MRC Transition Support Award:Maternal and perinatal Health Research collaboration,India(MaatHRI):improving outcomes in pregnant women with anaemia

我已经完成了正在进行的建立英国-印度孕产妇和围产期健康研究合作平台（MaatHRI）的大部分奖学金工作，并开始展示我的研究成果和领导力。自我的奖学金开始以来，已经发表了五篇奖学金论文和另外四篇学生论文。研究金的工作调动了额外的资金，包括工业界的资金，以加强研究成果。我获得了许多认可和奖项，包括获得2019年亚洲女性成就奖（英国）科学类奖项。然而，我的研究势头和奖学金的巩固最初受到印度监管部门批准延迟的影响，然后受到2019年12月与“公民身份修正案”相关的抗议活动和2020年3月以来的COVID-19大流行所造成的干扰。这导致了两项初步研究的延迟完成。过渡支持奖（TSA）将使我能够：(i)通过完成研究目标来巩固正在进行的奖学金；（ii）履行正在进行的人类研究的伦理义务，（iii）采取下一步措施，通过巩固进一步研究的新兴假设，加强新生的研究合作，完成研究成果的传播，将证据转化为政策和临床指导，并建立MaatHRI研究平台的可持续性，以确立自己作为研究领导者的地位。如果不完成这两项正在进行的主要研究并巩固新出现的假设，我就不太可能在下一个资助阶段具有竞争力。一些缓解措施已经到位，例如修改所需的样本量，增加监测参与者招募率的频率，检查数据输入以及时标记和纠正错误。MaatHRI项目的发展超出了我的预期，产生了丰富的数据集，能够回答几个重要的研究问题。TSA将使我能够巩固与国内和国际专家的新兴多学科合作。这将促进妊娠期铁代谢领域下一阶段的转化研究（将来自动物模型的新证据转化为有利于人群健康的证据），以及对妊娠期心力衰竭妇女先天性心脏病和长期心血管结局的研究。作为一个研究和培训平台，MaatHRI提供了物有所值的服务。如果没有大型的标准化研究基础设施，目前正在使用MaatHRI进行的全球相关性研究无法在英国甚至印度进行。限制正在进行的研究将削弱产生有意义结果的统计能力，从而损害已经收集的数据的价值、对已经参与研究的妇女的道德义务和已经花费的资金。成功完成正在进行的工作将认可该平台的价值，并最大限度地提高研究成果，从而使我能够采取下一步措施，使自己成为研究领导者。我得到了我所在机构的大力支持，自奖学金设立以来，该机构多年来不断发展壮大。通过各种培训机会、委员会成员资格、激励奖励、发展合作、传播我的研究成果以及外部和内部指导，我继续发展我的研究和学术领导技能和形象。我得到了我所在部门的大力支持，申请过渡支持奖，并承诺提供所需的50%工资和100%的保护时间来完成剩余的研究和领导力发展活动。

I have completed a majority of the ongoing fellowship work which established a UK-India collaborative platform for maternal and perinatal health research (called MaatHRI), and is starting to demonstrate my research achievements and leadership. Five papers from the fellowship and a further four students papers have been published since the start of my fellowship. The fellowship work leveraged additional funding, including industry funding, to strengthen the research outputs. I have received recognitions and awards including winning the science category of the Asian Women of Achievement Awards (UK) in 2019. However, my research momentum and consolidation of the fellowship was affected initially by delays in receiving regulatory approvals in India and then due to the disruptions caused by the 'Citizenship amendment bill' related protests in December 2019 and the COVID-19 pandemic since March 2020. This has resulted in a delay in completing the two primary studies. A Transition Support Award (TSA) will enable me to: (i) consolidate the ongoing fellowship by completing the research objectives; (ii) fulfil the ethical obligations for the ongoing human studies, and (iii) take the next steps towards establishing myself as a research leader by consolidating the emerging hypotheses for further research, strengthening nascent research collaborations, completing dissemination of research outputs, translating evidence to policy and clinical guidance, and establishing the sustainability of the MaatHRI research platform.Without completing the two primary ongoing studies and firming up the emerging hypotheses, I am unlikely to be competitive for the next funding stage. Several mitigating measures have been put in place such as revising the required samples sizes, increasing the frequency of monitoring participant recruitment rates and checking data entry to flag and correct errors promptly. The MaatHRI programme has grown beyond what I anticipated, producing rich datasets that are capable of answering several important research questions. A TSA will enable me to consolidate nascent multidisciplinary collaborations with national and international experts. This will facilitate translational research (translating emerging evidence from animal models to benefiting population health) in the next phase in the field of iron metabolism in pregnancy, and study of congenital heart disease and longer-term cardiovascular outcomes in women who have heart failure during pregnancy.MaatHRI provides excellent value for money as a research and training platform. The studies of global relevance currently being undertaken using MaatHRI cannot be carried out in the UK or even in India without a large standardised research infrastructure. Limiting the ongoing studies will undermine the statistical power to produce meaningful results, thereby compromising the value of the data already collected, the ethical obligations to the women who have already participated, and the funds already spent. Successfully completing the ongoing work will endorse the value of the platform and maximise research outputs, thus enabling me to take the next steps towards establishing myself as a research leader. I have strong support from my institution, which has grown over the years since the start of the fellowship. I have continued to develop my research and academic leadership skills and profile through opportunities for training, committee membership, pump-priming awards, developing collaborations, disseminating my research outputs, and external and internal mentorships. I have strong support from my Department to apply for the transition support award with a commitment to provide the required 50% salary and 100% protected time to complete the remaining research and leadership development activities.