DrGemma Clunie

Dr Gemma Clunie is an Honorary Clinical Research Fellow in the Patient Experience Research Centre (PERC) and an Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of Surgery and Cancer at Imperial College London. She currently holds a five-year NIHR Senior Clinical and Practitioner Research Award (SCPRA) fellowship. In 2024 she won a Surgery & Cancer Seedfund grant to complete a pilot study exploring the use of quantitative muscle ultrasound in head and neck cancer patients. In December 2024 she won the Early Career Researcher Award for Surgery and Cancer.

Gemma received her undergraduate degree in English Literature (BA (Hon)) from Durham University in 2002. She went on to receive an MSc in Speech and Language Sciences with distinction from University College London in 2006. She completed her NIHR funded Clinical Doctoral Research Fellowship in 2022

Since the beginning of 2025, Gemma has been the Lead Clinical Academic for AHPs (SLT) at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. This role involves research capacity and capability building for AHPs at the Trust and within Imperial College, as well as teaching, mentoring and supporting AHPs across the AHSC onto a clinical academic career pathway. She serves on the Imperial Clinical Academic Training Office (CATO) Executive. Her clinical and research interests include head and neck cancer, benign ENT disorders, including laryngotracheal stenosis, respiratory disorders and critical care.

Gemma's PhD investigated the voice and swallowing concerns and outcomes of adults with laryngotracheal stenosis before and after airway surgery. This was a mixed methods study with a systematic review, qualitative project, survey and observational study. The results of this work helped to design a care pathway for patients with laryngotracheal stenosis that is individualised and robust, taking into account the likely impact on swallowing and voice of both the diagnosis and the surgery. She has five publications associated with her PhD. As part of her post-doctoral research she has completed a Delphi study to establish a core outcome set for laryngotracheal stenosis research. supported by an NIHR Development Skills Enhancement (DSE) Award.

Alongside her own research work Gemma has over thirty peer reviewed publications in the area of research capacity building for professionals outside of medicine, COVID-19 and SLT, ultrasound and as a qualitative advisor on other projects. She has co-written two book chapters.

Gemma is a professional advisor and research champion for RCSLT and is Chair for the Council for Allied Healthcare Professionals (CAHPR) Strategy Committee. She is a founding member and board member of an online support group for Healthcare Professionals in Research (HPiR) https://www.facebook.com/groups/351873385356662

She is also a member of the International Ultrasound (US) group who are working to consider the steps necessary to implement US into clinical practice for SLTs and has a keen interest in developing its use with the head and neck cancer population. https://communities.springernature.com/posts/use-of-ultrasound-to-assess-muscle-structure-and-size-in-key-speech-and-swallowing-tissues-before-and-after-radiotherapy

She is a mentor for SLTs and other healthcare professionals interested in research, and supervises pre-doctoral and doctoral students.