Patient and Public Involvement in Research

The recent COVID-19 pandemic showed the vital importance of clinical research.

Your responses and expertise are really important to researchers. If you would like to support them please get in touch with us – whether you want to meet in person, online or simply by email, we will have an option for you.

Your opinion matters

We need Patient and Public Involvement, Engagement and Participation (PPIE) to help researchers do research that meets your needs. Without PPIE, scientists plan their research based on what they think patients want and need. This can lead to studies that few people want to take part in, treatments that patients won’t like or information that people don’t understand. However, when patients and researchers work together, research is more likely to be acceptable, useful and easy to understand. Most importantly, your input gives researchers another point of view so that they can understand what priorities are most important to you. 

PPIE Strategy

At NIHR Cambridge BRC, we aim to involve the public in all our research by providing a range of options so that you can find one that suits you. Read more about our PPIE Strategy.

Join Us

The easiest way to get involved in health research in Cambridge is to join the Cambridge University Hospitals (CUH) Patient & Public Involvement (PPI) panel. You can find out more about the panel here.

Meet some of our panel members

PPI Panel member Barbara

Being part of the PPI group has proved an extremely rewarding experience and provided a sense of contributing something of real value, no matter how small that might be. It is a very positive and socially stimulating experience.

Barbara, PPI member

PPI Panel member Charles

I joined because of my long-term interest in health.

If you think you might enjoy expressing your opinions on health research you should join the panel.

Charles, PPI member

PPI Panel member Karen

The CUH PPI panel is a great opportunity to get a broader feel for what’s happening in health research in Cambridge – and to have a say in that research – especially after my several experiences as a patient.

Karen, PPI member


Meet our Patient and Public Involvement team

Dr Amanda Stranks, PPI/E and Communications
Strategy Lead

Georgina Norris, Patient and Public Involvement Coordinator

Gail Holloway, Patient and Public Involvement Coordinator

.

If you would like to join or find out more, please complete this online Enquiry form


For Researchers

How can you build PPI into your research? The PPI team are here to advise and support your research to be the best it can be.

The NIHR Cambridge BRC PPI team can offer:

  • Advice and support
  • Access to the CUH PPI panel – 70 lay members who can help you incorporate PPI into your research
  • Training for research teams
  • Other resources to help you embed PPI into your research

Visit Patient and Public Involvement in your research for more details or our ‘useful links and documents’ page.

If you require any PPI training, head to our training sessions for researchers.

Contact details:

Telephone: 01223 254620 or email: cuh.ppi@nhs.net