Neonatal nurse from Manchester awarded Churchill Fellowship

Roxy Afzal, a neonatal intensive care nurse from Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, has been awarded a Churchill Fellowship to travel to Canada and the USA. Roxy intends to explore best practice in neonatal organ donation so that she can develop practices to support UK health professionals to confidently and competently offer the option of organ donation to families of end-of-life babies. Roxy's Fellowship is supported by The Burdett Trust for Nursing.

Roxy says: "Caring for neonatal patients is a privilege, but also challenging, as I support families through very difficult times. Particularly during traumatic times, I believe it's important to offer choices to families. Neonatal organ donation is possible but rarely carried out – it may be a sensitive and challenging process but could potentially bring some comfort to grieving parents and save the lives of transplant recipients."

The prestigious Churchill Fellowships offer a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel the world and research new ideas for nursing and allied health professions. Upon their return, the Fellows use their findings from overseas to inspire positive change in the UK.

Eleven award winners will receive grants totalling over £80,000 and travel to 11 countries across five continents. They are among 150 people who were selected this year from almost 1,800 applicants to win a Churchill Fellowship to research issues across a range of sectors. The next chance to apply for a Fellowship opens on 16 May 2019.