Putting research at the heart of patient care

As one of the largest and busiest teaching hospitals in the country, we are committed to improving patient care through research and innovation.

Research and innovation helps doctors and clinicians better understand how diseases work, tackle some of the biggest and most complex health challenges and find more ways of making life comfortable for our patients.

Without research, breakthroughs in medicine wouldn’t be possible.

Our clinicians have been at the helm of a number of advances in medicines over the years, pioneering treatments and technology that are now routinely used in hospitals throughout the UK.

Examples of our cutting-edge research and innovations include:

• Only UK site, and one of only four in the world, to pioneer a groundbreaking treatment for multiple sclerosis sufferers. The treatment, which was featured on BBC Panorama and is called autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT), has reversed the effects of the debilitating disease in some patients with relapsing/remitting multiple sclerosis
• First hospital in the country to use ‘pill cameras’ to take pictures of the small intestine to diagnose gut disorders in clinical practice
• Building a virtual heart prototype which could offer doctors a simpler and more reliable way to detect how severely arteries are blocked in heart disease patients – giving hope to thousands
• Establishing Europe’s only dedicated research centre for patients with motor neurone disease, an incurable illness that leaves sufferers unable to walk, talk and breathe.

A research leader

Sheffield Teaching Hospitals is internationally recognised for a number of its specialist services and research. This includes diabetes research and studies looking at how diseases of the bone, heart, lung and nervous system affect patients.

Six clinicians from the Trust hold distinguished senior investigator status from the National Institute for Health Research – an honour bestowed to only 200 academics and clinicians across the country.

Further information

Email sth.researchadministration@nhs.net or contact 0114 226 5935 to find out more about research and innovation at the Trust and how you could get involved.

Clinical Research Office

A joint Clinical Research Office, providing specialist advice to researchers, patients and industry, has been set up in partnership with the University of Sheffield. Please click here for further information.