Meet the team
Professor Helen Walthall
Director of Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professionals' (NMAHP) Research and Innovation
Professor Walthall is the OUH research capacity and capability lead for nursing, midwifery and allied health professionals, leading the strategy and implementation of research across the Trust.
Cardiac nursing continues to be the focus of her research and she has been active within the sphere of cardiac nursing nationally and internationally, joining editorial boards and scientific committees.
Helen is a Visiting Professor at the Oxford School of Nursing and teach students from pre-registration through to doctoral studies.
She currently supervises PhDs, Professional Doctorates and MSc ACP dissertations.
Helen is a member of several national groups that explore and support the development of nursing and midwifery research and clinical academic roles.
These include the NIHR nursing and midwifery incubator, the NIHR advanced surgical technology incubator, clinical academic research implementation network (CARIN) and the Chief Nursing Office research transformation group.
Helen is one of the 2023 cohort on the NIHR Senior Research Leaders Programme.
Email: helen.walthall@ouh.nhs.uk
Sandie Wellman
Head of NMAHP Clinical Research Delivery
Sandie is the Head of NMAHPs, clinical research delivery. Her role provides clinical advice and leadership to all NMAHP delivery staff and oversight for teams working in clinical research.
She is responsible for ensuring frameworks for clinical governance, competencies and education are in place for research delivery staff.
A key aspect of Sandie's role is to work on the integration of clinical research across all areas of the Trust and the NMAHP strategic plan. She is passionate about clinical research and the opportunities it offers to patients.
Sandie has worked in clinical research since 1999, mainly in cancer research and clinically within early phase clinical trials.
In addition to her nursing role, she has managed a sample handling laboratory, been the designate person on a human tissue collection, overseen a quality management system and managed a team of research administrative staff.
Sandie has hosted many audits and MHRA inspections. She regularly teaches and presents both locally and nationally.
Email: sandie.wellman@ouh.nhs.uk
Dr Louise Strickland
Divisional Lead for NMAHP Research and Innovation - Surgery, Women's and Oncology (SuWOn) Division
Louise works alongside the team to develop research capacity and capability for nursing, midwifery and allied health professionals within the Trust.
Her background, expertise and current research activity involves perioperative patient care, surgical assisting, patient-reported outcome measures, patient blood management and patient recovery.
She is one of the 2024 cohort on the NIHR Senior Research Leaders Programme.
She is an Honorary Departmental Clinical Academic Nurse Researcher at the Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences (NDORMS) and the Data Driven Blood and Transplant Research Unit (BTRU) Research Fellow, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford.
She completed her DPhil in Musculoskeletal Sciences at the University of Oxford, and her specific area of focus was early patient recovery following hip and knee replacement surgery.
Email: louise.strickland@ouh.nhs.uk
Dr Clair Merriman PhD MSc BSc(Hons) RGN
Divisional Lead for NMAHP Research and Innovation- Neurosciences, Orthopaedics, Trauma, Specialist Surgery, Children's and Neonates (NOTSSCaN)
Clair is a Clinical Academic Adult Nurse with a background in neuroscience and critical care.
She is Divisional Lead for NMAHP Research and Innovation at Oxford University Hospitals and a Visiting Research Fellow at Oxford Brookes University, supporting practitioners and academics to build research capacity and improve patient outcomes.
Her research focuses on nursing, midwifery and allied health workforce development, Fundamentals of Care and Quality Improvement.
She has expertise in mixed methods research and the use of appreciative inquiry as a methodology. She supervises MSc and doctoral students (leadership, internationally educated workforce and Fundamentals of Care).
In 2024 she received an NIHR Senior Research Leader award (Nursing and Midwifery).
Her PhD (2020) explored effective critical care ward rounds to inform national guidance.
She is Co-lead of the Workforce Development Research Group at Oxford Brookes University, a member of the National Body Temperature Group at the University of Oxford and the International Learning Collaborative Research Special Interest Group.
Email: clair.merriman@ouh.nhs.uk
Dr Sheera Sutherland
Divisional Lead for NMAHP Research and Innovation - Medicine, Rehabilitation and Cardiac (MRC)
Dr Sutherland's background is in renal dialysis nursing. She has worked in research delivery for over 14 years and led the renal research team for two years.
She completed her PhD in Health Care Studies in 2020 at Oxford Brookes University, looking at the design, development and evaluation of a physical exercise programme for renal dialysis patients suitable for use in both clinical and domestic environments.
Her research interests include patient wellbeing and exercise, use of wearable devices to determine activity levels and patient vital sign monitoring.
She continues to support renal service evaluation and quality improvement projects as well as supporting projects across the Divisions.
She has expertise in qualitative research methods and collaborations with the University of Exeter Clinical Rehabilitation Group.
Dr Claire Clews
Divisional Lead for NMAHP Research and Innovation - Clinical Support Services (CSS) and Corporate
Dr Clews is a working midwife whose research aligns to supporting parental choice and autonomy during pregnancy and childbirth specifically, birth in water and midwifery care of pregnant and new mothers in prison.
She has been a clinical placement facilitator for NMAHP students, Lead Midwife for Education at the University of Northampton and Head of the Health Professions team (Paramedics, Midwifery, Podiatry and Dental Nursing).
She supports OUH Divisional teams to increase research capacity, further supporting evidence-based practice.
Email: claire.clews@ouh.nhs.uk
Dr Sarah Scott BSc DClinPsych
Clinical Psychologist
Sarah is the External Research Supervisor for the Oxford Institute of Clinical Psychology Training and Research.
Her research interests are within the field of clinical health psychology, exploring the psychological impact of physical illness and what supports acceptance, adjustment and coping with change.
Her area of focus is Cardiology, aligned with her NHS role within the Oxford Heart Centre - Cardiac Rehabilitation and Adult Congenital Heart Disease.
Email: sarah.scott@ouh.nhs.uk
Elizabeth King BSc (Hons) PG Cert, PhD
ICU Follow-Up Lead Physiotherapist and Clinical Lecturer, Nuffield Division of Clinical Laboratory Services
Elizabeth's research interests include rehabilitation and recovery following acute and critical illnesses.
She completed a PhD in 2025 through a qualitative case study where she explored the experiences of patients living with musculoskeletal impairments following critical illness, alongside their family members and staff supporting them.
Elizabeth King - Google Scholar
Email: elizabeth.king@ouh.nhs.uk
Dr Hannah McGivern PhD MSc BSc
Outreach Librarian (Information Specialist)
Hannah is an Outreach Librarian in the Bodleian Health Care Libraries, where she supports Oxford University Hospitals staff and University of Oxford staff and students.
She teaches research and information literacy skills including how to conduct a systematic review.
Her research interests include 'tea trolley' teaching models, collaboration across healthcare professions and the inclusivity of libraries.
She holds a PhD in Bone Biomechanics, completed in 2020, and worked as a research assistant for the University of Oxford before moving to the Bodleian Health Care Libraries.
