The EMERGE Team
A committed group of medical professionals with a vast range of experience and expertise in emergency medicine & pre-hospital care.
Dr Matt Reed
Director of EMERGE, Consultant, NRS Career Research Fellow & Honorary Reader in Emergency Medicine
Professor Alasdair Gray
Honorary Professor of Emergency Medicine & Clinical Director of the Emergency Department
Dr Gareth Clegg
Senior Lecturer at the University of Edinburgh & Honorary Consultant in Emergency Medicine
Dr Matt Reed
Director of EMERGE, Consultant, NRS Career Research Fellow & Honorary Reader in Emergency Medicine
Dr Reed graduated from Cambridge University in 1997. He joined the South East Scotland Emergency Medicine Training Programme in 2002 and has been a Consultant in Emergency Medicine in Edinburgh since 2007. He completed his Doctorate of Medicine thesis in 2009.
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Exciting new trial: SNAP40
10 Apr 2017 | Megan McGrath
EMERGE will soon begin recruitment to the new SNAP40 trial which will compare the new SNAP40 device with standard monitoring devices in the Emergency Department.
Read moreProfessor Alasdair Gray
Honorary Professor of Emergency Medicine & Clinical Director of the Emergency Department
Professor Gray is interested in the delivery of randomised trials and clinical decision rules in emergency medicine especially related to medical emergencies (chest pain, acute heart failure syndromes, transient loss of consciousness, asthma, atrial fibrillation).
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PRIEST
ISARIC4C – Coronavirus Clinical Characterisation Consortium, an observational study
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Prescription Of analgesia in Emergency Medicine- Now Open for Recruitment
9 May 2016 | Mia Paderanga
We are very excited to announce that POEM has begun recruitment in the ED. This is a study led by the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust involving multiple hospitals across the UK. Professor Alasdair Gray is the Principal Investigator for the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh site.
Read moreDr Gareth Clegg
Senior Lecturer at the University of Edinburgh & Honorary Consultant in Emergency Medicine
Gareth Clegg is a Senior Clinical Lecturer and Consultant in Emergency Medicine at the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh. Lead for the Resuscitation Research Group at the University of Edinburgh and co-founder of the Emergency Medicine Research Group, Gareth trained in Emergency Medicine in South East Scotland and completed his PhD in acute lung injury and epithelial repair at the Centre for Inflammation Research in the Queen’s Medical Research Institute in Edinburgh.
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The Scottish Cardiac Arrest Symposium 2016 – Register now!
29 Mar 2016 | Lisa MacInnes
THEY ALL DIE ANYWAY. WE SAID NO. WE SAID WE CAN BE BETTER. WE SAID SHIFT HAPPENS. TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN. JOIN US.
Read moreMiranda Odam
Research Nurse Manager
I joined EMERGE in July 2014, and have since integrated into an exciting and motivated team of research, clinical and support staff. I come from the clinical speciality of emergency nursing having worked mostly in Western Australia, and a research/public health background having completed a Masters in Public Health & Tropical Medicine.
Related News
Prescription Of analgesia in Emergency Medicine- Now Open for Recruitment
9 May 2016 | Mia Paderanga
We are very excited to announce that POEM has begun recruitment in the ED. This is a study led by the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust involving multiple hospitals across the UK. Professor Alasdair Gray is the Principal Investigator for the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh site.
Read more
Rachel O'Brien
Lead Research Nurse
Rachel was appointed as the Lead Research Nurse for the RAPID-CTCA trial in December 2014. She has worked with the EMERGE team since 2012 co-ordinating the AHEAD study, TRIGGER and the HALT-IT trial whilst continuing to work clinically in the Emergency Department. She has also been involved with the Resuscitation Research Group in this time due to her interest in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
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ED Perceptions of Research
8 May 2017 | Rachel O'Brien
A questionnaire was distributed amongst ED staff at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh to determine what they thought of research activity in their area.
