Emma Szycman

One of the inaugural recipients of the Clifford Craig Foundation’s Early Career Research Scholarships, Emma is currently leading a project aimed at improving patient outcomes in disease of the gut-bowel preparation.  

Growing up in Launceston, Emma completed a Bachelor of Nursing at the University of Tasmania in 2013.
She then joined the graduate nursing program at the Launceston General Hospital and completed her graduate year between Ward 5d medical oncology and 4K paediatrics.

Since 2015 she has been working in the hospital’s Day Procedure Unit and in 2020 she also completed a Graduate Diploma in Anaesthetics and Recovery Nursing with the University of Tasmania, along with Good Clinical Practice training for research in 2021.

It was during these studies that Emma said she developed an appreciation of medical research. Working in DPU she didn’t envision a career in research, however the arrival of Professor Nicholas Shackel to the LGH in 2019 soon changed this.

Emma attributes his influence for providing a great learning environment for research ideas and experience. This included an Introduction to Research Course introduced at the LGH last year, led by Professor Shackel and facilitated by the Clifford Craig Foundation.

It was through this course that Emma gained a scholarship to conduct her own research project, which will examine the variables and clinical variations associated with inadequate bowel preparations.

It is hoped that by better understanding why patients are having inadequate bowel preparations, health professionals can address the problems identified to deliver more efficient, safer and a higher standard of gastroenterology healthcare to patients.

This includes improved patient outcomes, satisfaction and reduced costs.

“I am very interested in research in endoscopy specifically and believe that over the years to come, I will be involved in some great and beneficial research to the patients, unit and hospital,” she said.  

This project will be 14 months in duration and is supported by Clifford Craig and the Cuthill Family Foundation.