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Dr Elinor✨

@studytimewithel

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Clinical Evaluation Scientist✨
Senior mixed-methods researcher in 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿
BSc 👩🏼‍🎓 MPH 👩🏼‍🎓 PhD 👩🏼‍🎓 GMBPsS 🧠

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pack my bag with me for a day at the office✨

💪🏼 I take all my essentials with me when I go into work at my office, so I really need a bag that can fit everything while still looking cute, and professional 💼

💗 I have a new Wimbledon backpack courtesy of @seventeenlondon which was so kindly #gifted to me, and I’m truly obsessed with just how much can fit in this bag, and it still manages to be unbelievably comfortable even when it’s full!

🔍 also I’m still managing to find extra pockets in the bag, honestly it has space for everything 🤯

🗺️ it’s also the PERFECT size to take on weekend trips away, which I’ve been doing several of this lately to soak up the good weather we’re having this summer 🤩

✨ if you’re in need of a new bag, you can get 15% off Seventeen London products using my code: elinor15
and I’ve popped the link for you in my bio!✨ taken in Cardiff by @studytimewithel

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a year ago

I got my PhD certificate 🥹✨

Without a doubt, this must be the best way to round off the week, as I had a lovely little present come this morning, my doctoral award certificate!🎉

⏪ 1,628 days ago I began my PhD journey and it has been a rollercoaster to say the least, and anyone who has followed along will completely agree 😅

🎢 However, I’m so glad to be out the other side, despite all the roadblocks in the way (because no one saw a global pandemic coming for our research), I managed to get through it with so much help and love along the way from my family and friends, and some very supportive (if also brutal at times!) supervisors 🥰

🖼️ I can’t wait to see this one framed on my wall alongside my other two degrees, think I’ll definitely be over my desire for academic validation now 😂

⏱️ With just 20 days to go until my graduation, I’m looking forward to having some time to relax and truly enjoying this post-PhD bliss as I’m going away for a while!✈️

💁🏼‍♀️ But not to worry, I’ll be back serving up more tips from my new series of posts next week!✨ A photograph of my doctoral award certificate, with the text “I got my PhD!” taken in Cardiff University by @studytimewithel

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2 years ago

Introducing… Doctor Elinor!!✨

I passed my PhD viva yesterday afternoon after about 2 and a half hours of questioning, which felt both like a lifetime and like it flew by 😂

I had lots of drinks and a lovely meal last night so I’ll be recovering for the rest of the day - but wanted to share this update I’ve been waiting for since I started this account!!

I have some minor corrections to do, but will figure out how many things I agreed to amend when I get my examiners report back 😅 I think it’ll mostly be a couple of little additions, a few clarifications in places and some extra references!

I wanted to say thank you SO much to all of you lovely people who have helped me immeasurably through this time - it definitely wasn’t easy trying to do this research stuck at home during a pandemic, but finding the most supportive community with all you brilliant people really helped me through all the hard times!

I got there in the end 🎉🎉✨ taken in Cardiff University by @studytimewithel

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2 years ago

long time no speak!

i don’t know if this will be seen by anyone or just sent into the void, but i wanted to give an update after my last post. if anyone isn’t familiar, i had a really invasive surgery on my face towards the end of last year (that i was fully awake for), leading to a full depth skin graft & many months of healing.

honestly, the time since has been incredibly draining: re-introductions with friends, family, & colleagues, reduced hours at work, many hours spent in therapy, & often feeling like i don’t belong anywhere anymore

i’m learning every day to get through it & back to some kind of normality, but for me (ever the perfectionist), i’m actually striving to live with a much better mental health balance

this has meant learning when to say “no”, which i’ve previously been absolutely terrible with, including passing on my previous PhD research to other academics as i’m just too busy now to work on publications on top of working on several projects at my job (which i still absolutely adore), & living my life to the fullest

don’t get me wrong, i haven’t got it nailed - i still have periods of time where this change feels all-encompassing, like i’ll never get past it, or be the same person as i was before… which in reality, has been my struggle for the past year since my diagnosis

it’s been a long few months of repeated exposure therapy, including too many occasions to count when i just don’t want to be seen by another human being ever again

having said that, i’ve had lots to look forward to this year already, including several trips away, and numerous concerts, which have definitely topped up my camera roll, while enabling me to feel more like myself again in small doses

so for now, i’m on a beach, soaking up what i think is the best of what the world can be, & reflecting on a tumultuous time that i’m working my hardest to turn the page on

just a gentle reminder to anyone going through it right now, that healing isn’t linear, especially mentally!

i’ve got so many more things to talk about from my period of quietness here, so will see when my motivation for sharing resumes! & to anyone who made it thi taken in Koh Nang Yuan, Thailand by @studytimewithel

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a month ago

Last month, I had surgery.
It’s not something I spoke about much beforehand because, to be honest, I was dreading it.

