Contact if you have questions: Shilpa Pius s.pius@bham.ac.uk The activities are funded through the NIHR Birmingham BRC unless otherwise stated.

Contact if you have questions: Shilpa Pius s.pius@bham.ac.uk The event is funded through the NIHR Birmingham BRC

Reimbursement for your time and input is offered :)

This research is funded by NIHR.

14 October | 6-7pm | Online  

Self-test diagnostic kits are now sold in supermarkets and pharmacies across the UK. But are they reliable? Can they help you make more informed decisions about your health - or could they do more harm than good? Join our researchers to explore their latest findings in this space – no science knowledge needed! Register now. 

Explore a fantastic lineup of free events, including captivating talks, and family-friendly activities. The festival will take place on the University of Birmingham’s main campus in Edgbaston (B15 2TT). Just head to the base of our famous Clock Tower, Old Joe, for all activities.

Date: Saturday 21 June, 10:00 - 17:00.

More information can be found here: https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/events/the-exchange/125/come-to-campus

[You are also welcome to express an interest in attending this London workshop and a £100 payment is offered, however we do not have funding available to cover travel expenses and each person can only attend 1 of the 2 workshops if selected, you may not attend both].

This questionnaire was collaboratively developed by members of the public and patients, alongside the PIONEER Health Data Research Hub team.

In 2021, as part of a series of engagement activities, 350 individuals completed the questionnaire. The insights gathered informed the publication of a research paper titled ‘Perceptions of anonymised data use and awareness of the NHS data opt-out amongst patients, carers and healthcare staff’.

You can access the paper here: https://rdcu.be/ewkd2

We are now preparing a follow-up study to explore how perceptions of anonymised health data use and awareness of the NHS data opt-out have evolved over the past few years.

To ensure broader representation, we aim to share this updated questionnaire more widely, reaching a more diverse and inclusive cross-section of the population.

The questionnaire should take less than 5 minutes to complete: https://forms.gle/yzUc9K2VpgpViLVr8

As this is online, for the question that asks, ‘Why are you here today?’, please choose the option of ‘other’.

NIHR HTA funded clinical trial: Nerve Block for Chronic Pain After Knee replacement Surgery (the BaCPAKS trial).

This is a multi-centre, randomised, sham-controlled trial to investigate the clinical and cost effectiveness of a nerve block treatment to reduce chronic pain after knee joint replacement surgery.

What are we asking of you?

·     Active attendance of 1 to 2 hour (online possible)
x 2 meetings per year, over 5 years of the trial

·     £25 per hour is offered – maximum of £500 over trial, depending on length and number of meeting

Information about the role of a Trial Steering Committee (TSC) is available at https://www.nihr.ac.uk/appendix-1-public-tscssc-member-role-description

Person specification

These are desirable not essential criteria. Ideally, public members of Trial Steering Committees should be independent, and therefore not involved in other aspects of this trial. They must not sit on another committee or group related to the same trial.

Importantly, we are seeking someone who is NOT associated with the Rheumatology Research Patient Partnership (R2P2) PPI group, who are supporting patient involvement in this study.

Experience

• Experience of a particular condition or service as a patient or a carer relevant to the topic of the trial, or a member of the public who is affected by the issues being researched

• Experience of participating in formal meetings

• Experience of reading and reviewing written documents

• Experience of working as part of a team

• Experience of public involvement in research

Knowledge

• An understanding of the importance of and need for health research

• An understanding of the research process and public involvement

Skills

• Confidence and ability to contribute relevant and succinct information to group discussion

• Ability to refer to personal experience and reflect on wider lay perspectives appropriately in discussion

• Ability to use e-mail, phone for teleconferencing and the internet

Personal Characteristics

• Interest in improving health care services and provision

• Willing to learn the skills of the role and to develop

• Ability to travel to venue of meetings (expected to be online)

• Able to maintain the confidentiality of all study materials

Queries and expressions of interest to Gwenda Simons g.simons@bham.ac.uk by 15 August 2025

You decide.

Together with @veritypcos and @cardiffuni, we’re working with patients and professionals to identify the most important, unanswered research questions on PCOS.

✅ We've sorted 1400+ ideas & grouped down to 51 research topics

✅ Checked them against existing evidence

✅ Now we need YOU to help prioritise these even further

📅 Final top 10 coming this October.

