Twelve workshops encompassing 45 presentations were delivered at the event. From the use of PPI in pre-clinical research, in data science and in caregiving; through to support for PPI, rewards and finances, impact and evaluation. Insight into working with children and young people, underserved groups and those with additional needs was also presented. 

Use the options below to navigate to the presentation of choice. If you have any queries, contact communications@nrs.org.uk. 

Workshop 1A: Pre -Clinical Research

• Introducing PPI to the next generation of cancer researchers | Professor Valerie Speirs, Professor of Molecular Oncology, University of Aberdeen
• Establishing a menstrual bleeding disorders PPI group | Dr Marianne Watters, Clinical Research Fellow, University of Edinburgh
• Experiences from the CRUK RadNet Glasgow PPI Group | Dr Aileen Duffton, Lead Research Radiographer, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde; and Linda Galbraith, PPI Lead, RadNet Glasgow
• PPI in basic science research in diabetes | Dr Anna Barnett, NHS Research Scotland Diabetes Network Manager, University of Dundee; and Jennifer Watson, PPI contributor

Workshop 1B: Working with Underserved Groups

• Co-producing research with people with living or lived experience of substance use | Aileen O’Gorman, Professor of Substance Use and Social Policy, University of the West of Scotland; and Wez Steele, Senior Training and Development Officer, Scottish Drugs Forum
• Consortium Against Pain Inequality (CAPE) | Maureen O’Reilly and Debs Smith, CAPE Chronic Pain Advisory Group members
• ‘We’re vaccine curious not vaccine hesitant’ | Professor Shaun Treweek, Professor of Health Services Research, University of Aberdeen
• Eating Disorders and Autism Collaborative | Fiona Duffy, Consultant Clinical Psychologist/Senior Lecturer, Edinburgh University; and Becky Choat, Scottish Womens Autism Network

Workshop 1C: Improving Clinical Trials with PPI

• JUDITH NPatient and Public Involvement in Decentralised Clinical Trials | Dr Amy Rogers, Clinical Lecturer, University of Dundee, Ken Tait, member of the Trials@Home
  Project Patient Expert Panel
• Involving people living and working with MND to innovate, design and develop MND Smart | Judith Newton, Motor Neuron Disease Nurse Consultant for Scotland, University of Edinburgh
• PPI in a trial of remotely delivered weight management trial | Dr Tracy Ibbotson, PPIE lead, University of Glasgow; and Chris White, Long Covid Scotland
• Empowering Patient Involvement in Cancer Clinical Trials | Andrea Harkin, Operations Director, Glasgow Oncology Clinical Trials Unit; and Elspeth Banks, PPI Oversight Group Chair, Glasgow Oncology Clinical Trial Unit

Workshop 2A: Working with Underserved Groups

• PPI to guide an inclusive, viable approach to PhD study design exploring: Barriers to healthcare service access in socioeconomically deprived people living with Long COVID in Scotland | Heather Potter, Robert Gordon University PhD Student, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Robert Gordon University
• Working with underserved groups in physical activity | Deirdre Harrington, Senior Lecturer, University of Strathclyde 
• How can care for mental health patients be optimised | Dr Jane Grassie, Emergency Medicine Consultant, Victoria Hospital Kirkcaldy, NHS Fife
• Experience of engaging with people from minority ethnic communities | Rubina Zafar, PAINSTORM and SenseCheQ Patient Partner, in conversation with Judith Fisher,
  University of Dundee

Workshop 2B: Aging, Caregiving, Cognitive Impairment

• Creation of ‘Partners in Research’ and ‘Research in Care Homes (RICH) Voices’ | Dr Rosie Ashworth, Patient and Public Involvement Lead, NRS Neuroprogressive and Dementia Network, and David Ross, public contributor
• Embedding public involvement in Palliative Care | Dr Sarah Bowers, Clinical PhD Fellow, University of St Andrews; and Neil McNair, public contributor
• IncludeAge: Working with older people with learning disabilities to encourage and support their active involvement in a research project | Dr Joe Tai, Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Dundee; and Heather Blair, Lived Experience Expert, Advocating Together
• CareFit app - aiming to improve physical activity awareness and accessibility for informal carers |  Kieran Egan, Senior Research Fellow, University of Strathclyde

