New CSO Innovation Academic Fellows Appointed
The Chief Scientist Office is delighted to announce the appointment of three new CSO Innovation Academic Fellows.
Polly Darby, Samuel McInerney and Rachael Innes have been appointed as new CSO Innovation Academic Fellows following a highly competitive application process.
The CSO Innovation Academic Fellowship is targeted at early-career innovators working within NHS Scotland. It provides funding for clinicians early in their careers to undertake a higher degree (MD or PhD) while working on an innovation project. It is 100% funded, including university fees.
During their appointment, CSO Innovation Academic Fellows will develop their knowledge, skills and experience to become future leaders in research, development and innovation (RD&I) with NHS Scotland. They will engage with healthcare and industry partners to develop innovative products, services or devices. As Fellows, they will assist in transforming the design and delivery of health and social care in a sustainable way, to provide high-quality, timely and accessible services.
The CSO would like to highlight the very high standard of applications received and thanks all candidates for their applications.
You can read more about our new CSO Innovation Academic Fellows and their projects below.
Ms Polly Darby – Project: Optimising Tumour Margins for Better Outcomes with Online Adaptive Radiotherapy for Head and Neck Cancer – Starting October 2024 with the North of Scotland Innovation Hub
Polly Darby is a registered medical physicist specialising in radiotherapy physics at NHS Grampian. She became a medical physicist because she was motivated to make a positive impact on patient’s lives, something which has only strengthened through the course of her training and now clinical career. She actively aims to drive improvements in patient care through access to high quality and timely treatments. Research and innovation in healthcare, particularly the development and evaluation of digital technologies, has always interested her and she is very keen to build further expertise in these areas.
As a CSO Innovation Academic Fellow, Polly will develop a novel methodology to optimise the tumour margins for online adaptive radiotherapy in the treatment of head and neck cancer. This has the potential to minimise the potential disadvantages of radiotherapy whilst making treatment more adapted to each individual’s changing anatomy.
Dr Samuel McInerney – Project: Design, Evaluation and Implementation of an AI-Enabled Digital System for Remote Monitoring and Support of Patients on Anti-Cancer Therapy – Starting August 2024 with the West of Scotland Innovation Hub
Dr Samuel McInerney is a medical oncology registrar at the Beatson Cancer Centre in Glasgow. He is also a computer Scientist with a special interest in artificial intelligence and deep learning.
Samuel’s work aims to utilise the rapidly evolving landscape of AI and natural language processing with the patient electronic health record. Combining this technology with electronic patient reported outcomes will bring the NHS into a digital first model of cancer care. This will greatly improve patient and clinician experience, and create a blueprint for innovation in the field of AI for the NHS.
Dr Rachael Innes – Project: Assessing the impact of Closed Loop Systems (CLS) in the management of Type 1 Diabetes; Transitioning innovative Data Integration, Risk Stratification & Cohort Management Tools into clinical care – Starting August 2025 with the West of Scotland Innovation
Rachael is currently working as a medical registrar in the field of Diabetes and Endocrinology in Glasgow. Graduating from the University of Aberdeen in 2014, she has been a passionate advocate throughout her career for her patients getting the best care available.
This motivated Rachael to focus on the innovation space and how innovative solutions can be used to directly benefit patient care and support the NHS’s efforts to transform.
As a CSO Innovation Academic Fellow, Rachael will assess the impact of Closed Loop Systems (potable insulin pumps which automatically supply the body with insulin) to reveal the potential benefits this transformative innovative technology can have for Type 1 Diabetes patients and the wider healthcare system.