Read moreJulia Grahamslaw
Lead Research Nurse
Julia joined the Emergency Department (ED) in 2008, having started off her nursing career at the Breast unit at the Western General Hospital. Working in the ED was a dream come true; each day brought opportunities to learn something new. It was an exciting and hectic place to work, staffed by highly energetic and spirited individuals. Through the laughs and, at times, the tears, she gained a wealth of knowledge and life-saving skills, and it was with mixed feelings that she embarked upon the next stage of her career, moving to the EMERGE team in 2012.
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PRIEST
ISARIC4C – Coronavirus Clinical Characterisation Consortium, an observational study
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Elsie Inglis Award
16 Nov 2015 | Julia Grahamslaw
Julia Grahamslaw - Winner Elsie Inglis Award
Read moreLisa MacInnes
Lead Research Nurse
I joined EMERGE in June 2015 and feel so lucky to be a part of such a motivated and dynamic team. I have a great interest in resuscitation, development and training of staff and ultimately improving patient care.
Related Trials
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The Scottish Cardiac Arrest Symposium 2016 – Register now!
29 Mar 2016 | Lisa MacInnes
THEY ALL DIE ANYWAY. WE SAID NO. WE SAID WE CAN BE BETTER. WE SAID SHIFT HAPPENS. TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN. JOIN US.
Read moreAllan MacRaild
Stroke Lead Research Nurse
Allan has worked been part of the EMERGE team for three years. He arrived following a Masters of Nursing in Clinical Research and with a clinical background in general surgery.
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The Prior Study
19 Jul 2017 | Allan MacRaild
EMERGE and RRG are undertaking a preliminary study into the principles of fluid exchange within the body.
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Caroline Blackstock
AMU Senior Research Nurse
Caroline graduated from The University of Abertay, Dundee in 2000 with a BSc Honours in Nursing. Shortly after this she moved to Edinburgh and took up her first hospital post in the Regional Infectious Disease Unit at the Western General Hospital.
From there she then took a post in the Emergency Department at The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.
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ISARIC4C – Coronavirus Clinical Characterisation Consortium, an observational study
EMBOL1 Study
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A Day in the Life of a Research Nurse
26 May 2015 | Jen Simpson
Our very own Jen Simpson, takes us through the roller coaster ride that is 24 hours in the shoes of a Research Nurse.
Read morePolly Black
Senior Research Nurse
Polly started working with EMERGE in 2014 after completing the Masters of Nursing in Clinical Research.
Polly worked with NHS Research Scotland (NRS) between 2016 and 2017 coordinating musculoskeletal research in Scotland. She was delighted to return to EMERGE and continue recruiting and coordinating a variety of studies. She has worked with Rachel O’Brien on their nurse led study promoting and investigating clinical staff engagement with research.
Polly has also been lucky to work with the global arm of EMERGE; volunteering with Global Emergency Medicine (GEM) in Zambia in January 2018. Polly is also a member of HRA Scotland A Research Ethics Committee.
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ED Perceptions of Research
8 May 2017 | Rachel O'Brien
A questionnaire was distributed amongst ED staff at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh to determine what they thought of research activity in their area.
Read more
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Emma Moatt
Research Project Manager
In October 2019, Emma became the Research Project Manager for EMERGE where she aims to support project set up with the study co-ordinators, maintain a high standard of quality control among the research projects, and continue to support the EMERGE team in other project-admin tasks, to make today’s research become tomorrow’s practice.
In January 2017, Emma became the Research Administrator for EMERGE, and this is where she caught the Emergency Department (ED) research bug! She found working as part of the wider ED team a fascinating place to be, due to the unpredictable environment and a great demonstration of team work from the clinical and research staff. Combining this unpredictability with conducting research projects from different disciplines (e.g. cardiology, toxicology etc.) makes a vibrant and dynamic place to work, where you constantly have the opportunity to develop yourself- an environment that Emma thrives on! In this post, she was proud to be the supportive piece of the EMERGE team jigsaw, knowing that we, as a team, are making an impact on future patient care.
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Nicholas Fethers
Research Administrator
I gained an interest in research while studying for my BSc in Medicinal Chemistry. Pursuing a career in research I went on to obtain an MSc in Pharmaceutical Science and Medicinal Chemistry, followed by moving to Edinburgh to carry out research for a PhD in a highly translational research lab.
