Amy Kerr is the lead thoracic research nurse at Heartlands Hospital in Birmingham. She worked for five years as a thoracic surgical nurse and has been working for nine years in thoracic surgery and oncology research.

Over the past nine years, she has set up the thoracic research team and is project lead for the Rehabilitation for Operated lung Cancer (ROC) programme, currently expanding the programme throughout the West Midlands and beyond. She has created a DVD and a handbook for thoracic surgical patients based on enhanced recovery and key elements of the ROC programme, which are being used to help prepare patients before, during and after surgery.

With a view to bringing rehabilitation into the 21^st century, she has been involved in the design of the rehabilitation app, Fit for Surgery, based on the ROC programme.

Given her passion for enhanced recovery in lung surgery and improving patient outcomes, she has now completed a Master’s degree in research where she conducted a randomised, controlled trial to investigate the effectiveness of a nutritional intervention to enhance patient recovery after elective major lung surgery. She is also the lead nurse for a randomised, controlled trial to investigate the Effectiveness of ThOracic Epidural and Paravertebral Blockade In reducing Chronic Post-Thoracotomy Pain (TOPIC-2 study).

She is an active member of the National Lung Cancer Forum for Nurses, Thoracic Surgical Group and research interest subgroups and expert advisory panel member for the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation.