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Cambridge Festival 2023

We have two exciting events lined up for this year’s Cambridge Festival – an in-person event at the Cambridge Academy for Science and Technology on 18 March, and five days later, a webinar for 16+ audiences on using health data in research. Find out more on this page!

Former PPI Officer Treena with our giant puzzle board of the research happening on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus

Discovering research with NIHR Cambridge BRC!

Did you know that medical research is happening all over the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, though you probably won’t ever see it going on!

But behind the scenes, researchers, scientists, doctors, nurses, midwives and other health professionals are working on important research to help sick people get better.

To help you visualise the stages involved, visit us during the Cambridge Festival and take part in our giant board puzzle with places to visit and clues to solve. Prizes for all puzzle-solvers!

This is a free event suitable for all ages, taking place from 11am-4pm on Saturday, 18 March at the Cambridge Academy for Science and Technology in Cambridge. There’s no need to book – just turn up on the day.

Graphic representing Mental Health theme

Can health data really save lives?

Health data has the potential to drive research that can improve the treatment and diagnosis of illness – but that data ultimately comes from patients, who may have questions and concerns about its use.

So how can researchers work with patients and the public to co-create boundaries and priorities that allow the use of patient data to save and improve lives in a socially acceptable way?

Join NIHR Cambridge BRC Director Prof Miles Parkes, academic consultant neuro-oncologist Dr Raj Jena and Prof Barbara Pierscionek, Deputy Dean (Research & Innovation) at Anglia Ruskin University, as they look at the benefits of using health data for research – and its possible risks.

Joining them for the panel discussion are lay members Caroline Brocklehurst and Helen Street. Caroline is part of the co-creation group providing the patient perspective for the NIHR Cambridge BRC-funded CYNAPSE​ project, which aims to build a secure infrastructure allowing Cambridge-based researchers to accountably and efficiently use health data to support critical studies. Helen has a background in health data governance and an ongoing interest in patient and public engagement with health data research.

Who’s speaking

About this event

This free event is suitable for anyone who wants to find out more about how our health data is being used to advance health research. You could be a member of the public, a student at college or university, a carer, researcher or healthcare professional – come along and join us online.

No scientific or medical background needed – just a curiosity to delve deeper into the topic!

The talks will be followed by a chance to ask the speakers your questions about health data in research.

Can’t make the date? It’s being recorded and will be on the NIHR Cambridge BRC YouTube channel from early April 2023!

Join us on Thursday 23 March 2023 from 7.00pm to 8.30pm – book your free ticket on Eventbrite

QR code for Eventbrite booking

Other NIHR events taking place on the campus

Why not explore other events on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus that our partner NIHR organisations are running throughout the Cambridge Festival?

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is the UK’s largest funder of health and care research. Its mission – to improve the health and the wealth of the nation through research – is shared across all its constituent programmes, units and centres.

The NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) is based on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus and combines scientific research in world-class institutes, patient care in NHS hospitals, and drug discovery in pharmaceutical companies including AstraZeneca and GlaxoSmithKline.

We reach out to scientists on the Biomedical Campus and beyond to ensure that their discoveries are pulled into the NHS, where clinical researchers can use them, in partnership with the life sciences industry, to improve health.

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If you’d like to find out more about how the NIHR works, visit www.nihr.ac.uk. To find out how YOU can be a part of it, go to bepartofresearch.uk.

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