Championing research inclusion at Festival of Digital Health

The BNSSG diverse Research Engagement Network was strongly represented at a Festival of Digital Health event in Bristol this week, aimed at early career academics.

Dr Ilhem Berrou from UWE Bristol chaired a thought-provoking morning panel session on ‘Digital health as a force for all: diversity and inclusion in health data and innovation’ with Health Data Research UK.

Ilhem is a key member of the Network, and also a co-director of our Bristol Immunisation Group (BIG) Health Integration Team, which focuses on improving vaccination uptake.

Panellist Connie Shiridzinomwa talked about why inclusion in health research is so urgently needed. She manages the Bristol Protected Characteristics project, which for the first time has evidenced who is – and who is not – taking part in health research locally. The project was partly funded by a Research Engagement Network award from NHS England.

Connie, a Bristol Health Partners colleague, is also on the NIHR Senior Research Leadership Programme, where she is working on a project to diversify the research workforce. Read her blog.

People in Health West Of England (PHWE) lead, Dr Andy Gibson, then talked about the South West Secure Data Environment. This is a linked data resource for health researchers, which public contributors have helped develop. Andy has been part of in the Research Engagement Network from the start, supporting its Health Ambassadors programme.

After lunch, the audience and panellists got together in small groups to discuss common challenges early career researchers face, such as navigating a career pathway, securing funding and finding the right collaborators.

Connie said:

“It was wonderful to have so many early career researchers attending who are so keen to make their research more inclusive. The energy and enthusiasm in the room was infectious – the future looks bright!”

About the Festival

The Festival of Digital Health runs from 30 June to July in Bristol, Bath, Cardiff and Exeter. It’s hosted by LEAP, a groundbreaking Digital Health Hub for the South West of England and Wales. The Hub aims to build on the strengths of each of its institutional partners to provide opportunities for training, research and collaboration.