After working in academic research for several years I found that I was not enjoying myself, I completed my PhD as an MPhil and tried a change of careers. I tried working as a property manager, initially remotely before moving to America in order to work hands-on with the properties. However, I found that I missed the stimulation of research and working with the passionate kind of people that research projects always attracts.
Working for EMERGE gives me the satisfaction of knowing I am supporting research that I care about in a field that directly impacts people in need. Equipped with a more academic orientated background, I am excited to bring a different point of view to the team while I learn more about clinical research.
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Dr Sarah Richardson
Specialist Trainee Emergency Medicine Global Emergency Medicine (GEM)
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Kat Oatey
ECTU Trial Manager
Kat is currently is working with the EMeRGE team to provide trial management support for the RAPID-CTCA trial on behalf of Edinburgh Clinical Trials Unit.
She has worked at ECTU for the past 5 years and has experience managing a number of multicentre CTIMP and non-CTIMP trials.
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#WhyWeDoResearch
15 Apr 2015 | Miranda Odam
We asked a number of colleagues and friends why we do what we do. Their answers are inspiring, challenging and sometimes very funny.
Read moreRelated News
Dr Adam Lloyd
Honorary Research Fellow & Lecturer
I graduated in 2013 from the University of Edinburgh having studied Nursing and continued to do a Masters in Clinical Research at the UoE where I first worked with the EMERGE team. With the support of Dr Gareth Clegg I was awarded the Gardner Scholarship at the UoE which has allowed me to do a 3 year PhD project with the Resuscitation Research Group supported by EMERGE.
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Edinburgh Emergency Nursing in Barcelona
18 Oct 2016 | Dr Adam Lloyd
In September 2016, former EMERGE research nurse Polly and I attended the 2nd Global Conference on Emergency Nursing and Trauma Care in Sitges (near Barcelona). Over 240 abstracts were submitted from 30 countries and we were privileged to be invited to present 3 separate pieces of work. These were: ‘24 hours in A&E: a video analysis of nurses’ clinical and non-clinical task performance during live clinical resuscitation episodes’; ‘It’s a silent leadership’: an interview and questionnaire study investigating staff conceptualisations of leadership during emergency department resuscitation’; ‘Clinical engagement with emergency medicine research’.
Read more
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Nicky Freeman
Senior Research Nurse
Nicola has had a circuitous journey into the role of Research Nurse with EMERGE. An initial interest in research and global inequalities was sparked whilst studying Geography at the University of Glasgow. This led to her undertaking a Masters of Research degree in Human Geography in 2011. Upon graduating Nicola has worked in various capacities in the field of International Development. It was working on a health project in rural Uganda that provided the catalyst for Nicola seeking a more ‘hands on’ role and better understanding of tropical diseases. Nicola has subsequently retrained as nurse at the University of Southampton and completed a Diploma in Tropical Nursing in 2018.
After nearly 3 years of working in acute medicine at the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, Nicola joined the Emergency Department in Edinburgh. Finding herself increasingly thinking about how patient care might be improved past the day to day, Nicola decided to undertake a research project for her Masters in Nursing. Working in the Royal Infirmary ED, it wasn’t long before Nicola became aware of EMERGE and was immediately captivated. Nicola is very excited to join this dynamic team and have the opportunity to contribute to pragmatic, pioneering research that improves patient care.
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ISARIC4C – Coronavirus Clinical Characterisation Consortium, an observational study
PROM OCTS
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Claire Cheyne
Senior Research Nurse
I’ve been nursing for 18 years, the first half of my career spent in orthopaedic trauma and vascular surgery in the old Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. It was a challenging and an enormous learning curve to say the least!
In 2006 I travelled the world working as a nurse in Australia to fund my adventure, and returned home to Scotland! I was lucky enough to gain employment within the emergency department in the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh for around 9 years. During that time I got married, had two children, and worked in community nursing for a short while. Now I work on the staff bank in a variety of specialities but mainly within the emergency department and with the wonderful EMERGE research team.
