CBSS Symposium: Beyond Engagement? PPI in Health Research

The UK is leading the way internationally in institutionalising requirements for health researchers to involve patients and the public in the production of knowledge. Most health research funders now ask for specific details of plans for ‘PPI’ in grant applications and the British Medical Journal has done significant work to establish involving patients as an essential component of quality health research. Good practice guidance is increasingly available from organisations such as INVOLVE and the NIHR.

While codifying and incentivising PPI practices has its advantages, it can close down potential for experimentation, and generates a set of dilemmas and tensions worthy of further exploration. Recent debates, often in the pages of the BMJ, have suggested significant amounts of frustration from both patients/lay members and from health researchers. This symposium invites attendees to reflect on contemporary practices of PPI as technologies for reshaping contemporary health research. It follows an initial symposium held at the Centre for Disability Research & Policy at the University of Sydney in February 2019.

The symposium will be held on May 3rd 2019 at the University of Edinburgh.

Speakers include Jen Smith-Merry (University of Sydney), Ewen Speed (University of Essex), Mary Madden (University of York), Louise Locock (University of Aberdeen), Michael Dunn (University of Oxford) and Oli Williams (King’s College London).

Members of the public with experience of or interest in patient and public involvement in health research are warmly welcomed. Please feel free to get in touch with the organiser Ellen Stewart with any questions about the event.

If you have a disability or any additional needs and require any assistance to take part please inform us on the registration page and we will be in touch to discuss how we can facilitate your attendance.