🗳 Take part: www.verity-pcos.org.uk/jlapcos

#PCOS #JLApcos #PCOSCommunity

• £50 for 2hrs of active contribution at the meeting

• Up to £25 towards travels with valid receipts

• Payment is made via Bank Transfer or Voucher

Please note we anticipate a lot of interest in this opportunity and so you will need to express an interest in being involved by completing this form: https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/bham/eoi29aug25 Put your expression of interest in before August 25th. We will confirm by August 26th if you have been selected or not. Questions? patientsandpublic@contacts.bham.ac.uk

Survey email for PPIE contributors

I would like to share with you details of a short survey you may be interested in completing.  

The survey asks about patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) in reproductive health & childbirth research. It is being led by a group of researchers based at the University of Liverpool. They want to understand more about what good PPIE looks like and would like to know your views and experiences. The survey is completely independent. You can answer openly and honestly if you choose to take part.   

The survey will take approximately 15 minutes and you can enter into a prize draw for one of four £25 vouchers if you choose.  

Please follow this LINK for further information or email EMAIL the study team.  

The survey can be directly accessed here https://redcap.link/SHAPESsurvey 

Thank you.  

Qualitative interviews email for PPIE contributors

Interviews are conducted on-line using MS Teams and last approximately 45 minutes.

We will provide interview participants with a £25 thank you voucher for your time.

Please see the attached information for further details.

If you have any further questions or are willing to participate, please provide your preferred contact details to ckingdon@liverpool.ac.uk within two weeks. Thank you. 

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 (University of Birmingham) to discover how research at the NIHR Birmingham Biomedical Research Centre is exploring ways to improve treatments for arthritis patients - no science knowledge needed, everyone is welcome to join! Register to attend here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/seeing-what-hurts-ultrasounds-role-in-fighting-arthritis-tickets-1372299477679?aff=3rdparty

Discover how our research is exploring ways to improve treatments for arthritis patients with Professor of Rheumatology, Andrew Filer.

Before I finalise the design, I want to co-design it with people who have had gestational diabetes. I would like to hear what measurements feel reasonable, how often check-ins should be, what information you would want back, and any barriers we should remove. This is a one-off online conversation (or two, if you wish) to guide the plan; there are no tests and you can skip any topic you don’t want to discuss. Your insights will help me build a study that’s respectful, low-burden and focused on outcomes that matter.

I will reimburse your time at £25 per hour in vouchers as a thank-you for sharing your experience.

Interested? Contact: Julia Zöllner — j.zollner@ucl.ac.uk

This event is for anyone who has contributed to public involvement in Birmingham. To attend, you’ll need a supporting contact at Birmingham who can confirm your contribution.

✨ Travel costs will be covered via your nominated contact.
✨ Please note: we are unable to reimburse time.

But we can promise:
🍴 Lunch and plenty of refreshments
🎉 Fun and engaging activities
🗣️ Inspiring talks from public contributors
🔬 Exciting insights from researchers

Come and be part of shaping the next chapter for public involvement in Birmingham!

Questions: Contact Lucy Oakey l.a.oakey@bham.ac.uk

Register here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/birmingham-public-involvement-festival-2025-tickets-1754807238689?aff=oddtdtcreator

We’re recruiting for a new study to compare Myo-inositol (a natural supplement) with a look-alike supplement with no active ingredient, over 6 months.

• Who can join? Teen girls diagnosed with PCOS

• What’s involved? Taking a supplement, attending a few clinic visits, and answering some questions about your health

• Why join? Help us learn what works best for teens with PCOS and improve future care

• Privacy & Safety: All information is kept confidential and the study is approved by NHS ethics committees

• Young Hilda Needed: We are also looking for a Young Hilda to become a member of trial steering committee for our feasibility study.

• This will involve giving advice on recruitment and interviews of patients and require an 1 hour of your time every 2 to 3 months for 2 years

• Interested? Contact us at d.afreh-mensah@bham.ac.uk

Do you have diabetes or are you caring for someone else with the condition?

Join us for a special public engagement event for Diabetes Awareness Month on Saturday 22nd November 2025 between 10am and 2.30pm at the Edgbaston Park Hotel & Conference centre at University of Birmingham. We'll be focusing on women's perspectives as researchers working in this area, as women living with diabetes or as women caring for children and family members with the condition. This will be an informal and fun networking and interactive event, primarily for women and their children to come along, enjoy lunch and learn more. This is a free to attend engagement event, so there is no full payment on offer, however a free lunch & a £25 Amazon e-voucher will be emailed to you after the event as a token of our appreciation for your attendance. Spaces are very limited, if you are interested please sign up on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1972479894462?aff=oddtdtcreator

Come along and share across your networks and groups to encourage as many sign ups as possible (posters etc attached)! It's aimed at the general public, no science knowledge needed, so everyone is welcome to join by registering HERE. 

