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Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement Newsletter |
June 2025Hello,
Welcome to our June edition of our Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) newsletter. It’s a busy time for our team at the NIHR Birmingham Biomedical Research Centre, with lots of summer engagement events coming up - read on to find out more. In particular, we have our next free webinar on Thursday 19 June, titled “Seeing what hurts: Ultrasounds role in fighting arthritis” - register now and find more details further down in our newsletter. We hope you can join us! |
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Research involvement opportunities |
Get involved in the INHABIT project to make homes in the UK healthier and better for the planetWhat are we doing?
Over the next five years researchers are looking at how we can make changes to our homes to make them healthier, more environmentally friendly and tackle health inequalities.
How can you help?
Do you have experience of living in a home which is too cold, too warm or has damp or mould?
If so, we’d love to hear from you. You would need to attend online team meetings (usually monthly) to offer your thoughts and feedback on our research and help us communicate with the public. You would need to attend an induction event in Birmingham on 14/15 July 2025.
How will we support you?
We will provide reimbursement of all time in accordance with NIHR guidance for payment (£25 per hour). All travel, meal and accommodation expenses will also be provided. We will offer training and support to you in this role and provide opportunities to learn about indoor air quality and home energy saving measures.
How to apply
Email inhabit-ppie@contacts.bham.ac.uk by 4 July 2025. |
Research engagement events from the BRC |
Seeing what hurts: Ultrasound’s role in fighting arthritisThursday 19 June | 6-7pm | Online
What happens inside inflamed joints? How can we tell which treatment will help? Join this short talk delivered by Prof Andrew Filer to discover how we are exploring ways to improve treatments for arthritis patients - no science knowledge needed, everyone welcome to join! Register to attend. |
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UoB Come to Campus Community FestivalSaturday 21 June | 10 am - 5pm | University of Birmingham, Edgbaston
In 2025, the University of Birmingham turns 125, and we’re inviting you to be part of the festivities during our special celebration day! Explore a fantastic lineup of free events, including captivating talks and family-friendly activities - look out for stands run by our own stellar researchers, exploring themes like medical tests and more! Explore the programme. |
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Join us at our stand! We’re looking for enthusiastic volunteers to spend an hour (or more!) at our PPI stand during the University of Birmingham’s Come to Campus, Community Festival on Saturday 21 June, between 10am and 5pm.
We’ll have a fun game and engaging materials to share—but what really makes an impact is you. Your personal experience with involvement in research is what visitors are most eager to hear about.
As a thank you, we’re offering payment for your time, reimbursement for travel expenses, and refreshments throughout the day.
Interested or want to learn more? Drop us a line at brcppie@contacts.bham.ac.uk—we’d love to hear from you! |
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Neighbourhood Futures FestivalSaturday 28 June | Edgbaston Reservoir, Birmingham If you’re local to Birmingham and planning to visit the Neighbourhood Futures festival in June, pop along and say hello to us on our Birmingham Public Involvement stand. We’ll be promoting the NIHR Birmingham Biomedical Research Centre and encouraging members of the public to get involved in research in Birmingham. We hope to see you there! |
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Global Health Research: What do we do, why does it matter?Monday 23 June | The Exchange, Centenary Square, Birmingham
Join Professor Alice Roberts for an insightful evening of discussion, interaction, and drawing with leading experts and researchers working on health projects across the world. Register to join us. |
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Watch back recordings of: |
Research news from the BRC |
Strengthening community ties: Birmingham BRC at Green Lane MasjidBack in May, our team participated in an engagement activity at the Green Lane Mosque in Birmingham - we met a group of Muslim women to create awareness of our work, with a particular focus on our research on Women’s Metabolic Health. |
Trial opening to assist GPs in managing diabetic kidney disease careA new clinical trial will investigate whether computer prompts can assist GPs in adhering to diabetic kidney disease treatment guidelines, with the aim to improve patient care and outcomes and reduce healthcare costs. |
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New research aims to transform immune cell imagingNew research will harness cutting-edge imaging and an already-licenced dye to inspect the eye and diagnose immune-related conditions earlier and more accurately. |
Innovative therapy to target chronic pain in osteoarthritisA new study could pave the way for a targeted treatment for osteoarthritis that directly tackles inflammation and chronic pain in the joint — without the side effects often associated with current therapies. |
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Increase in expectant mothers with autoimmune diseases since millenniumAn analysis of electronic healthcare records taken from 2000-2021 found that there was a rise in conditions diagnosed pre-pregnancy in women aged 15-49 including psoriasis, coeliac disease and type 1 diabetes mellitus. |
In the spotlight |
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Thanks to Helen and Kanta for being great advocates for what public involvement in research means to them, at the QE Hospital on 20 May. This was part of the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust research showcase, to celebrate International Clinical Trials day. It was great to see so many trials teams having stands to share with people – many of them you may have helped from the pre-grant application stage. |
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Check out our website to read more from other Patient Research partners. |
ContactGot any queries or would like to enquire about joining one of our PPIE groups? Get in touch at brcppie@contacts.bham.ac.uk or call 0121 371 8486. |
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