Workshop 2C: Impact and Evaluation

• Evaluating and Recording PPI Impact within the Usher Respiratory Team | Anna Crawford, Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement Officer, University of Edinburgh; and Lynn Laidlaw, EAVE II PPIE Group, Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh
• A Research Funder’s Perspective | Sarah Thomas, Research Manager, Make 2nds Count 
• Ensuring SPECTRUM research is grounded in public views | Becky Howell, Research Assistant, University of Stirling; and Laura Santi, Alcohol and Food
  Discussion Group
• How can we evidence the impacts of public involvement in policy-engaged population health research? Insights from participatory evaluation of a multisector sexual health research collaboration (CONUNDRUM) | Dr. Ruth Lewis, Lecturer, School of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow

Workshop 3A: CSO Early Career Researchers

• Finding the Right Target: An Interaction Between Drugs and Bowel Cancer Cells | Dr Hammed Badmos, Postdoctoral Research Associate (Therapeutic Science Research), University of Glasgow
• Developing a talking therapy for fear of relapse - the INDIGO study | Dr Stephanie Allan, Research Associate (Mental Health and Wellbeing), University of Glasgow
• Identifying new drugs to treat motor neuron disease using gene signatures | Dr Rebecca Graham, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Edinburgh
• Dr Joseph Symonds, Senior Clinical Research Fellow (Mental Health & Wellbeing), University of Glasgow

Workshop 3B: Rewards and Finances

• Health Services Research Unit’s Journey Towards More Equitable Collaboration with Public Research Partners | Dr Magdalena Rzewuska Díaz, Advanced Research Fellow, Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement Lead; and Peter Flockhart, public research partner
• Involving Universal Credit claimants in research | Dr Marcia Gibson, Research Associate, MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit,
  School of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow
• PPI Rewards, finances and acknowledgment at the Asthma UK Centre for Applied Research Patient and Public Involvement Platform | Laura Gonzalez Rienda, Asthma UK Centre for Applied Research Patient and Public Involvement
  Platform Research and Operations Assistant, Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh
• Navigating PPI activities with partner organisations and participants on their drug use recovery journey | Dr Camila Biazus Dalcin, Lecturer, School of Health Sciences, University of Dundee

Workshop 3C: PPI in Data Science

• "My Data”: a PPI project to understand the perceptions of administrative data usage for research of people who used drugs | Louise Marryat, Baxter Fellow and Public Engagement Lead, University of Dundee
• Scotland Talks Data: Reflections on Recruitment and Working in Partnership | Harriet Baird, Engagement Lead, Scottish Centre for Administrative Data Research, University of Edinburgh and Katie Oldfield, Public Engagement Manager, Research Data Scotland
• Dedicated funding, people and time: the game changers for PPIE in health data research | Sharon Gordon, ACHDS Programme Co-ordinator, University of Aberdeen
• Searching for the sweetspot between clarity and accuracy (presentation not available - please visit https://ukllc.ac.uk/) | Kirsteen Campbell, Communications and Engagement Officer, University of Edinburgh and Mhairi Docherty, public contributor

Workshop 4A: Working with People with Additional Needs

• Research for Everyone: making complex health research easier to understand | Fiona Barlow, Impact and Communications Officer, Scottish Learning Disabilities Observatory at the University of Glasgow; Aaron Hume, public contributor 
• An inclusive approach to PPI clinical research | Dr Chris McParland, Postdoctoral Research Associate (Nursing) - University of Glasgow
• Lessons learned from a PPIE project with underserved groups: What matters to you? Exploring Equitable Access to Healthcare with Black, Asian, and Global Ethnic Majority Women (GEM) in Aberdeen | Leila Neshat Mokadem, Senior Lecturer (Pharmacy), University Equality Champion, PhD candidate (PPIE), Robert Gordon University