What are we doing?

We are a multidisciplinary team from NHS trusts and UK universities that want to look at ways of preventing wound infections after surgery (also called surgical site infections or SSIs). We will be running the largest surgical trial in the UK and will include over 25,000 patients across the NHS.

How can you help?

• Have lived experience of an obstetric surgical site infection (SSIs) such as infections after caesarean section.

• Meet online 4 times a year (a few face-to-face ones may happen).

• Advise the research team if the interventions within the study are acceptable to patients.

• Review patient-facing materials like videos, and leaflets.

How will we support you?

We’ll ensure you understand the research and methods, provide training if needed, remain flexible in meeting arrangements, and reimburse your time as per the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) patient and public involvement (PPI) guidelines.

Interested?

For more details and to apply please email Researcher Daisy Duncan at d.duncan@bham.ac.uk

Join the Birmingham and Leicester Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres in an online event to discover more about targeted therapies in cancer. 

Opportunity to ask questions from clinical and research leaders in developing these therapies. 

Agenda 

14:00 - 14:05  Welcome and Introduction 

             Chair: Dr Harriet Walter, University of Leicester 

14:05 – 14:15  A Patient’s experience of taking part in the Determine Clinical Trial 

14:15 – 14:45  Unlocking cancer’s code to guide therapy 

                        Speaker: Dr Rebecca Allsopp, University of Leicester 

14:45 – 15:15  Title, tbc  

                        Speaker: Dr Mark Openshaw, University of Birmingham 

15:15 – 15:30 Panel Q&A with all three speakers 

Please join us on 25^th, the on-line event is free to join – we look forward to welcoming you.

Email k.turner.1@bham.ac.uk if you have any additional questions about the event

Chapter is developing a patient reported outcome measure which is a questionnaire that women will complete in the postnatal period to track recovery, inform treatment, and assess the quality of healthcare services relating to their perineal trauma.

Chapter would like to gain patient and public input on the patient reported outcome measure. If you have experienced a cut (episiotomy) or a tear (1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd or 4^th degree) during vaginal childbirth and would be willing to offer your insight on this project please get in touch with Amy Delicate (a.r.delicate.1@bham.ac.uk), Chapter Research Fellow.

There is an online meeting scheduled for 12.30-2pm on Monday 12^th January and those attending will be reimbursed at the NIHR indicated rate of £27.50 an hour. If you are interested in giving your feedback but aren’t available on this date/time, please still get in contact as Chapter will be arranging further meetings.

22 January | 6-7pm | Online 

Antibiotics are vital medicines - but some infections are becoming harder to treat. In this free webinar, Prof Elizabeth Sapey and Dr Suzy Gallier (NIHR Birmingham Biomedical Research Centre) will explain what antibiotic resistance is, why it matters to all of us, and how NHS data is helping researchers protect these lifesaving medicines for the future. No science background needed - just an interest in keeping antibiotics working for you and your family. Register here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/saving-our-antibiotics-understanding-resistance-how-data-can-prevent-it-tickets-1977720558429?aff=BRCPPIE

We are inviting the public, patients, carers, service users, community members and partners to express an interest in

joining our Public Involvement Strategy Group. The group will help shape a new strategy that sets out how people

and communities are involved in NIHR research across the University of Birmingham and Birmingham Health Partners.

The strategy group will:

Meet for an hour on Friday mornings every two weeks

until April, and monthly after that

Work together to develop the strategy

Help ensure the strategy reflects the needs, priorities

and experiences of our communities.

Register your interest here: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=z8oksN7eQUKhXDyX1VPp8xMZqmJzSJ1Gt6jAGW5KDYZUOTVFSzFXTEVNMDIxNFdDSzNVMjg4NU01QyQlQCN0PWcu&route=shorturl If you want to know more about the background to the institutional strategy, you can read the FAQ document here: https://bham.sharepoint.com/:w:/r/sites/InvolvementandEngagementTeam-Committee/_layouts/15/Doc.aspx?sourcedoc=%7BF46AF47A-11E2-44E9-833E-0BB7787BE057%7D&file=Public%20Facing%20FAQ.docx&wdLOR=c6A87A7F6-7A92-5747-B1B5-BED50592C1C4&action=default&mobileredirect=true Still have questions? Contact Lucy Oakey l.a.oakey@bham.ac.uk

• Have you had an induction of labour?

• Do you want to help improve care for other families?

