Student Voices: Chiara Passirani – Exploring Road Traffic Collisions for our Summer Research Programme

This week we caught up with Chiara Passirani one of the students on our first Summer Research Programme 

Tell us a little bit about yourself. 

I am Chiara Passirani. I recently finished my paramedic training in Edinburgh and hope to start working as a newly qualified paramedic soon! 

I did not follow the normal route to get where I am today. Straight after finishing school, I did my first degree in business and marketing. I did an internship during my studies in the Philippines with General Electric, working on ultrasound machines. I soon realised that I preferred the medical side of things to the business side. After travelling and living around the world for most of my 20s, I started volunteering at a hospital in a small village outside New Delhi after hiking around Annapurna Base Camp. When COVID started, I went back home to Scotland and started working as a clinical support worker in the Emergency Department, then moved onto the hospital on board cruise ships before starting my training as a paramedic in 2023.   

⁠What made you want to take part in the Summer Research Programme?

I have always enjoyed finding answers to my (endless) questions. Throughout my paramedic studies, I have always been curious about the research underpinning our clinical guidelines, why we do things in a specific way, and why we update and revise them. I have always wanted to understand the work ‘behind the scenes’ that led to these changes. 

When I saw the opportunity to join the Summer Research Programme, I saw it as the dream chance to apply the skills I learnt in my university assignments and gain real-world experience working on research tackling real-world problems. I was also very excited about meeting like-minded peers and learning from experienced clinician-researchers at EHAAT. 

 ⁠What project have you been working on? 

Along with two other students I will be looking at road traffic collisions (RTCs). RTCs are any events where a vehicle hits another vehicle, a pedestrian, an animal, or a roadside object. They are the leading cause of death in children and young adults under 30. EHAAT attends over 400 RTCs every year and my project looks at those RTCs attended by EHAAT alongside the RTCs reported across Essex & Hertfordshire. We want to get a better understanding of these incidents, so firstly we’re matching the two datasets and seeing how closely they’re related. 

I am looking at when are where RTCs happen, how many patients are involved, what resources are used in each case, as well as the outcomes for those involved. By understanding more about how EHAAT assists people involved in RTCs, we can identify ways to enhance the care provided, improve patient outcomes and contribute to safer roads. 

⁠What is your favourite part of the programme so far? 

We spent the first day going around the base and learning about EHAAT. Yes, we did see the helicopter and took some photos! It is very reassuring to see the resources available to the medical team, such as blood transfusions, ventilation, and blood gas analysis. It is very eye-opening to see what the critical care resources can do and very inspiring for my future career to meet the paramedics working on the base. 

Another beautiful part was finding some baby birds in a nest in a plant pot where we normally sit outdoors during our lunch break! 

What was most challenging for you so far? 

I’ll be honest here: the most challenging part for me is the lack of hills! I am used to cycling up and down the streets of Edinburgh, going for a morning run on Arthur’s Seat, and having a very active job at the hospital or on the ambulance during placement. It was really challenging for me to stay still for the whole day!  

I also found it challenging to adapt to the different guidelines and pathways here in Essex and London compared to Edinburgh, where I trained.  Another unexpected challenge is managing the analysis and statistics for my project. Still, I am very lucky to be supported by my supervisor, Stephen, and the rest of the team, who are giving me the tools to develop my research with a little more autonomy.  

⁠If you had to share one takeaway from the Programme so far, what would it be? 

During my first week, I learned how to conduct a literature review. I was also fascinated by Stephen’s talk on the use of AI in research and healthcare. I feel reassured that our job in emergency medicine is far from being taken over by AI! 

We also learned a great way to critique academic papers. You ask a simple question: ‘What was wrong with the patient?’ and then read the paper with a new, different perspective. I believe this new approach to reading an academic paper will help me understand the study’s purpose through a different type of critical appraisal, helping me inform and create my own research, too.  

⁠Do you have any other comments you’d like to share? 

Living in Scotland, I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to go on my normal daily adventures down here in ‘The South.’ However, I have found ways to escape into nature. Together with one of the other programme participants, I commute from Harlow to the Airfield by cycling through the fields—sometimes getting a little lost but always finding our way in the end! 

I was also very lucky to be working on the same project with another fellow climber and future paramedic! 

 We look forward to sharing more from the students in the coming weeks!

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