Public Engagement

UCL School of Life and Medical Sciences

PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT

Dr Jenny Gimpel on a discussion between medics, historians and professionals and an audience invited from local communities around UCL MORE>>
Dr Celia Morgan organised ‘K-day’ to address a lack of engagement between researchers, healthcare professionals, Ketamine users and policy makers MORE>>

Public engagement is a core part of our work.

It informs our research, enhances our teaching and learning, and increases our impact on society.

Public Engagement Definitions

As public engagement is a developing field, there are several different definitions. We use the definition of public engagement developed by the National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement.

Public engagement describes the many ways in which higher education institutions and their staff and students can connect and share their work with the public.

Done well, it generates mutual benefit, with all parties learning from each other through sharing knowledge, expertise and skills. In the process, it can build trust, understanding and collaboration, and increase the sector's relevance to, and impact on, civil society.

And a definition of 'public' developed from that provided by HEFCE

The 'public' includes individuals and groups who do not currently have a formal relationship with an higher education institution (HEI) through teaching, research or knowledge transfer.

SLMS Public Engagement Model

SLMS adheres the following model for its public engagement activity

Types of Public Engagement

SLMS engages in different types of public engagement

Get Involved

UCL's Public Engagement Unit is one of six Beacons for Public Engagement in the U.K. It acts as a central hub to support sustainable public engagement work by staff and students.

The Joint Research Office is a partnership between University College London, UCL Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust. To help researchers actively involve patients and the public in their research, the Research Support Centre has a dedicated PPI manager.