Kebba is looking for answers to diabetes with pioneering PhD scheme
Despite the UK’s strong reputation as a provider of doctoral programmes, people from Black Minority Ethnic (BME) backgrounds often find themselves at a disadvantage compared to other groups, when it comes to access to these educational opportunities.
To readdress the balance, the Equity in Doctoral Education through Partnership and Innovation (EDEPI) is a national programme introduced to help. And R&I’s own Kebba Konteh, a senior clinical research officer within the RRR (Research Rapid Response) Team, has been awarded a new PhD scholarship at Nottingham Trent University (NTU) in partnership with NUH under this scheme.
Kebba, who has worked at NUH for 13 years, has been funded to begin his investigations into skeletal muscle function in patients with Type 2 diabetes, while continuing to work at NUH four days a week.
The EDEPI programme divides into three distinct work packages targeting recruitment, admissions and transition, through sector-leading initiatives delivered at NTU, Sheffield Hallam University and Liverpool John Moores University.
Kebba has been a member of our R&I team for around three years and, before joining NUH, worked in research in Oxford and at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Type 2 Diabetes is a very personal disease for Kebba and his family. He explained:
“On the 7 March this year, I lost a brother, who was also called Kebba…to complications from diabetes. He had a left foot amputated in 2022, he couldn’t survive it…”
The recent bereavement has given Kebba all the more motivation to study for his PhD, which he hopes will encompass opportunities for Type 2 diabetes studies. These could involve recruiting patients in Nottingham into trials in future.
Kebba is looking at the function of the ABRA gene (Actin-Binding Rho Activating gene) in skeletal muscle function for people with Type 2. He aims to transfer his initial lab work into human trials at a later stage, depending on how the research progresses, and with the appropriate permissions.
His PhD studies will run over a five-year period and EDEPI is one of 13 programmes funded by Research England and Office for students. According to NTU, these programmes have been “created to tackle persistent inequalities that create barriers to access and participation in doctoral education for racially minoritised groups”.
Kebba has received support from a number of colleagues at NUH in his desire to develop in his career, and has praised RRR Team manager Jack Squires among others, as a strong champion.
He said: “I couldn’t do this without the support of my line manager. Jack has been fantastic…I never thought I would get to where I am today…full credit to him!”
“I would also like to thank my supervisor at NTU, Dr Nelson Chong, who has been instrumental in supporting me, and Louise Bramley at NUH who has also been very helpful.”
Kebba added:
“I can’t wait to complete this qualification, and look forward to continuing to work with Jack, and the rest of the clinical research team.
“As well as treating diabetes, I am looking to further diabetes awareness. For my community in Nottingham, I want to create greater awareness of the risks of diabetes and the help available to people that are living with the disease.
“I want to go into the community to help to educate people. My PhD will help my skills and knowledge of diabetes and enable me to reach out to more people.”
Jack Squires, manager of the RRRT team, believes Kebba’s latest opportunity is “inspirational” and stressed that Kebba had worked hard to reach this PhD success.
“We desperately need people with Kebba’s drive, interest in particular clinical areas and work ethic to succeed in research; that is how you can make a difference in communities,” said Jack.
“Here in the UK, there is still a discrepancy in some groups’ ability to access treatment …if more people like Kebba worked in healthcare, I believe this would lead to better outcomes for the BME community.”
Louise Bramley, head of Nursing and Midwifery Research, said:
“I am delighted that Kebba has been successful in gaining a place on the programme to progress his research career. It has been a pleasure to see him develop his research ideas and gain in confidence with support from both NTU and NUH with the mentorship element of the programme.
“This programme is an exciting opportunity for Team NUH and having Kebba achieve success to start on his doctoral journey will be a great inspiration to others who want to undertake important research that will impact on the patients and communities we serve.”