It is said that when Robert Sherman sat down to write 'A Spoonful of Sugar' he was inspired by his children's tale of being given their polio vaccine on a sugar cube. The iconic song from Mary Poppins, lyrically captures a moment in time when the relationship between society, medicine and research was a more … Continue reading Mary Poppins no longer has the answers in medicine – for either doctor or patient
Professor Dame Sally Davies
We need to get personal about ‘antibiotic resistance’ if we want the public to help fight infection @wellcometrust
The Wellcome Trust have this morning put out the results of a very interesting study about public understanding of antibiotic resistance. The research by Good Business found that people struggle with what the term 'antibiotic resistance' means, and are more comfortable with alternative terms such as “drug-resistant infections” or “antibiotic-resistant germs." Also that, because of the … Continue reading We need to get personal about ‘antibiotic resistance’ if we want the public to help fight infection @wellcometrust
NIHR Friday: BioResource launch has volunteers at its heart
Delighted to see today's announcement by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) of the new NIHR BioResource. The importance of the new BioResource (the main website for the BioResource is here) is underlined by the fact that not one Minister but both the Secretary of State for Health, Minister for Health plus the Chief Medical Officer, Professor … Continue reading NIHR Friday: BioResource launch has volunteers at its heart
NICE makes bold intervention on clinical trials and children
It is great to see our drugs watchdog, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), make such a bold statement today that all children and young people with cancer should be given the opportunity to take part in clinical trials and research. The statement, which is one of seven making up NICE's 'Quality … Continue reading NICE makes bold intervention on clinical trials and children
It’s out! Report of GenR young people in health research event presented to CMO
Yesterday I joined colleagues from the Medicines for Children Research Network (MCRN) to present the report of the Generation R event last year, to the Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Professor Dame Sally Davies. For many people Generation R at the Science Museum was the highlight of 2013. It was designed, organised and delivered by young … Continue reading It’s out! Report of GenR young people in health research event presented to CMO
A nod to Nelson Mandela on the eve of the G8 Dementia Summit (agenda published)
It is no surprise that, in death as in life, Nelson Mandela has caused us to gaze upon humanity with warmth and optimism. I am sure I am not alone in having taken a great deal of pleasure from reading the celebrations of his life and reflecting on how different tomorrow would look were it not … Continue reading A nod to Nelson Mandela on the eve of the G8 Dementia Summit (agenda published)
Big data, big stage, cue patients as the leading actor. Remarks at #bigdata2013 on the patient agenda
The following is a more polished and slightly amended version [the bits in brackets I didn't say] of the remarks I made at the ABPI/NIHR conference about big data which took place in London yesterday. The title of the conference was: '360 of Health Data - Harnessing big data for better health.' I had written … Continue reading Big data, big stage, cue patients as the leading actor. Remarks at #bigdata2013 on the patient agenda
NIHR gives ‘chapter one and verse’ on patients and the public in research: 2012/13 annual report published
Forgive me. For once, I write with a semi-official hat on. But this afternoon feels like a bit of a milestone moment in lifting public involvement in research ever higher on people's agendas. If you have heard me speak in public then you will know I start by saying how proud I am that the … Continue reading NIHR gives ‘chapter one and verse’ on patients and the public in research: 2012/13 annual report published
CMO as good as her word on young people’s involvement in research
The Chief Medical Officer, Professor Dame Sally Davies, published her annual report today. Actually, it's two reports. The first is the usual state of the nation summary of the population's coughs and splutters. The second, uniquely this year, looks in depth at the worrying lack of attention we have paid to young people's health. It's … Continue reading CMO as good as her word on young people’s involvement in research
New CLAHRCs announced in local health research boost. Here’s a list and links. #nihrclahrcs
The Department of Health this morning announced the successful NIHR Collaborations for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLSHRCs). The formal press release can be found here. Thirteen CLAHRCs have been awarded over £120M in total following an open competition earlier this year. The details of the latter can be found here. Further details … Continue reading New CLAHRCs announced in local health research boost. Here’s a list and links. #nihrclahrcs
250 words on Genomics England
So this feels to me as though common sense has been snatched from the jaws of defeat at the feet of academia. The initial announcement of a 'genome mapping initiative' by the Prime Minister in December was followed by not very convincing noises about the shape of things to come. Indeed, I fired off a … Continue reading 250 words on Genomics England
It’s NIHR Friday inc. new publications, a competition and NIHR CCF makes the Grade with patients
Yes, it truly does seem as though Friday should be dubbed 'NIHR Friday' given the propensity for my erstwhile colleagues to push info out on the aforementioned day. The clutch of interesting announcements this week include: Publication of the NIHR Annual Report for 2011-2012. You know, I'm sorry if this offends some people but I'm … Continue reading It’s NIHR Friday inc. new publications, a competition and NIHR CCF makes the Grade with patients
Prof Dame Sally Davies (CMO) talks about science communications, the media and public involvement
Rather than just tweet this as a link, I thought some background was needed. This is a ten minute extract of a much longer interview I did with Professor Sally Davies, Chief Medical Officer and Chief Scientific Officer at the Department of Health. The interview came at the beginning of a two-day NIHR training camp … Continue reading Prof Dame Sally Davies (CMO) talks about science communications, the media and public involvement
The secret weapon in UK public health research
I attended a good breakfast meeting today about public health research. It was convened by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Medical Research. The speakers included Professor David Heymann (Chair of the Health Protection Agency), Professor Robert West (Director of Tobacco Studies at the Cancer Research UK Health Behaviour Research Centre), Professor Anne Johnson (Professor of … Continue reading The secret weapon in UK public health research
Simon Denegri's Lay Review 