ORCHID Annual Report 2023 - Flipbook - Page 2
About us
The Centre for Outcomes and Experience Research in Children9s Health, Illness and Disability (known as
ORCHID) is a research centre within GOSH. It was first established in 2000, led by Professor Linda Franck,
and was then situated within a new theme within ICH General and Adolescent Health. The research centre
remained within ICH until around 2011, when the unit become fully supported by GOSH, with the lead of
ORCHID holding a joint appointment with London South Bank University, then the University of Surrey. The
core leadership of ORCHID has remained stable since its move into the Trust.
ORCHID is one of a discrete number of academic units hosted within a NHS hospital, and its uniqueness
lies in its primary focus on children and young people. Leadership of ORCHID is multi-professional in nature,
and our focus is on the conduct of high-quality outcomes and experience-based research in the field of child
health, specialising in inclusive research with hard-to-reach groups and collaborating on multi-disciplinary
studies locally, nationally, and internationally. In addition, we have a significant role in influencing and helping
to embed a strong research culture into the fabric of GOSH, and support NAHPs (Nurses, Allied Health
Professionals) who are actively seeking to develop a clinical academic career, as well as supporting
everyone to find ways to answer clinical questions.
Through these combined goals ORCHID contributes to innovation and excellence in child health care, both
generating evidence to influence policy and practice and fostering the development of NAHP research
leaders of the future. ORCHID is led by the GOSH Director of NAHP Research and comprises a team of
senior researchers from NAHP disciplines who are each leading programmes of research. Within ORCHID
we also have a Clinical Academic Faculty which comprises an integrated group of NAHPs who are
undertaking pre-doctoral, doctoral, and post-doctoral level research training. Through our varied roles and
multiple partnerships, we support research across GOSH and contribute to the research hospital agenda.
See below, these are just some of our partnerships.
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