The BRC, with funding from the Wellcome Trust, has awarded £12,000 in new Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) bursaries.
In this groundbreaking scheme, researchers were invited to apply for funding for initiatives that actively involved lay people in the planning, design and execution of biomedical research at UCL and UCLH.
The aim of the fund was to not only embed PPI in the research process across UCL/UCLH biomedical research but also to make sure PPI had a beneficial impact on research and is a good experience for both the public and researchers.
Priorities of the bursary fund were to:
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enable researchers to involve patients and the public at an early stage in their research
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promote PPI that has a demonstrable and meaningful impact on research
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improve the quality and effectiveness of PPI activities already taking place
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find imaginative and innovative ways of involving patients and the public
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encourage the active involvement of patients and the public in setting research priorities and the strategic development of research.
Awards were made to six initiatives including Dr Laura McGowan from the UCL Health Behaviour Research Centre to incorporate PPI into her research on obesity; Dr Mine Orlu-Gul, UCL School of Pharmacy, with Dr Kate Walters, UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health, to establish a new generation older people advisory group for effective developments in biomedicine.
Dr Laura McGowan will be using her funding to utilise an existing advocacy panel of the Weight Concern charity to form a basis for representative PPI in obesity research.
Dr McGowan said: “In the UK we are subject to a torrent of media stories relating to obesity, yet these stories are rarely related to evidence-based research or the representative views of the public. Weight Concern aims is to engage directly with the public on obesity-related matters via an online cohort of adults called the ‘Big Panel’. Panel members have first-hand experience of being overweight in the UK and have joined up to share opinions on the latest research ideas or findings and on media stories relating to weight.
Dr McGowan will aim to undertake a ‘diversity drive’ to the panel, focusing on drawing in groups who are currently under-represented: “PPI is most often conducted with small groups of people in a very concentrated way, but given the reach of a topic such as weight we wanted to do things differently. We aim to build on the Big Panel, to increase and diversify membership so it can have a greater impact when it comes to PPI. We hope that this type of PPI will lead to better, more applicable research and ultimately better outcomes for those trying to manage their weight”.
Panel member Derek Stewart OBE said: “The PPI bursaries are an excellent initiative by the BRC. It really helped the applicants focus on the added value that involving patients and the public can bring to research. I am sure that the quality of the research will be enriched for all and I wish the winners every success”.
The BRC will shortly be announcing the next funding round of PPI bursaries.