I am new to research and I’m loving the challenges it brings, the vast amount there is yet to learn and being part of something that will have a positive influence on the delivery of patient care.
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Emily Godden
Senior Research Nurse - Renal/Acute Medicine
When I got offered a job as a newly qualified staff nurse working in the renal department I was delighted but terrified. I quickly buried my head into a textbook in an attempt to refresh my memory about how this complex organ works and memorise all of the normal blood values ready for my first day!
It has never been a dull day working as a renal nurse. The patient group I care for ensures this. Their charisma and resilience humbles me and each individual I have cared for has taught me different lessons.
I was also very lucky to work with such an excellent and very knowledgeable team, all of whom always had the patient at the very heart of their work. It was fascinating to hear about the research some of the renal doctors were carrying out to help improve care and outcomes for this patient group. When the opportunity arose to participate in this research I jumped at this chance.
Joining a team of researchers dedicated to improving healthcare has been an amazing experience, It has been inspiring to see how the EMERGE team has pioneered healthcare within the emergency department. For me, it is a very exciting prospect that the EMERGE team have expanded to include renal research. With their support and expertise I hope to help develop and expand research in this area whilst making it more visible and ultimately helping to make a difference in the care and disease trajectory of these patients.
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Tricia Jeram
Admin Support - Bank staff
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Michelle Curtin
Senior Research Nurse - Stroke/Neurosurgery
Michelle is trained in both Learning Disability and Adult Nursing. Her nursing experience includes working with adults and children with learning disabilities, acquired head injuries and additional support needs, adults recovering from neurosurgery and children with complex healthcare needs including long-term ventilation.
Along with working with EMERGE, Michelle is currently studying part time for a Masters in Advancing Nursing Practice.
She is new to EMERGE and has a particular interest in life after brain tumour surgery and stroke recovery.
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COV_002 Vaccine Trial
ISARIC4C – Coronavirus Clinical Characterisation Consortium, an observational study
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Jessica Teasdale
Senior Research Nurse - Stroke/Neurosurgery
At the age of 18, Jessica left her home of County Durham to study Neuroscience at the University of Dundee. She graduated in 2012 with a keen interest in developing a career in the NHS. From her time in the NHS as an Admin support officer, she was inspired by the team of specialist nurses she worked with to complete further study and become a registered nurse.
After completing her nursing degree at Edinburgh Napier University at the end of 2015, she worked clinically in General Medicine and then moved to DCN to work across Neurosurgery and Neuro-HDU. In March 2017, she moved to the Clinical Research Facility as research nursing had always been a keen interest during her nurse training. She developed her research knowledge and gained experience of working on a number of trials from different specialities within a Phase 1 accredited facility.
She always wanted to combine her previous Neuroscience degree with her nursing degree and moved to EMERGE recently to work as a Senior Research Nurse on a number of Stroke trials and work on the development of Neurosurgery studies within EMERGE. She is excited to see what the future holds for all things Neuro within EMERGE.
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Alison Grant
Senior Research Nurse
I moved to the big City of Edinburgh, from rural Perthshire, at the grand age of 17 to begin my nursing studies. I graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 2000 with a 2:1 honours degree – all set to conquer the (nursing) world.
Related Trials
PRECISE-CTCA Trial
SECUre – A Multicentre Survey of the Safety of Emergency Care in UK Emergency Departments
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Fraser Craig
Clinical Trial Assistant
Before working in the emergency department , I worked over 20 years in the care sector. This allowed me to support adults and young people who had learning difficulties and mental health problems, along with supporting a patient who had an acquired brain injury, on a one-to-one basis.
I then moved onto working in the emergency department where I gained more clinical skills which worked well with my support skills. I loved working in the ED. It was my first real team experience, as previously I was frequently a lone worker, and I thrived on the fact that the whole department could not survive without each other; from the domestics to the consultants- we all worked together!
I started with EMERGE on April fools day 2019! I am overwhelmed by the “team” feeling- this is by far the most exciting and dynamic crew I have ever joined! My hope is to redefine myself in EMERGE and become a valued member of an amazing team.
