Lorraine Wackrill

Lorraine has developed a Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) group, working closely with members of the public to enable their involvement at every opportunity in the design and development of research. This ensures that the research being carried out is relevant and beneficial to the general public. Lorraine has also taken a key role in creating a systematic review search strategy and protocol, and has developed materials for process evaluation projects. She has been involved in developing applications for external funding, and has supported the development of new research projects by contributing to literature scoping activities.

Lorraine first developed an enthusiasm for research during her undergraduate degree in Linguistics at UCLan, which led to her completing a Masters by Research in 1999. During this time, she gained further experience in research and working in an academic environment by working as a Research Assistant within the faculty of Cultural, Legal and Social Studies, and delivering lectures and tutorials to undergraduate students. By subsequently completing a Masters of Medical Science, Lorraine qualified as a Speech and Language Therapist, and became a registered member of the Health and Care Professions Council and the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists. She went on to work for Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust for 18 years. The final 15 years of her Speech and Language Therapy career were specialised in stroke and provided Lorraine with the opportunity to support stroke survivors and their families in overcoming the effects of stroke on communication, swallowing and beyond. Lorraine worked for 10 years within the Stroke Early Supported Discharge Team covering Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre, for which she undertook a leadership role. During this time, she was instrumental in developing and improving the service provided to local stroke survivors, continuously keeping abreast of research in order to ensure evidence based and effective treatments. In 2019, Lorraine was excited to embark on a new career and challenge by being appointed as a Research Associate within the Stroke Research Team. This provided the opportunity for her to combine her two great passions of stroke and research.