Miriam Lacharie is a diagnostic radiographer in the Oxford Centre for Clinical Magnetic Resonance Research (OCMR). In June 2024, she received a predoctoral award from the NIHR Oxford BRC and is currently researching imaging markers to predict disease progression in the genetic heart condition hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
Miriam came to the UK from Pakistan in 2016, since when she has worked as a diagnostic radiographer. She always wanted to progress her career by doing academic research, and last year she received predoctoral funding from the Oxford BRC for one year, which has enabled her to spend 40 percent of her time on academic research while continuing in her clinical role.
The OCMR, where Miriam works, specialises in cardiovascular imaging. Together with her supervisor and mentor, Professor Betty Raman, she is using MRI scanning to detect signs of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) before the onset of the disease. HCM is a heart muscle disease that is the leading cause of sudden cardiac death in young people.
“We are using advanced MRI techniques to find imaging markers that can help predict who among people who carry cardiomyopathy genes will develop the disease in the future,” Miriam says.
“My aim with this predoctoral award is to enhance my research experience and CV by gathering pilot data from patients and doing more research on the side. This data can then be used in support of a funding application. Based on this work, I would like to do a DPhil or PhD to further improve accessibility of these methods for clinical implementation and to improve our patients’ experience and tolerance of having a cardiac MRI scan.”
The MRI machines used in research are often stronger than those used in routine clinical work. The machines typically found in NHS trusts and in other countries are of low field strength (1.5-Tesla) MRI scanners. Miriam would like her doctorate to focus on how she can replicate what is possible on the 3-Tesla scanner used in research with the 1.5-Tesla scanners used in the clinic.
Miriam explains: “I am hoping to translate the research we do on high-field scanners to low-field scanners, given their abundance in clinical practice. As part of this research, I am also seeking to improve the patient experience of having these advanced cardiac MRI scans.”
Miriam’s pre-doctoral project has been very successful. She is in the process of publishing the findings, which she presented at the international Society of Cardiac Magnetic Resonance conference in Washington in February 2025. Her work has also been accepted at the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM) conference in Hawaii in May.
Miriam has encountered challenges on her path to a research career. She feels that the academic career pathway is too weighted in favour of medical staff.
“Being an allied health professional, I have encountered several obstacles in pursuing my aspiration for an academic career. The pathways for allied health professions are in general limited and not very clear. To my knowledge, there are not many senior academic role models in the field that I work in, radiography, and this is particularly obvious in Oxford.
“I did my Masters in 2021 with Kings College London and passed with good grades and distinctions. I was hoping that with this Masters, and my strong experience as a radiographer in a research centre, I would be able to pursue a clinical academic career. It took me three years of knocking on many doors to get this one-year predoctoral fellowship.
“We need clear pathways and structured support for allied health professionals to pursue a research career, as there are for doctors. Although there are some efforts, I have found this to be slow and there is still a long way to go.”
Among those who have played a key role in supporting Miriam in navigating the research pathway were her supervisors, Professor Betty Raman (pictured left) and Dr Peter Gatehouse.
Betty says: “I have found Miriam to be very curious. She is always full of research questions and has creative solutions for some of our problems. She came to me asking if she could do PhD under my guidance. She had talked to a lot of people and did not get the support she was looking for.
“I told her that in my experience, a big part of doing a PhD successfully is being resilient, hardworking, adaptable, a quick learner and a good team player – all of which Miriam has. I felt these are the qualities that help students succeed through their PhD journey”
With Betty’s support, Miriam successfully applied for a pre-doctoral fellowship, went on to undertaking research with great efficiency and was invited to present her research at two major international conferences.
Betty said – “I am extremely thankful to the NIHR Oxford BRC, as it gave her an opportunity to really demonstrate her ability to conduct research, removing all those doubts in her mind about whether she could pursue this track.”
Betty says that she has been speaking to the University’s Graduate Studies team about how more people like Miriam, from an allied health background, can be supported.
She adds: “Miriam has had a lot of personal challenges through her life. She comes from a very conservative community where women are often discouraged and sometimes prohibited from pursuing further education. She took a lot of risk to leave home and to work and study in the UK and Miriam is a role model to other women in similar circumstances. I personally believe Miriam has what it takes to do a PhD.”
As well as Betty, Miriam is grateful for the role played by Professor Stefan Neubauer, Head of the OCMR and Oxford BRC Imaging Teme Lead, and Rebecca Mills, lead radiographer in OCMR, on her research journey.
“I received unwavering support from Professor Neubauer and my lead clinical supervisor Rebecca Mills. It is crucial to balance my clinical role alongside an aspiring research career, and Rebecca was instrumental in helping me achieve a productive balance and stability in both of my roles.”
Miriam feels passionate about the fact that research should be seen as a worthwhile career choice for allied health professionals, and that they should enjoy the same professional support as medics.