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Lisa Donald
Research Nurse
I joined the EMERGE research team in March 2020, having spent the most part of my career in Cardiology. I had heard a lot about the EMERGE research group through friends and colleagues and was certainly curious about how the team worked. I had undertaken a 6 month secondment in Cardiovascular Research and was keen to extend my experience as a research nurse.
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Dr Jen Browning
Consultant Paediatrican in Emergency Medicine
Jen, a Glaswegian at heart, crossed the east-west divide in 1992 to study Medicine at Edinburgh University. Having graduated from here she pursued a career in Orthopaedics before seeing the light and converting to Emergency Medicine. She joined the South-East Scotland Emergency Medicine team in 2004 and developed her interest in Paediatric Emergency Medicine.
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#WhyWeDoResearch
15 Apr 2015 | Miranda Odam
We asked a number of colleagues and friends why we do what we do. Their answers are inspiring, challenging and sometimes very funny.
Read moreEMERGE ALUMNI
Past staff & contributors
We would like to thank all of the staff who have previously worked with and/or contributed to, the growth and development of EMERGE.
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Jean Skelton
RRG Research Project Co-ordinator
Jean has been working with the Resuscitation Research Group since December 2018. She completed her masters degree in Human Cognitive Neuropsychology at the University of Edinburgh in 2018 and her research interests include translational clinical research, developmental neuroscience and health psychology. She is looking forward to supporting the exciting work happening at Save a Life for Scotland and the Resuscitation Research Group.
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Diane Lac
RRG Research Project Co-ordinator
Diane completed her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology at the University of British Columbia and then spent three years working in the charitable health care sector. She worked on fundraising initiatives that harnessed the power of philanthropy to drive innovation, fund research and significantly improve patient outcomes and health services. She is also passionate about improving operational efficiency to maximise growth and impact. She chose to pursue her dreams of living abroad and moved across the pond to Edinburgh. She is excited to support the dynamic work of Save a Life for Scotland and the Resuscitation Research Group.
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Dr Stephen Lynch
Consultant in Emergency Medicine
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#WhyWeDoResearch
15 Apr 2015 | Miranda Odam
We asked a number of colleagues and friends why we do what we do. Their answers are inspiring, challenging and sometimes very funny.
Read more
Professor Rustam Al-Shahi Salman
Professor of clinical neurology, University of Edinburgh Honorary consultant neurologist, NHS Lothian
Dr Andrew Saunders
Trainee, Emergency Medicine, TERN Fellow
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Resuscitation Research Group (RRG)
www.rrg.scot/
The Resuscitation Research Group at the University of Edinburgh is a collaborative involving the University, the Scottish Ambulance Service and the Emergency Department at the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh along with other academic and industry partners.
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The Scottish Cardiac Arrest Symposium 2016 – Register now!
29 Mar 2016 | Lisa MacInnes
THEY ALL DIE ANYWAY. WE SAID NO. WE SAID WE CAN BE BETTER. WE SAID SHIFT HAPPENS. TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN. JOIN US.
Read moreProfessor Rustam Al-Shahi Salman
Professor of clinical neurology, University of Edinburgh Honorary consultant neurologist, NHS Lothian
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Dr William Whitely
Scottish Senior Clinical Fellow and Consultant Neurologist
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Professor Michael Eddleston
Professor of Clinical Toxicology
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Professor Nick Mills
Chair of Cardiology
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Alison Glover
Lead Research Nurse (BTS)
I started my professional career in Psychiatric nursing back in the 1980s after that in the 1990s I branched into more clinically based nursing in Infectious disease and specialised in Nursing patients with HIV/AIDS, which is where my interest in research began, I spent some years working on clinical trials which were dedicated to developing new treatments for AIDS. In 2004 I took up a post with the Blood Transfusion Service and have been privileged in supported a number of studies in the emerging world on Regenerative Medicine.
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A Day in the Life of a Research Nurse
26 May 2015 | Jen Simpson
Our very own Jen Simpson, takes us through the roller coaster ride that is 24 hours in the shoes of a Research Nurse.
Read more