Science historian and Guardian science blogger, Vanessa Heggie (@HPS_Vanessa) has written a fascinating piece about how AIDS activists among others changed the way we run clinical trials and persuaded researchers to adopt new methods. That's certainly the history lesson passed down to me as Chair of INVOLVE by previous members. They will tell you that, before we ever talked... Continue Reading →
Moorfields research team reports on benefits of public involvement to eye patients and staff
Sometimes it is the lot of the blogger to feel like the producer of 'Have I Got News For You.' One's research can taken you to all sorts of places you didn't know existed. Then again it can also turn up some gems. This morning I blogged about the WHO report on medicine priorities and... Continue Reading →
INVOLVE steps forward to change behaviours on plain English summaries of health research
I make no apology for being a little bit obsessed by plain English summaries of research this week. Events have conspired to make it this way. So, what did NIHR do when faced late last year with rising concern among academics, researchers, patients and the public about the poor quality of lay summaries? It commissioned... Continue Reading →
The life sciences, the public and the growth agenda…its not just about bums on seats
This is an extract from a talk I gave on Monday to the Faculty of Medical Sciences at the University of Newcastle. I tried to answer the following question: The life sciences are seen as fundamental to the nation’s health and to economic growth. But what is the public’s role in making this happen? The... Continue Reading →
Exploring the partnership between patients and researchers – photography exhibition at UCH, London.
If you are at a loose end between now and the end of June, then this exhibition at the Street Gallery of University College Hospital looks well worth the visit. Award winning photographer Clare Parks joined forces with researchers and patients to explore their feelings about clinical research in photographs. The images are really quite... Continue Reading →
Science interviews: Tooke goes collaborative, and Glover is not overcome by emotion
I thought the following interviews might be of general interest. Both are with recently appointed science leaders. Both, among other things, major on the need for greater collaboration in research. Times Higher Educational Supplement (THES) interviews the new President of the Academy of Medical Sciences, Sir John Tooke. Sir John chaired the discussion panel I was... Continue Reading →
Social media and medical research, a story from Oz
I am in international mood today. From the United States to Australia. Unfortunately not via Hawaii. This was sent to me this morning and it's basically a report of a paper appearing in the Journal of Internet Medical Research about the viability of using social media in medical research. Interesting snapshot discussion around the pitfalls - i.e.... Continue Reading →
Ill-informed consent: EU meeting lays into clinical trials small print for patients
Image by erjkprunczyk via FlickrDaniel Cressey at Nature has written this report from last week's meeting of the European Forum for Good Clinical Practice which took place in Brussels. The basic thrust of the discussion at the meeting was that information given to patients prior to them signing up for a clinical trial: is often vague, too long,... Continue Reading →
