Building Research Capacity
Growing the future of children's palliative care research
Funded Studentships
Since autumn 2025, we have funded two PhD studentships, helping to inspire fresh thinking and advance innovative research in paediatric palliative care.
And this is only the beginning.
As we grow, we plan to fund even more opportunities that will strengthen knowledge and improve care for children and families.
Juliet Noble is a Children’s Nurse with over ten years of experience in paediatric oncology, haematology, and palliative care. Following completion of her Master’s degree in Advanced Clinical Practice, she is delighted to join the Centre of Excellence in Children’s Palliative Care at King’s College London as a PhD Fellow.
Juliet’s research interests align closely with Kentown Support’s mission to ensure that every child and family can access the very best care, close to home. Her work seeks to examine how patients, families, and clinicians understand and experience the management of risk, and to evaluate the potential of assessment tools in supporting the safety of palliative care at home.
Elvis Kama is a UK Registered Nurse and Health Economist with over a decade of experience commissioning complex care across the NHS and Local Authorities. His research, The Economics of Caring for Children with Life-Limiting Conditions, explores how housing adequacy, space, accessibility, and timely adaptations affect family well-being and healthcare use. Using mixed methods, he links housing and health data and conducts interviews with families and professionals to develop practical recommendations that support safe home care and reduce avoidable hospital admissions.
Elvis plans to translate findings into clear guidance for commissioners and policymakers — including adaptation pathways and economic cases for timely home modifications — to improve equity and enable more families to choose care at home.
Funded Masters
Amelia Barker is a specialist paediatric palliative care nurse based in a children’s hospice, where she supports children and young people alongside a multidisciplinary team. Working in paediatric palliative care has strengthened her understanding of how research can shape and improve the care provided, which has inspired her to pursue further study.
Amelia will be funded for an MSc in Palliative Care.
Katrina Williams is a Paediatric Palliative Care Nurse Consultant and Research Lead at Claire House Children’s Hospice. With extensive experience in children's palliative care, she has specialised in perinatal palliative care for the past decade.
Katrina has a longer-term ambition to progress to PhD study, developing research that can influence practice and ultimately improve care and outcomes for babies, children and families.
Katrina will be funded for an MSc in Palliative Care.
