Nicola: My personal experience as a public contributor supporting Orkney International Science Festival.

11 Oct 2024

My husband Chris and I (with our toddler in tow) joined  Health Data Research UK (HDR UK) in Orkney for the Orkney International Science Festival at the start of September.

As public contributors covering two different aspects of work led by the British Heart Foundation Data Science Centre (BHF Data Science Centre) and HDR UK, it was a lovely opportunity for Chris and I to do something together which reached out into a community and helped to stimulate conversations about the importance of health data.

Importance of large-scale health data

Chris joined Professor Cathie Sudlow in a discussion on the importance of large-scale health data in solving some of our most pressing issues in cardiovascular health.

He outlined the value of data from smartphones and wearables (both on a personal and at a research level) and explained the importance of public involvement and trust to help shape approaches and identify priorities.

Bringing science and research to life

I supported the delivery of a family day which was full of kids getting to grips with games, experiments and activities bringing science and research to life. It was a wonderful experience, and highlighted to me the interest and appetite the public have to know more about the work that can shape their health now, for the future and for future generations. This interest and enthusiasm for getting involved is the biggest takeaway from the events, I think.

“By finding new ways to connect to many people rather than just relying on a core group of public contributors we can gather wider perspectives and generate new ideas.”  – Nicola Monk

The enthusiasm of the children and young people at the family day demonstrated that there is really no lower age limit on that! 

Reaching people who don’t engage with health data research

At future science festivals I would love to see some research being carried out in real time; gathering insights from the public to help make real world decisions on research, or even doing an experiment on site!

Through visiting science festivals in different regional locations, we can engage with people who may never have been involved with research before which represents a huge opportunity. 

We spoke to lots of people on the day who were interested in getting involved with patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) activities, so I hope that we will be able to welcome some new faces into the various PPIE groups across HDR UK in the coming weeks and months.

Find out more

HDR UK has many resources for patient and public involvement and engagement with health data research. 

Read the accompanying story: In conversation with Professor Cathie Sudlow and Chris Monk: How Data Can Save Lives

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