Experience

Institute of Global Health Innovation

• United Kingdom
• Research
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement Lead

  • Dec 2018 - Present

  Building on the below, my role sits across the Institute of Global Health Innovation (IGHI) of which the PSTRC, CHP and the Helix Centre for Design in Healthcare are a part. The PPIE team is housed in the Design Strategy Team, at Helix, who work across IGHI and with external partners to embed human-centred design approaches into research and strategy. I manage a patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) officer to ensure meaningful PPIE is carried out across IGHI, as well as co-production, when appropriate. As well as building the capacity of researchers to carry out PPIE, I lead PPIE in various projects. For example, I project managed a co-produced project Hearing Birdsong (www.hearingbirdsong.com), an idea born at the sandpit innovation workshop. It uses an installation of handmade bird boxes playing birdsong at different frequencies to raise awareness of hearing loss in the underserved populations and encourage them to seek help when needed. In 2020, we held installations on the Kingsland Shopping Centre and the Dalston Eastern Curve Garden and screened 40% of the attendees with the HearCheck. It is a collaboration between community members with hearing loss, researchers, clinicians, product designers and design engineers and led by Tom Woods (Kennedy Woods), funded by the Co-production Collective. I lead the PPIE for the North West London Network Data Lab, a collaboration between IGHI, Imperial College and led by Imperial College Healthcare Partners, funded by Health Foundation. The programme carries out data analytics on Discover (a dataset linking primary, secondary, social, community and mental health care data) on topics suggested and prioritised by our local community. Fightin Thru is a co-produced project working with young men from Toxteth and led by The Mind Map. It uses boxing as a vehicle to encourage conversations about mental health and raise awareness of appropriate support for young men, focusing on underserved populations. Show less



Imperial College London

• Research Services
• 700 & Above Employee

• Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement Manager

  • Sep 2016 - Present

  I work for Lord Ara Darzi across the NIHR Imperial Patient Safety Translation Research Centre (PSTRC) and the Centre for Health Policy to improve patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE). I led on revamping and implementing the PPIE strategy for the PSTRC. I established the PSTRC PPIE Advisory Board (with three lay partners) to oversee the strategy. I facilitate the Research Partners Group, a diverse group of patient/public/carer members, that researchers can go to for advice about their PPIE plans. I coordinated the James Lind Alliance priority setting partnership about "safe care for adults with complex health needs", a process by which patients, carers and health/social care professionals identify and prioritise research questions. I have been part of various multidisciplinary teams to win funding including the Imperial Societal Engagement Seed Fund, the National Institute for Health Research Small Innovation grant and the University College London Centre for Co-production in Health Research pilot grant. Collaborative, innovative projects include the "True Cut" patient safety play, the "Can of Worms" immersive data sharing installation and the co-produced a sandpit innovation workshop to come up with innovative ideas to improve communication between adults with mild/moderate hearing loss and health/social care professionals, to improve the safety of care. In collaboration with other Imperial centres, we have pioneered the People's Research Cafes, to help increase the diversity of voices in research. I am building the capacity of staff to meaningfully involve the public in their research. I support the centres to capture the impact of PPIE to support continuous learning. I also sit on the PSTRC's Management Board and Executive Board with a lay partner. I worked with members of the public to write the PSTRC's first communications strategy and ensure we disseminate our work through a variety of methods. Show less



Cancer Research UK (CRUK)

