Suriya Kirkpatrick is at the forefront of Nurse-led research, currently serving as Assistant Chief Nursing Officer for Research and Genomics at North Bristol Trust (NBT). She is also a Senior Research Leader with the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), and a PhD student at Oxford Brookes University.
Read how Suriya has blended more than 30 years of clinical nursing experience, with leadership in research, driven by a desire to empower nurses and midwives to lead meaningful research that improves patient care.
Suriya’s credentials include a BA in Psychology, MSc in Advanced Practice, a prestigious OxInAHR PhD fellowship, and recognition as a Florence Nightingale Foundation Established Leadership Scholar. She also chairs the Lung Cancer Nursing UK Research Interest Group and is an active member of the UK Oncology Nursing Society, Personalised Care Member Interest Group, championing nurse-led innovation in cancer care.
From Nurse to research leader
I started as a registered nurse and midwife in South Africa, then moved to the UK, where I combined clinical work with studies in psychology and advanced practice. I then transitioned into clinical research leading studies that bridge frontline care with evidence-based innovation. The types of initiatives that I tend to focus on are ones that embed research into everyday nursing practice, and I try to encourage nurses at all career stages to be curious and ask bold questions.
Why Nurse-led research matters
Nurses and midwives are uniquely positioned to identify gaps in care. When they are helped to lead research, they can bring invaluable patient-centred insights that drive real improvements. As a BAME researcher, I feel very strongly that it is important to have diversity in leadership to ensure research inclusivity and cultural relevance, fostering trust and broader engagement.
Focus on cancer care
Cancer research is personal for me as both my parents live with cancer. My research focuses on supportive cancer care, addressing unmet needs around survivorship, quality of life, and physical functioning. Through my work with the UK Oncology Nursing Society, I support cancer nurses to better meet patient needs.
The LungFit Study: Supporting people with lung cancer
One of my most exciting projects is the LungFit study, which centres around developing and testing the Handheld Health Lung Cancer app—an exercise-based, digital, self-management intervention tailored specifically for people living with lung cancer.
People with lung cancer often face symptoms such as breathlessness, fatigue, and depression, which can be improved through increasing physical activity and undertaking exercise. Despite this, there has been a notable lack of accessible, personalised support tools, especially for those managing their health outside the hospital.
The Handheld Health Lung Cancer App is designed for all lung cancer patients, regardless of disease stage or treatment type. It combines education, behavioural support, and personalised strength-based exercises in one easy-to-use app. It focuses on improving physical function and well-being and building patient confidence and independence at home, allowing users to engage at their own pace.
Patient-led design
From the very start, patients have played a critical role in shaping the Handheld Health Lung Cancer App, LungFit. A dedicated lung cancer PPI group helped clarify research needs, review patient-facing materials, and develop the script for the app animation.
A user-centred co-design approach was adopted to develop app features, and a usability study with lung cancer patients refined the app based on real user feedback. This resulted in a beta version, which is being evaluated to test the feasibility of the new app. There is even a patient representative on the study’s advisory board, ensuring the project stays patient-centred and grounded in real-world experience.
Looking ahead
I want to make research-led tools like the Handheld Health Lung Cancer App widely accessible, proving that nurse-led innovation can transform care for some of the most vulnerable patients. I have some upcoming presentations that will help me share this work, including the Lung Cancer Nursing UK Annual Conference, the World Nursing Conference in Singapore and the Royal College of Nursing Research Conference.
More information
- Video and Blog Post: My Role in Research: Suriya - Senior Cancer Research Nurse