On International Women’s Day 2026, we are celebrating the women who are driving innovation and shaping the future of patient safety research across our team. Their expertise, leadership, and lived experience are helping to transform how we understand risk, deliver safer care, and ensure that patient voices are meaningfully embedded in research.

We are delighted to spotlight one of our funded PhD students, Jessica McCann, who is working on a project identifying the effects of admission to critical care on medication-related risks in older patients (≥60 years of age). Jessica is a pharmacist and her PhD is co-funded by both the NIHR Greater Manchester PSRC and the NIHR Newcastle PSRC. 

Read more about Jessica below.

Meet Jessica McCann

PhD student at Newcastle University

Hi, I’m Jess. I am a pharmacist and current second-year PhD student with NIHR Newcastle and Greater Manchester PSRCs.

 

My research looks at improving medicines use in older critical care patients by identifying how problematic medicines are assessed, determining their association with patient outcomes and using expert consensus to guide the appropriate choice of medicines for older people in critical care. As a pharmacist, I see first-hand the consequences of harmful prescribing and how making informed medication decisions can determine a patient’s recovery. The goal of this work is to ensure appropriate medications are used in practice to improve patient safety within this vulnerable group.

 

From a young age, I knew that I wanted to pursue a healthcare-related career. At school, I had a knack for the sciences- thanks to my mother, a biology teacher, and my late grandpa, a microbiologist, who both supported and motivated me towards this career.  

 

Much of my self-belief and confidence as a researcher and pharmacist has stemmed from the inspirational women – those who go down in the history books, as well as the women I encounter in my everyday life – who have so profoundly influenced the course of research and science and shown that women can achieve truly remarkable things. I also owe a great deal to my mentors across the years, who have gone above and beyond for me, both personally and professionally; without their influence, I may not be doing a PhD today.

 

In a world still predominately shaped by male influence, the voices of women researchers remain evermore powerful and indispensable in advancing research and science. Women’s ability to contribute diverse lived experiences and inclusive thinking helps to drive a more progressive and holistic future for research. I am privileged to be surrounded by so many great ones.

Women driving patient safety research

The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.

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