Overseas experiences as a speech and language therapist

Lorna Raby recounts the amazing experience she had when taking part in a new research project in Canada through her hospital trust’s scholarship funding.

In Sunderland and South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust (STSFT) the Heyman scholarship was established in the 1990s to allow staff to apply for funding to attend conferences or educational opportunities abroad. After attending the online BACO conference in 2021 our head and neck speech and language therapy team were excited about a new research project, called the PRO-ACTIVE trial, led by Dr Rosemary Martino in Toronto, Canada.

Experiencing Canadian research firsthand

Our time in Canada was really interesting. We arrived in January 2024 during what the locals called the coldest winter in a decade with temperatures of -10 degrees Celsius. We did not let this put us off.

The team at Rosemary’s Swallowing Lab were so friendly and helpful, and they discussed the PRO-ACTIVE trial, which primary publications are due this year in 2025. It was great to be involved in discussions regarding such a large-scale trial with 13 sites across Canada and the USA. We discussed their current model at their local hospital, the PRO-ACTIVE set up and compared them to STSFT’s model. It was reassuring to see the overlap of advice we are providing.

We have been discussing integrating what we learned in Toronto into our service and are looking to forward to continuing the links we made in Canada.

We participated in group calls with other centres across Canada and the USA including a discussion on what parts of the trials to ‘keep,’ ‘modify,’ and ‘let go of’. It felt exciting to be part of the ongoing development of the project: to see such a large-scale research lab and be involved in the discussions was fascinating.

We were also able to attend several webinars based in Canada, where we could see research projects and services that are not currently available in STSFT.

Exploring more opportunities beyond borders

Having previously worked with the Trinh Foundation in Vietnam, this trip to Canada reignited my love of travel and exploring speech and language therapy in other countries. Since my return, I have sought out other sources of funding to travel. I attended The European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO) multidisciplinary Head and Neck Oncology course in Italy in September 2024 through funding from the Oracle Head and Neck Cancer Charity.

I encourage all RCSLT members to explore pockets of funding that allow you to explore speech and language therapy in the wider world. I feel it has helped me become more culturally aware and open to different ways of working.