Workshop 4B: Working with Children and Young People

• Children and Young People, Parents and Patients as Active Partners in Clinical Trial Design and Health Technology Development- What Difference Does it Make? | Dr Pamela Dicks, Network Manager and PPI Lead, NHS NRS Children’s Network;and member the Young Persons Advisory Group (YPAG)
• Loneliness in a Digital World - meaningfully involving young people in shaping health research | Sarah Robertson, Youth Engagement Lead, Generation Scotland/University of Edinburgh; and Eva Drummond, public contributor
• What factors influence young people’s involvement in policymaking and service improvement? A systems perspective (presentation not available - please visit www.gla.ac.uk/conundrum) |  Carolyn Blake, Research Associate, University of Glasgow 

Workshop 4C: Support for PPI

• Creative approaches to reimagining PPI in cancer research | Gaston Welisch, Research Associate, Glasgow School of Art
• Values and value in patient and public involvement: moving beyond methods | Dr Rosemary Hollick, Senior Clinical Lecturer and Honorary Consultant Rheumatologist, University of Aberdeen; and Lynn Laidlaw, public contributor
• Developing a flexible approach to Involvement meeting the needs of patients, carers, health providers, academics and the whole research community | Chris White, Network Peer Involvement Worker, NRS Mental Health Network 

Scotland’s research community was encouraged to submit nominations for two awards recognising individuals who have had a positive impact on patient and public involvement (PPI) in Scotland.

The PPI Newcomer Award is for researchers, public partners, or PPI leads at the start of their PPI journey. It recognises that taking the first steps into PPI can be daunting but the start of a productive journey between researchers and public contributors.

The PPI Impact award is for researchers, public partners, or PPI Leads who have demonstrated ongoing commitment to PPI. It recognises that supporting, delivering and sustaining PPI requires dedication but can deliver significant benefit and impact.  

Congratulations to our winners who received their awards during the event! 

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PPI Newcomer Award was awarded to Laura Edwards, Clinical Research Nurse in the Maybin lab at the Centre for Reproductive Health at University of Edinburgh for her contribution to PPI in menstrual research. The award recognised Laura's work in facilitating, coordinating and amplifying the voices of those with lived experience of problematic menstrual bleeding, which can be debilitating. Her work will make a real difference in ensuring these stories are heard and helping to smash the stigma associated with problem periods. Read more

PPI Impact Award was awarded to Dr Rosalie Ashworth, Patient and Public Involvement Lead of the NHS Research Scotland Neuroprogressive and Dementia Network for her work in leading the Partners in Research (PIR) Group. Over the past two years Rosie has comprehensively developed the PIR service, to promote an engaging platform for people with a lived experience, researchers, charities and health professionals to come together for a purpose and a common goal of ensuring that the voices of people with a lived experience are listened to and heard. This includes co-authoring a book with people with lived experience of dementia, with the open access link already accessed almost 10,000 times, plus conference work, monthly drop in sessions and harnessing the groups experience as co-researchers for research relating to healthy behaviour change in unpaid carers, music in care homes, using AI technology, involving people with dementia who cannot communicate verbally, among other projects. Read more

PPI Impact Award was awarded to Margaret Graham, TOPSY study Patient and Public Involvement representative for her work in shaping the TOPSY study and now the results dissemination. Margaret was a co-applicant on the TOPSY study, and throughout (2017-2024) she has contributed to the operationalisation of the research, and added value with her innovative Patient and Public Involvement activities including publishing a commentary article in the Trials journal. Margaret has also been an active member of the process evaluation sub-group offering valuable insight on various elements of the study - from interviewing women on sensitive topics, to writing the process evaluation chapter for the NIHR monograph and involvement in the ongoing process evaluation paper. Margaret has also championed dissemination of the TOPSY study findings with the study team acknowledging 'how fantastic her expertise, knowledge and insights' have been. Read more

• NHS Research Scotland Neuroprogressive and Dementia Network Partners in Research Lead, Dr Rosie Ashworth to share learning at upcoming event (February 2024)