St Oswald’s Hospice in North East England is the first hospice in the UK to take part in Health Data Research UK’s (HDR UK) Black Internship Programme (BIP), helping to drive diversity and innovation in health data science.
As the only hospice in the national scheme, St Oswald’s Hospice is leading the way for community and palliative care organisations to engage in research and data-led innovation.
The BIP supports aspiring black data scientists with training, mentoring and real-world experience, while helping organisations tackle health and care challenges.
Despite the field’s rapid growth, black professionals remain heavily underrepresented in the science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) community.
Christiana Abolarin (lead photo) has secured a twelve-week internship at St Oswald’s Hospice, sponsored by NortHFutures Digital Health Hub. She will work on a dedicated data project to improve insights, enhance services and strengthen research capacity.
Christiana said:
“My passion is turning data into actionable insights that tackle real-world issues like health inequality. I’m excited to support St Oswald’s in improving patient care.”
St Oswald’s Hospice, based in Gosforth near Newcastle upon Tyne, provides specialist palliative and end-of-life care for adults, children and young people with life-limiting conditions. As a regional charity, it is committed to innovative approaches to delivering high-quality care.
Afua Acheampong, Head of HDR UK’s Black Internship Programme, said:
“We are always looking for more host organisations to get involved and
St Oswald’s Hospice is unique in the programme. Their involvement shows what’s possible and opens new opportunities for research and collaboration in health and social care.”
Simon Gordon, Director of Strategy and Development at St Oswald’s Hospice, added:
“Christiana’s placement will help us bring data science and patient care together, strengthening both our services and our ability to advocate for resources.”
Dave Kirk, Training and Skills lead for NortHFutures Digital Health Hub (Newcastle University), commented: “We’re thrilled to be able to fund this kind of initiative for partners here in the North East, further demonstrating our capacity for leading data science innovation.”
This is the hospice’s second year in the programme. In 2025, an intern developed a tool to measure the impact of its lymphoedema service on patients’ quality of life, supporting long-term improvements.
Participation reflects the hospice’s ongoing commitment to equity, inclusion and diversity, and highlights the role hospices can play in shaping the future of health data science.
The internship begins following the national programme launch on 24th June 2026.
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Notes
- The Health Data Science Black Internship Programme is delivered by HDR UK in partnership with the 10,000 Black Interns Foundation n and the UK Health Data Research Alliance
- The 10,000 Black Interns Foundation have created over 10,000 paid opportunities across the UK since 2020, helping to build a more representative workforce in the UK. Over 70% of alumni have reported that the programme had a strong or very strong influence on their confidence to pursue a career in the field. 93% of hosts agreed that their interns were ‘job-ready’ on completion of the programme. Taken from BIP review 2025: https://www.hdruk.ac.uk/study-and-train/health-data-science-black-internship-programme/black-internship-programme-review/
- Internships are paid placements combining hands-on project work with structured training, mentorship and networking opportunities.
- NortHFutures is a £4.17m UKRI/EPSRC-funded digital health hub supporting innovation across the North East and North Cumbria.
Pictured: Christiana Abolarin, St Oswald’s Hospice Data Science Intern
About St Oswald’s Hospice
St Oswald’s Hospice is a charitable hospice rooted in the North East.
With the vital support of its staff, volunteers, donors, customers and supporters, the Hospice provides free, expert, dignified and compassionate care for everyone, of all ages, who are living with a progressive, life-limiting condition, and their families and carers too.
St Oswald’s Hospice is a place where people matter. A place that focuses both on living and dying well. It is a home-from-home, filled with honesty, camaraderie and hope that offers Quality Time for Everyone.
We make the most of time and improve quality of life.
We are committed to active research to help develop, adapt and improve palliative and end-of-life care services that meet the ever-changing needs of our patients and their family and carers.
Working with partners and associates, our evidence-based research adds to national and international knowledge about the cost-effectiveness of hospice care and the impact it has on those who need it, their families, caregivers and society as a whole.
Visit www.stoswaldsuk.org for more information or bit.ly/2QX5JYF to watch
St Oswald’s ‘Our Story’ video.
About Health Data Research UK (HDR UK)
Health Data Research UK (HDR UK) is the UK’s national institute for health data science.
It enables researchers, scientists and healthcare professionals to identify, understand and overcome the great healthcare challenges of our age through data.
As a non-profit organisation, HDR UK is connecting academia, government, industry and the public across all four nations of the UK. It is funded by UK Research and Innovation, the Department of Health and Social Care in England and equivalents in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland, and leading medical research charities.
Together, HDR UK’s health data research is transforming lives.
Visit hdruk.ac.uk/black-intern-prog for more information about HDR UK’s Black Internship Programme.
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