To find out more email: r.ajayi@liverpool.ac.uk or

ecpick@liverpool.ac.uk

Deadline for application: 2 Febr

The event, a film launch and panel discussion, takes place at The Gallery within the Library of Birmingham on Centenary Square (opposite The Exchange) next Monday evening, 9^th March from 5-6:30pm. The film content will include experiences of women at risk of preterm birth, but the event is open to all ages, so all family and friends are welcome to join. The event is free, but booking is essential. https://www.ikon-gallery.org/event/the-only-one-film-launch.

Further details below. Please share this with anyone who might be interested in attending.

Join us at The Library of Birmingham for the launch of The Only One (2025), a newly commissioned video and sound work by composer Hannah Conway, now acquired by the Birth Rites Collection.

Co-created with writer Hazel Gould, Professor Anna David, and women with lived experience of cervical scans, the work draws on interviews with patients and staff at preterm birth clinics in the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Wing at University College Hospital London. The aria is voiced by a fictional patient and explores experiences of internal vaginal ultrasound scans used to measure the cervix and assess the risk of preterm birth.

Following the screening join Hannah Conway, Professor Anna David, Birth Rites Collection curator Helen Knowles, and artist Sally Butcher for a conversation about creative health, collaboration, and the role of art in shaping cultures of care across clinical and civic spaces.

The film is co-commissioned by the Tommy’s National Centre for Preterm Birth Research, Imperial College London and the Birth Rites Collection. The Only One also forms part of a training resource for midwives, integrating artistic practice into healthcare education.

Join us for the first CRCTU Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement Day!

Patients and members of the public are invited to join us at the University of Birmingham on Monday 20th April 2026 for our first Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) Day. Registration for online attendance here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/crctu-patient-and-public-involvement-and-engagement-day-tickets-1982194358686?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm_source=Newsletter&utm_campaign=MDSMessengerNew&utm_medium=Email

People with all levels of experience are welcome, whether you have done lots of PPIE work already or you are thinking about getting involved in PPIE for the first time. This is an opportunity to meet other people who are passionate about making research better for patients and their families, make contacts and learn from one another.

We want to hear what you think of the way we do PPIE.

We will also share results from the National Lung Matrix Trial; a large UK-based precision medicine trial for non-small cell lung cancer.

There will be 2 online group discussions lasting around 1-2 hours. These will be held on 13 April at 10am and 14 April at 1pm. Participants will receive a £10 gift voucher as a thank-you for taking part. 

You can also use this link to register:

https://bit.ly/4strLBZ

If you would like more information, please contact: Dr Cassandra Yuill, Cassandra.yuill.2@citystgeorges.ac.uk. 

If your maternity notes were recorded electronically (not on paper) or through an app, we would like to hear about your experience of this. It will involve a 1 to 1 interview by telephone or video call (40- 60 minutes duration).

If you are interested in participating, please contact the research team, or scan the QR in the poster above

Email: emn.study@contacts.bham.ac.uk

Tel: 07771736268

The session will include some short interactive questions to capture your views, as well as a relaxed group discussion on Zoom. As a thank you for your time, they offer a £25 Amazon voucher. 

We’re keen to hear a range of perspectives and experiences, and to understand what information and support would be most helpful. 

If you are interested in taking part, please complete the Expression of interest form before Monday 20th April : Expression of interest form - Making decisions in pregnancy – Fill in form[https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=z8oksN7eQUKhXDyX1VPp80DbQlwkVzBCi3QKj0F20Z9URExOTzhGUExEM1FTRzcxSzZKUkZPOVJBWi4u&route=shorturl] As we have a limited number of places (around 12), participants will be selected to include a range of perspectives, and we may close the form once these are filled. We may not be able to invite everyone who expresses an interest at this stage, but there will be further opportunities to get involved. For additional queries contact Mandeep directly: m.k.ubhi@bham.ac.uk 

To apply, please submit a short paragraph (~ 200 words) by the 19th of April 2026 outlining a little about yourself, your location, your motivation for attending, which date you’d prefer and why, and how you intend to interactively share your learning from the event to benefit other Hildas members. We will confirm who has been selected by the 22nd of April. Please email: patientsandpublic@contacts.bham.ac.uk and put ‘Engage Summit’ in the title of your email.

I’m also super excited to let you know about the upcoming solo exhibition of our very own Danielle Radway! Dani is a member of The Hildas and we have worked together on a number of creative projects in the past, including Sci-Art Perspectives (2025) and Lore + (Dis)order (2022). It’s therefore a real thrill to see her taking her passion for art forward to open up important conversations about social isolation, illness, race and body image. The exhibition will be running for a few weeks and I myself am hoping to pop along for her workshop! Please do go along to support her - sign up & further details below!

