UCLH PPI monthly drop-in sessions to continue throughout 2025

Patient and Public Involvement provides the potential to improve and enrich research quality and make research more clinically relevant. There is also a moral imperative to conduct PPI, as research targeting populations or services needs to be feasible and acceptable to those who take part.

In response to feedback from a survey of just under 100 UCLH researchers from the NIHR UCLH CRF, the CRF together with the BRC have been running monthly drop-in PPI clinics since August 2024.  The sessions are open to all UCLH researchers and research staff who have questions around how best to deliver PPI.

Dr Hatice Capar, who attended one of the earlier sessions last year, said: “I found the PPI drop-in session to be incredibly valuable in shaping my understanding of meaningful patient and public involvement in clinical research. The discussions provided critical guidance on best practices for integrating PPI into study design, ensuring that research is not only methodologically rigorous but also aligned with patient priorities and lived experiences.

“The session reinforced the importance of embedding PPI throughout the research process, from conceptualization to dissemination. It has directly informed how I approach stakeholder engagement in my own work, particularly in designing patient-centred methodologies for my current study.”

The drop-ins take place on the first Wednesday of each month from 1pm-2pm and are hosted by Patience Renias-Zuva, PPIE Lead for NIHR UCLH BRC and Christine Menzies, PPIE and Comms Lead for NIHR UCLH CRF.

To receive an invite for the sessions, email p.renias-zuva@ucl.ac.uk   or christine.menzies@nhs.net.

The next session takes place on 5^th March, 1pm-2pm. You don’t have to stay for the whole hour: simply drop in with your question(s), then drop off after they have been addressed.