.
The focus of David's work will be 'community anchor' organisations in Gateshead - the much-valued spaces and places which have been connecting communities in our borough for years, like community centres and village halls. More specifically, he will be developing a plan to research how councils and other public sector institutions can develop stronger relationships with, better resource and cement these organisations as key partners in improving wellbeing across Gateshead.
The fellowship funding will enable David to attend sessions at Northumbria, Newcastle and Aberdeen universities, make study visits to Manchester and Leeds, and capture ideas from local residents, elected members and organisations themselves. What he learns will all be used to shape the plans for his future study.
This fantastic opportunity builds on David's role within the council where he has worked for 23 years supporting local communities.
Director of Public Health for Gateshead and Newcastle, Alice Wiseman, shared: "Supporting our communities to support themselves and each other is a priority for us at Gateshead Council and this work brilliantly embodies that. We recognise the critical role that community centres, village halls and organisations like this play in promoting better health in our borough and it's important we understand fully how we can empower them to do so. A big congratulations to David on his achievement.".
Centre Manager for the Winlaton Centre, Janet Walton, added: "Having worked with David over recent years, we know how passionate he is about the role and importance of organisations like ourselves. His plan to research ways to better understand and highlight the value of our work is one we are wholly supportive of. We look forward to helping David in any way we can.".
David added: "I am really pleased to have won this fellowship, and that the council has supported me to go after this opportunity. Having worked in and with communities for much of my professional life in the North East, pursuing research to enhance the relationship between community anchor organisations and public services is exciting as there is so much to learn.".
David was supported to apply for his fellowship by directorates across the council, together with the Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC) Gateshead, a team within the council dedicated to improving health for all across our borough. Part of their work involves empowering staff, like David, to develop the skills to conduct high-quality research which helps evidence how we can improve our residents' wellbeing.
David's award is a Predoctoral Local Authority Fellowship which is designed to support people working in local authorities to develop as health or social care researchers. These awards form part of the NIHR's wider Local Authority Academic Fellowship programme, which aims to equip local authorities to carry out and use high-quality research by offering research training fellowships to individuals who plan to build research careers within them.
A member of Gateshead Council's Localities team has won a prestigious award to develop research aiming to make Gateshead a healthier place for everyone to live, whilst also boosting his research career.
David Andrew, Locality Coordinator for West Gateshead, has won a 12-month fellowship from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) (opens new window), the UK's largest funder of health and care research. The award will provide funding for David to scope and submit an application to study for a PhD - the highest academic degree someone can earn. The preparation David does as part of his application will have an impact now, whilst also paving the way for him to carry out a much larger study in the future.
The focus of David's work will be 'community anchor' organisations in Gateshead - the much-valued spaces and places which have been connecting communities in our borough for years, like community centres and village halls. More specifically, he will be developing a plan to research how councils and other public sector institutions can develop stronger relationships with, better resource and cement these organisations as key partners in improving wellbeing across Gateshead.
The fellowship funding will enable David to attend sessions at Northumbria, Newcastle and Aberdeen universities, make study visits to Manchester and Leeds, and capture ideas from local residents, elected members and organisations themselves. What he learns will all be used to shape the plans for his future study.
This fantastic opportunity builds on David's role within the council where he has worked for 23 years supporting local communities.
Director of Public Health for Gateshead and Newcastle, Alice Wiseman, shared: "Supporting our communities to support themselves and each other is a priority for us at Gateshead Council and this work brilliantly embodies that. We recognise the critical role that community centres, village halls and organisations like this play in promoting better health in our borough and it's important we understand fully how we can empower them to do so. A big congratulations to David on his achievement.".
Centre Manager for the Winlaton Centre, Janet Walton, added: "Having worked with David over recent years, we know how passionate he is about the role and importance of organisations like ourselves. His plan to research ways to better understand and highlight the value of our work is one we are wholly supportive of. We look forward to helping David in any way we can.".
David added: "I am really pleased to have won this fellowship, and that the council has supported me to go after this opportunity. Having worked in and with communities for much of my professional life in the North East, pursuing research to enhance the relationship between community anchor organisations and public services is exciting as there is so much to learn.".
David was supported to apply for his fellowship by directorates across the council, together with the Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC) Gateshead, a team within the council dedicated to improving health for all across our borough. Part of their work involves empowering staff, like David, to develop the skills to conduct high-quality research which helps evidence how we can improve our residents' wellbeing.
David's award is a Predoctoral Local Authority Fellowship which is designed to support people working in local authorities to develop as health or social care researchers. These awards form part of the NIHR's wider Local Authority Academic Fellowship programme, which aims to equip local authorities to carry out and use high-quality research by offering research training fellowships to individuals who plan to build research careers within them.
