Staff profiles
Dr Heidi Probst
Phone 0114 225 4359
E-mail h.probst@shu.ac.uk
Dr Heidi Probst is research coordinator for radiotherapy in the Centre for Health and Social Care Research and is a senior lecturer in radiotherapy. She was appointed to this post in 2001. Heidi graduated as a radiation therapist in 1987 from the Royal London Hospital. She received a BSc (Hons) in Professional Studies in Health Care from Teesside Polytechnic in 1991, a Further and Adult Education Teaching Certificate from Stockton and Billingham Technical College in 1992, and an MA in Industrial Relations from Keele University in 1994. In 2002 she was awarded a PhD from Teesside University.
Before accepting her post at Sheffield Hallam University, Heidi was a research training fellow at the Yorkshire Centre for Clinical Oncology in Leeds with a Northern and Yorkshire Research Training Fellowship. She has a wide range of clinical experience as a radiation therapist with particular expertise gained from six years as a superintendent in oncology.
Heidi's research focuses on radiation therapy for breast cancer, issues surrounding the radiation therapy workforce. She also has a research interest in learning and teaching for health professionals in higher education.
She was involved with the Prostate Brachytherapy service at the Yorkshire Centre for Clinical Oncology, Leeds in a retrospective study to investigate survival and levels of morbidity following prostate brachytherapy. The study was funded by Nycomed Amersham. She is also working on a study that is exploring the impact of task complexity and work overload on job turnover in the radiation therapy workforce. This project is supported by a £10,000 grant from the Research Support Fund at the Yorkshire Centre for Clinical Oncology. Heidi has recently developed an electronic distance learning post graduate research methods module and is currently evaluating its impact and utility in comparison to traditional methods.
She has published her work in peer reviewed international and national professional journals and presented findings at radiotherapy and oncology conferences in the UK .
Research outputs: key publications since 2001
Probst H, Harris R. Getting started with research. Journal of Radiotherapy in Practice 2009; 8(02):57-65.
Probst H, Griffiths S. Job satisfaction of therapy radiographers in the UK: Results of a phase I qualitative study. Radiography 2009; 15(2):146-157.
Probst H, Eddy D, Doughty J, Hodgson D. Integrating E-learning into Postgraduate Radiotherapy and Oncology: A Case Study. E-Learning and Digital Media 2009; 6(4):364-372.
Probst H, Griffiths S. Time for a Change: Is it Time to Consider Job Redesign for Therapy Radiographers? Clin Oncol (R Coll Radiol ) 2007; 19(3):S43.
Probst H, Griffiths S. Retaining Therapy radiographers: What's so special about us? Journal of Radiotherapy in Practice 2007; 6(1):21-32.
Probst H, Griffiths S. Moving to a High-tech Approach to the Irradiation of Early Breast Cancer: Is It Possible to Balance Efficacy, Morbidity and Resource Use? Clinical Oncology 2006; 18(3):268-275.
Probst H, Dodwell D, Gray JC, Holmes M. An evaluation of the accuracy of semi-permanent skin marks for breast cancer irradiation. Radiography 2006; 12(3):186-188.
Probst H, Dodwell D, Gray J, Holmes M. Radiotherapy for breast carcinoma: an evaluation of the relationship between the central lung depth and respiratory symptoms. Radiography 2005; 11(1):3-9.
Probst H, Holmes M, Dodwell D. Radiotherapy waiting times, resources and protocols for breast carcinoma; a survey of UK radiotherapy centres. Journal of Radiotherapy in Practice 2003; 3(3):113 121.
