The simplest way to start is by joining one of our active projects as a local collaborator. Collaborators typically help with identifying and enrolling patients at their hospital, collecting data per study protocol, and ensuring data quality. This role is crucial – multicentre studies succeed because of on-the-ground collaborators at each site. To become a collaborator, check our Studies page for projects labeled “Active” and contact the study’s lead or our central committee (contact info below). We will connect you with the project coordinator, provide the study protocol and training, and get the necessary ethics approvals in place for your site if not already covered. Even contributing to one study can earn you authorship if targets are met bssh.ac.uk, and you can collaborate on multiple projects as time allows.
We encourage members, especially trainees, to bring forward their own research ideas. If you’ve noticed a recurring clinical question or variation in practice that lacks evidence, that could be the seed of the next ACTPRAS study. The process is: reach out to the ACTPRAS committee with a brief proposal or even just an idea. Our Research Development Panel (a mix of consultants and research-active trainees) will help you refine the question and design. We often hold informal “Shark Tank” sessions where new ideas are pitched and collectively discussed for feasibility and impact. Promising proposals are then taken through more formal protocol development. ACTPRAS can assist with obtaining mentors or methodological experts (e.g., a statistician via our ACTA links) to strengthen your study design. Once a solid protocol is ready, the committee can endorse it as an ACTPRAS study, helping you secure wider participation and even guiding you to potential funding or grants. In summary, if you have a research question, ACTPRAS will help you answer it by mobilizing our network.
If your hospital is not yet involved with ACTPRAS, you could serve as the point person to bring our studies to your institution. Site leads help coordinate approvals at their hospital, rally colleagues or juniors to assist, and ensure data collection runs smoothly locally. This role offers leadership experience and close interaction with the central study steering group. We particularly welcome senior trainees or consultants to act as site leads, but junior doctors can also take on this role with consultant support. When a new study starts, we often send out calls for site leads – respond to those calls or notify us of your interest in advance. We provide template documents and letters you might need to engage your department or research office.
For those enthusiastic about shaping the collaborative itself, there are opportunities to join ACTPRAS’s organizational team. We periodically have openings for roles such as regional trainee representatives, communications/social media coordinators, or audit coordinators. These roles are usually elected or appointed at our annual meetings. By taking on an administrative or leadership role, you can help with tasks like organizing events (e.g., annual research symposium, training workshops), maintaining the website and newsletters, or liaising with partner organizations. This not only bolsters your CV with leadership and service to the specialty, but it also ensures ACTPRAS remains trainee-driven and dynamic. Keep an eye on News & Events for any calls for committee nominations.