• The Exhibition runs 16^th May - 14^th June (9am - 5 pm daily) - more info here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/to-be-seen-exhibition-launch-by-danielle-radway-tickets-1985193031798

• The Workshop runs on Saturday 30^th May 2026 at 11am - 2pm - more info & sign up here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/to-be-seen-the-workshop-by-danielle-radway-tickets-1985193303611

  
  

"Drawing from her lived experience as a Black woman navigating chronic and rare health conditions, Radway integrates her own journey with the personal stories of others.

Despite growing up in a diverse city like Birmingham, her path has been marked by judgment and the challenges of battling numerous illnesses. Through her extensive collaboration with hospitals, universities, and health organizations, she discovered a universal desire among those in similar positions: the fundamental need to be heard and acknowledged.”

Doulas, birth workers, and maternity advocates are invited to take part in an interactive research workshop exploring maternity decision-making and service redesign at the University of Birmingham. If you have a strong interest and good experience of maternity care services, this may be of interest to you. We are looking for people who can talk not only from their own personal perspective, but also those with a wider understanding of maternity services in the UK, perhaps though supporting other family or community members as well.

Your insight and experience supporting women to navigate complex or preference-sensitive choices would be incredibly valuable — and will help shape more person-centred approaches to maternity care. 

Key information about the research workshop:

📅 2 dates available: Friday 22 May 2026 or Friday 3 July 2026 
📍 Taking place at University of Birmingham
🎁 Travel expenses (up to £25) + lunch provided

Please also feel free to also share the opportunity with any maternity advocates / birth workers you may know (flyer attached below) and you can express an interest in taking part HERE: https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/bham/psrc-ft-study-expressions-of-interest Please sign up ASAP if interested.

The team can offer a £25 Amazon e-voucher as a thank you for your time and involvement.

Who can get involved?

• People living with Type 2 diabetes (any stage)

• People who have tried lifestyle changes

• People who have achieved remission, or not

• Family members or carers

No research experience is needed. Your lived experience is what matters.

How can you help?

Your views will help us to:

• Check the research questions make sense to patients and families

• Focus on what matters most in everyday life

• Improve how the research is designed and explained

• Shape future research to support more personalised (stratified) care

What does involvement involve?

Initial online discussion meeting:

Monday 18 May

5:00 – 6:30 pm

Online (Microsoft Teams)

Any further involvement will be optional and discussed with you in advance.

Payment will be offered at £27.50 per hour in line with NIHR guidance. Clear information,

opportunities to ask questions, and ongoing support from the research team will be provided.

Deadline to express interest: 15 May 2026

Contact:

s.blackburn.1@bham.ac.uk | m.p.gardner@bham.ac.uk

research. Whether you live with a thyroid condition, support someone who does, or work in this area, they

want to hear what research you would like future thyroid research to address. You can make your opinion count by completing their online survey

https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/t/JLATHYROID/

Alternatively, if you would like a paper version of the survey, please contact the BTF jlapsp@btf-

thyroid.org or 01423 810093

You can read more about the BTF’s Priority Setting Partnership on Thyroid Disease at www.btf-

thyroid.org/listing/category/thyroid-research-priorities)

Please share this so that as many people from the thyroid community can be involved. Thank you.

If you are interested in maternity inequalities, please consider applying by the end of August. They will be shortlisting and holding informal conversations with people in September. Please contact nihr.mdc.ppie@newcastle.ac.uk for more information.

What’s happening on the day

• Engaging expert talks with a huge breadth of topics spanning neurodiversity & menopause, HRT, pelvic floor health, nutrition, sleep, men as allies, menopause at work, breathwork and much more

• Energising classes and workshops including Pilates, sound bath, Tai Chi and more. Spaces are limited so book your add-ons early! To ensure many can attend a range of activities and workshops, those add-ons have been limited to maximum 3 per person.  Make sure you don't book sessions taking place at the same time as we would have to adjust this randomly! 😊

• Expert panel ready for your Q&A

• Explore the Wellbeing & Community Marketplace Discover over 50 exhibitors offering products, services, and support across health, wellbeing, lifestyle, and community engagement

  https://tickets2026.menopauseknowledge.org/events/menopauseknowledge/2075914?trackingConsent=1

We want to hear from you! Your views will shape new resources for clinicians and patients to help put the new guideline into practice. Join us to have your say on what they should include. 90 minute group meeting, no preparation needed and a 'Thank you' voucher. 3 possible dates between 5 : 0 0 - 6 : 3 0 P M on Thursday 5 Nov; Monday 9 Nov; Friday 13 Nov. See the link for more information and to sign up!