Since I was a teenager (about 13 years ago), I had a small patch of really smooth skin on my face which I never really worried about. But in 2018, a family member pointed out that the patch looked odd, as it never changed colour like the rest of my skin. It never tanned, or got flushed (as my cheeks usually do!), so they suggested I get it checked out

Queue years of trips to the doctors & the hospital, in which I was consistently misdiagnosed and/or told not to “worry” about it, but to keep an eye out for any drastic changes

Earlier this year it was irritated and then simply didn’t heal again, so I asked to be re-referred back to the hospital. I had a biopsy this time, & it came back saying that I did in fact have cancer

It was a type of skin cancer (a basal cell carcinoma, or BCC) that is usually pretty slow growing and therefore not a huge concern as cancers go (& I’m still *incredibly* grateful that it wasn’t worse). I don’t fall into the usual groups of patients for this diagnosis, which is why it took SO long to be properly identified!

In my case, as I had it for such a long time, it had spread a lot, both through the layers of my skin & across my face up the bridge of my nose and to the corner of my eye. The only option I had was to have a pretty invasive surgery called Mohs, where they remove all of the skin and redo the surgery on the same day if any cancer remains. I had to have two rounds of surgery to ensure that all of the cancer was removed, then ended up needing a full thickness skin graft to close the wound

My surgeon was absolutely brilliant, but it was a very traumatising day - hearing and feeling your bone being scraped for any remaining skin on it really wasn’t fun - and I have spent time since trying to rest and recuperate as much as possible

So I wanted to give a public safety announcement to check your skin! Mine seemed to have developed from an old chickenpox scar, as they can mutate in rare circumstances, so please keep an eye on any scars you have and be sure to get things checked out if you spot any changes! Image of me sat on a hospital examination bed, with a large dressing covering part of my face up to one very swollen eye! taken in Heath, Cardiff by @studytimewithel

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9 months ago

Recent read - The Starless Sea📚🌊

I am SO happy to say I’ve finally got around to finishing what I think is one of my new favourite books! I bought The Starless Sea back in July and it promptly became my go-to to read on the train, but I definitely needed a good amount of unobstructed time to really commit to it

So on my trip to Cyprus this month, I had time to devote to this brilliant book and finished it in a couple of days! I love beach holidays for this reason, on two holidays this year I’ve managed to read more than 7 books!

I somehow keep stumbling on books that start off in an academic setting, and I feel like it really helps to immerse me in a book when it’s something so familiar! I know you all know the trials and tribulations of being students too 😂

I would HIGHLY recommend this book if you like a bit of fantasy and love anything that has twists and turns 👏🏼

It’s been a definite 10/10 from me! And I love that it’s got me back on the reading spree 😅

How many books have you read this year? Image of a book titled “The Starless Sea” held up with the sea in the background taken in Paphos Cyprus by @studytimewithel

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a year ago

exciting news for the day, I’ve submitted my first ever peer-review for a journal!✨

it was quite strange being on the opposite side of the publication process for a change, but I’m really thankful that I was given this opportunity to peer review a manuscript. it’s given me more of an appreciation for the reviewers and the decisions they make when reviewing new research!

I’m not sure whether I’ll be categorised as reviewer one, or the dreaded reviewer two, but I tried to give constructive comments alongside my decision

honestly it was a scary process, especially reviewing for a journal I’ve never submitted to, but I’m really happy with how it went and I’m looking forward to taking more of these opportunities if they arise in the future!👏🏼

what side have you been on recently?✨ Image of a laptop screen featuring the text “first peer-review completed” overlaying a journal peer review page taken in Cardiff by @studytimewithel

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a year ago

I can’t believe it’s been a whole year since I passed my PhD Viva!🥹✨

This time has absolutely flown by, but I also feel like I’ve lived a lifetime since officially becoming Dr Elinor 💁🏼‍♀️

I was definitely terrified at the time before going in to my thesis defence, but even after a long grilling and going page-by-page at times through my work, I actually really enjoyed my viva process! That was entirely down to my brilliant examiners and it was helped by having a very rigorous mock viva with my supervisors beforehand to make sure I went in with the right expectations 👏🏼

The deliberation following my viva was quite quick, probably about 10 minutes in total, and they got me back in swiftly to say congratulations! My examiners were delighted with my work and frequently said that I was the smiliest candidate they’d ever examined, so it seems my nervous smile & laugh actually benefitted me for once 😂

After a whirlwind of minor corrections which I finished in about a fortnight, I managed to just make it to graduation in the summer - which after having such a hard time getting through my PhD, was one of the best experiences ever!👩🏼‍🎓

I’m now in my dream job and am working on bringing in changes to a different setting in healthcare, which brings me so much value I still have to pinch myself about it 🥹

To all the PhD’s still working hard:
You have got this, and it will be so, so worth it when you celebrate finishing!✨ A mirror selfie of me in a dress, from one year ago today, with text reading “one whole year of being a doctor!” taken in Cardiff University by @studytimewithel

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a year ago

Hitting the reset button ⏮️

The past 2 months of my life have been very strange, after getting caught up in a car crash at the end of January, my start to 2025 wasn’t what I’d anticipated!