• United Kingdom
• Non-profit Organizations
• 700 & Above Employee

• Research Funding Manager

  • Mar 2015 - Sep 2016

  Worked in the Strategy & Research Funding directorate and led on the Early Diagnosis (ED) Expert Review Panel & working on the Population Research Committee on all grants management processes (including advising applicants, peer review, managing grant award letters etc) and helping to drive forward patient & public involvement in research.I've led on organising:- The Lung Cancer ED & Detection Research Workshop (Feb 16)- Cancer Research UK's first ED Innovation Workshop (Dec 15), bringing multidisciplinary researchers, clinicians, industry, policy makers and patient representatives together over 3 day sandpit workshops, to come up with novel research ideas for seed funding- Training events for early career researchers to get input into their research proposals from senior researchers and patient representatives which are now being rolled out in other scientific areas in the charity- 3rd National Awareness and ED Initiative (NAEDI) Research Conference (March15) with colleagues. A two day event with approx 300 attendees. I led first patient panel at the event to judge research posters.One of my key roles was to work across directorates to ensure early diagnosis activities in the organisation were linked up and that early stage results from projects are translated into evidenced based policy & practice. I sat in on CRUK's ED Advisory Group, the NCRI's Screening, Prevention & ED (SPED) Advisory Group & the Primary Care CSG.I led on:- innovation sandpit grants - a new way of funding- all population large programmes & ED grants- the new Catalyst Award - substantial funding to support population researchers to collaborate internationally by funding novel ideas to make a step change in the field, including funding capacity building & infrastructure- the new Population Health Working Group (a collaboration between MRC, Wellcome, BHF & DH), consisting of a group of scientists/clinicians to drive forward the field. Show less

• Early Diagnosis Officer

  • Sep 2013 - Feb 2015

  Worked across the Policy & Information directorate and the Strategy & Research Funding directorates in a unique role to ensure early diagnosis work across the charity is joined up. Work on the National Awareness and Early Diagnosis Initiative (NAEDI) research call and CR-UK's new policy research funding scheme and advisory committee the Early Diagnosis Advisory Group (EDAG). Cover areas of grants management, evidence gathering and communication, such as leading on the NAEDI newsletter http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/early-diagnosis-activities/national-awareness-and-early-diagnosis-initiative-naedi/naedi-newsletters and organising NAEDI training workshops for early career researchers (e.g. on complex interventions methodology). Show less



Wellcome Trust

• United Kingdom
• Non-profit Organizations
• 700 & Above Employee

• Graduate Trainee

  • Sep 2011 - Aug 2013

  Completed a two year Funding and Policy development programme, where I work in four departments for six months each: Grants Management; UK Collaborative on Development Science (UKCDS) - as a Research & Policy Officer; International Activities Team - Science Funding and as a Business Analyst in the Technology Transfer Division. Published work: - Good Practice Guide: "Seven principles for strengthening research capacity in low- and middle-income countries: simple ideas in a complex world", done in collaboration with the World Health Organisation and the ESSENCE group of health funders: http://www.who.int/tdr/publications/seven-principles/en/ http://www.international.ac.uk/media/1704785/international_focus_83.pdf http://www.ukcds.org.uk/_assets/file/features/UKCDS_Capacity_Building_Report_July_2012_Exec_Sum.pdf - which was referenced in the recent Science & Technology Committee report on the inquiry into the Department for International Development. Show less



UKCDR

• United Kingdom
• Government Administration
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Research & Policy Officer

  • Mar 2012 - Sep 2012

  Worked with 14 UK Government departments and some other funders: BBSRC, DH, BIS, DEFRA and DECC etc. to help coordinate research and activities in science for development. Including driving forward the Health Systems Research international joint scheme between Wellcome, MRC, DFID and ESRC. Worked with 14 UK Government departments and some other funders: BBSRC, DH, BIS, DEFRA and DECC etc. to help coordinate research and activities in science for development. Including driving forward the Health Systems Research international joint scheme between Wellcome, MRC, DFID and ESRC.



Orchid Cellmark

• Biotechnology Research
• 100 - 200 Employee

• Forensic Casework Administrator

  • Nov 2010 - Aug 2011

  Worked in the major crime department, showing key attention to detail and trusted with confidentiality. Worked in the major crime department, showing key attention to detail and trusted with confidentiality.



European Training Services

• International Trade and Development
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Leonardo da Vinci Programme

  • Apr 2011 - Jun 2011

  Was awarded a scholarship from the European Commission to carry out an intense Spanish course and worked in a spanish research team at the Faculty of Medicine at La Universidad de Las Palmas, Gran Canaria. Carried out Western Blott analysis, cell culture and fluorescent photographing of neuronal growth. Speak intermediate Spanish. Was awarded a scholarship from the European Commission to carry out an intense Spanish course and worked in a spanish research team at the Faculty of Medicine at La Universidad de Las Palmas, Gran Canaria. Carried out Western Blott analysis, cell culture and fluorescent photographing of neuronal growth. Speak intermediate Spanish.