About Us
About Us
We are a team of research nurses and practitioners supporting Prof Alison Simmons — MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine (ox.ac.uk). We understand the human body is a complex and interrelated system and we therefore seek to provide a more holistic approach to the research activities we provide.
At the heart of our work is a commitment to both research participants and researchers. We strive to ensure that every volunteer has a positive, supportive experience, encouraging continued engagement with research and contributing to the advancement of healthcare. Collaboration is central to our approach, and we work closely across teams and specialties to maximise expertise, resources, and research opportunities.
Our skilled research delivery team brings extensive experience across the full spectrum of clinical research, from clinical trials to large observational cohorts and multi-centre academic studies. Consistently ranked among the highest recruiters to NIHR portfolio gastroenetrology studies over the past years, we have established a strong reputation for delivering high-quality research that makes a meaningful impact.
We are equally committed to the professional development of our staff. Many team members pursue Master's and doctoral studies alongside their research roles, supported by a culture that values lifelong learning and academic achievement. Nursing research is a key strategic priority, and we actively support the development of nurse-led projects designed to improve patient experience, optimise care pathways, and strengthen evidence-based practice.
The quality and impact of our work are reflected in the awards, publications, and research achievements of our team, demonstrating our ongoing contribution to clinical research, patient care, and the wider healthcare community.
Our core values
Our team care passionately about doing work that helps others. We came together as a group to share, discuss and agree on the culture we would like to foster, the standards that are important to us and the principles that should underpin our work. The results, which can be found in our list of publications, were personal and pertinent, embodying the shared beliefs of the ORNIID team.
Our team
Dr Simona Fourie
Clinical Research Facility Operational Lead/ Nurse Researcher
I qualified as a nurse over 35 years ago, and have worked in health research for over fifteen years following work as specialist colorectal / pelvic floor nurse. My main area of expertise is gastrointestinal disease, surgery and cancer. Since 2014 I have been building up and leading ORNIID. I currently work on national and international collaborative work, study design, securing approvals from ethics and funders, and supporting other research nurses to fulfil their career progression. Alongside my post as a research manager, I have also completed a PhD in Nursing at King's College London, and I pursue a clinical academic role. Enthusiast in raising the nursing profession profile and supporting early career nurse researchers, I am hoping that our current and future team work will set an example for others to follow.
Gerard Mawhinney
Nurse Consultant/ DPhil student
I am a registered adult nurse, independent prescriber, and surgical care practitioner. I have worked in healthcare both clinically and commercially for over 20 years. Research within healthcare helps to improve quality, safety, and efficiency of patient care. I began my Oxford nursing research journey with the ORNIID team, I am now completing a DPhil in Clinical Neurosciences at the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford. Clinically, I work as a Consultant Nurse in the Department of Spinal Surgery at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. My research interests include, digital health technologies, video informed consent, shared decision making, patient experience in perioperative care and complex surgical oncology
Dana Cimatu
Research Practitioner
I have been working in admin in the NHS for 6 years and have experienced different interactions with patients. I have gained transferable skills which I now apply to my new job as a research practitioner. During the last 6 months, I am now fully trained in providing study information to patients, patient recruitment, consenting, processing and managing clinical research data. Working within a research team has inspired me to gain more knowledge and experience about Immunology and Inflammatory disease with the hope to manage a research study in the future.
Katarzyna Kuczwara
Research Practitioner
I am a qualified Biomedical Scientist and have worked in this profession for over five years. However, my curiosity about Patient care and how research can improve patients live made me apply for the research practitioner position. Since I started, I have gained basic knowledge about inflammatory bowel diseases. I believe that the research projects we run are significant for the Patients and future generations.
Luminita Puta
Senior Research Nurse
While working as an endoscopy nurse a few years back, I met one of the research nurses who was conducting a study in Endoscopy at the time. My curiosity made me ask questions about research and different projects in clinical trials and apply for a job in Gastroenterology and Hepatology Clinical Trials. I worked in clinical trials mainly with IBD patients and I realised the complexity of these diseases and how little I knew about it. I then started working as an IBD nurse specialist where I learnt a lot about IBD and the people living with these chronic diseases. In 2017 an opportunity arose to work for Oxford University and now I am back in the interesting and fascinating world of research working on non-interventional cohort studies. Currently I completed a "Research Methods" module at Birmingham University in order to gain more knowledge and further develop my research skills.
Janette Miah
Research Nurse
"When a person decides to become a nurse, they make the most important decision of their lives. They choose to dedicate themselves to the care of others". And this is exactly what happened to me. To begin I was considering between being a lawyer or a doctor but somehow things have changed and I became a Nurse instead. I knew I'd be a good nurse, but I wanted to be more than that. I wanted to be a nurse who could make a change in a community; one who could improve the lives of a patients through quality, compassion and culturally centred patient care. My name is Janette and I have been a nurse for 26 years, having worked in almost all specialised areas of care. My background lies in Adult Nursing, specialising in Respiratory, Medical and Surgical. What made me decided to work as a Research Nurse is the uniqueness of its approach to different people, its key role as a patient advocate whilst ensuring patient safety and protection and making sure that patients are well supported throughout the research study. During my experience in Endoscopy, I met a lot of people in the field of Research Nursing and they seemed to really love their job. This then inspired me to become a research nurse and gain further skills. Working as a research nurse has taught me that it not just about collecting samples, it requires knowledge and understanding of patients care and it enables me to feel that I have giving holistic patient centred care. It needs a wide range of skills including management and organisational skills, teaching, mentoring, communication and IT. And being independent in making decisions and is vital. And I like that.
Elenita Relucio
Research Nurse
Following my retirement I decided to stay involved with the team and support their work when needed. My extensive experience as an endoscopy nurse and working as a research nurse for the last 6 years, has helped me gain skills and knowledge that add to the team's skill mix.
Carolina Navas Hernandez
Research Practitioner
I am a biologist with a few years experience in laboratory and research settings, working on a variety of projects. While I enjoyed my previous roles, I was drawn to the Research practitioner role because it offered me the opportunity to work directly with patients. Since starting to work in the team I have enjoyed learning new skills. Combining patient interaction with research allows me to contribute to studies that may imporve patient care in the future. Moreover, it makes me happy to fulfill my passion of connecting with people.