I had to let my body and mind rest for a while and balanced this by throwing myself into work, which I’m very grateful for as it kept me motivated to get back to ‘me’ again!

I took a trip to New York, which is one of my favourite cities ever! As some of you will have seen, on our second day we were greeted by a winter wonderland for our Valentine’s getaway ☃️

In recent weeks I’ve been working hard on my main project and juggling the others I’m working on in my job - this has been a mix of research/evaluation, evidence synthesis and health economics (which I’m relatively new to, so there has been a pretty sharp learning curve 😅) - and I’ve also been working hard at home to get something pulled together for one of my biggest PhD projects to turn into a manuscript so that I can share more about my research!

Getting my physical health back to normal has been another curve, but I’m happy that I’m feeling much better than I was, although I know I still need to take things slowly every so often and not push myself too hard 😅 I’ve been spending more time getting back to myself mentally too, and resting my mind is feeling a lot easier now 😌

Since my car has now been fixed, I’m feeling a lot more optimistic that I can move on and get back to thriving my way through 2025 (although I was definitely counting down the days till my payday 😂!)

I try and update this page whenever I can, but now that I’ve got much more to talk about I hope I won’t be radio silent for much longer - in the meantime, thanks for sticking around 🥰 A picture of me standing in a snowy Central Park in New York, with text reading “Hitting the reset button” taken in Central Park, New York by @studytimewithel

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2 years ago

Studying for a PhD offers the opportunity for real-world impact, as former PhD student @studytimewithel tells us. ✨

Find what you’re passionate about and make a difference today. 🤝

Browse hundreds of PhDs on our website using the link in our bio.

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#PhD #PhDLife #AcademicJourney #Inspire #Change #Opportunity by @studytimewithel

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2 years ago

We’re halfway through January✨

A bit of a late recap from me, as it was another busy week!

🚂 Last weekend I took a trip to Cheltenham, which was the first time I’d been and I had a great time! I am such a fan of taking little trips away to decompress from the day-to-day and am counting down the days till my next one 🔜

🗣️ In work I’ve conducted 3 focus groups with clinicians from across Wales, and this was done virtually to ensure they didn’t have to take too much time away from practice!

🤔 I’ve started working on a side project to keep my sanity (as otherwise I would go down the biggest rabbit hole on my main project and I don’t need that right now 😅), but it’s including working on Health Economics which I haven’t done since the days of my Masters!

🌅 The weather was a bit milder this past week, but still pretty chilly - however there was a good sunrise, and lots of fog around too

☕️ I had a free iced coffee this week from Greggs, and I really enjoyed it! I’m the kind of person who will drink iced coffee no matter how cold it is outside, so it was very welcomed 🥰

✅ I also managed to help out one of my colleagues by quality assuring the data for a project report, which involved me trawling through 5 huge spreadsheets of calculations I had a very basic understanding of, but I managed to get through it and finish my feedback by my work from home day at the end of the week!

Are you working on more than one project right now?✨ Image of a work desktop with two monitors, with text reading “mid-month recap” taken in Heath, Cardiff by @studytimewithel

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2 years ago

2025: Week 1 ✅

It’s been a very busy start to the new year for me!

🤒 I was unfortunately unwell over the Christmas period, but by the 3rd January I was feeling much better!

🍿 So I had a slow weekend and caught We Live In Time at the cinema, which was brilliant and I’m honestly still thinking about 🥺

🏋🏼‍♀️ Since feeling better I’ve been pushing myself more at the gym, which is really paying off as I can do much more now than before - see pics over the past 4 days from my favourite machine: the stairmaster 😂 I’ve been aiming for at least 100 flights of stairs as I know I can do it now, it just depends how much further I can push myself!

👩🏼‍💻 I ended up going back to work (from home) last week a day earlier than planned as my main project is really stepping up! However I mentioned this to my manager and she’s told me to just move my annual leave day which I have gladly done so as I’ve booked a holiday 🥳

📊 I’ve talked about it briefly before, but the project I’m leading on involved a survey for clinicians at the end of last year, and from that I’ve recruited staff members to focus groups which are taking place over the next week, and then I’ll be interviewing patients to inform the next stage of my work!

🧁 I treated myself to a really cute gingerbread muffin on my first day back in the office, which was a real highlight of a non-stop day!

🥰 I’m still pinching myself that I love my job this much, even when I’ve been really busy it’s just so interesting and I’m really hoping that this work will be able to make a difference to patient care which would be a dream at this level 🥹

❄️ It’s been a dramatic week for the weather, with lots of frost and ice in the mornings, but often lovely sunsets too!

How was your first week of the year?✨ Image of a work desk with two monitors showing an atoll in the Maldives as the daily wallpaper, featuring the text “2025: Week 1” taken in Cardiff by @studytimewithel

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2 years ago