About us
Stephanie Meddick-Dyson, an academic clinical fellow in palliative medicine, Natalie Pattison, Professor of Clinical Nursing, and Sally Humphreys, an NHS research nurse studying end-of-life care in critical care, developed the End-of-life and Palliative Care in the ICU research Network (EPCIN). Sam Clark joined as a fourth co-chair with expertise as a senior intensivist.
The network hosts regular free webinars and provides a forum for professionals working in ICU or in palliative and end-of-life care in order to address the following aims:
1) Encourage and allow organisation of networking events
2) A place to pool research previously undertaken/and currently being undertaken to identify research foci
3) Collaborate and provide support (mentor/mentee and peer support) on research projects
4) A network to be called upon for consensus work
5) Opportunities to collaborate across centres building potential mentor/mentee relationships
6) A place to share knowledge best practice and suggestions across centres through education and practice initiatives
7) Create a broad social media presence to highlight and share best research practice/network.
Dr Stephanie Meddick-Dyson
Stephanie Meddick-Dyson is a National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Academic Clinical Fellow in Palliative Medicine working in Yorkshire. After completing acute medical training with time spent working in the emergency department, intensive care as well as medical specialities, Stephanie chose to focus on acute palliative care. Although her clinical work covers the breadth of palliative and end-of-life care, her area of interest for research is palliative care within the intensive care unit, particularly implementation of interventions. She created the End-of-life and Palliative Care in the ICU Research Network (EPCIN) in order to share knowledge between professionals and drive collaboration.
Sally Humphreys
Sally currently holds a PhD scholarship at the University of Hertfordshire studying end-of-life care in critical care and is a NHS critical care research nurse. She chairs the NHS R&D Forum Research Management Working Group, the national membership body for NHS Research, is a co-chair End-of-Life and Palliative Care in ICU Research Network (EPCIN), a member of the HRA Study-Set Up Partnership Board, and a NIHR Academy member. In 2020 Sally founded the international #Red4Research campaign which brings together all those participating, supporting, and undertaking research.
Professor Natalie Pattison
Professor Natalie Pattison is a clinical academic who has worked clinically in cancer, critical care and critical care outreach. She is a Professor of Clinical Nursing with a joint appointment across the University of Hertfordshire and East and North Herts NHS Trust (ENHT). Natalie also holds a Researcher in Residence (ICU) position at Imperial College London, working in the CATO team, with an honorary contract with Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. She is the clinical lead for the critical care follow-up service at ENHT, combining this with a research role. Her research interests focus on her clinical area of critical care and critically ill ward patients, end of life in critical care, disability in critical care, and workforce in critical care. She is widely published in critical care. She is Chair of the National Outreach Forum, immediate past-Chair of UK Critical Care Research Group, and Chair of UK Critical Care Nursing Alliance. She is also Deputy Lead for the National Institute for Health Research National Specialty Group for Critical Care and co-chair for EPCIN.
Dr Sam Clark
Dr Sam Clark is Consultant in Critical Care at Mid-Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. He has a sub-specialty interest in Palliative Care, working regular sessions with the Specialist Palliative Care Team in his organisation. He has led the writing of guidelines with the Intensive Care Society (ICS), including for ‘the transfer of critically ill adults to an outdoor space during end of life care’, and is currently working with multiple organisations to publish guidance for the transfer of critical care patients to their preferred place of death for end-of-life care.