CTC holds 3rd annual involvement event for patient advocates
The Cancer Research UK & UCL Cancer Trials Centre hosted its latest Patient & Public Involvement Day at the Francis Crick Institute on Monday.
This year’s edition saw attendees from across the country attend a programme of talks, interactive sessions and workshops, with a particular focus on broadening the accessibility of clinical research. The tagline for this year’s event was ‘Leave no one behind: ensuring everyone benefits from research’.
The CTC’s scientific operations manager Nicola Keat introduced the day, followed by the first series of talks, which covered the topic of ‘why it matters to increase uptake to clinical studies among patients from underrepresented groups’.
Attendees were then given a session on support available to patient advocates involved in clinical research, followed by a talk on the role of diversity in clinical trials.
Members of the prostate cancer support group Friends & Bredrins (FAB) were in attendance, while other charities represented on the day were Blood Cancer UK, Asian Women Cancer Group, and From Me to You the Art of Survival.
The afternoon saw a series of workshops designed to give patient representatives practical soft skills and knowledge that can be applied in their advocacy. These workshops covered public speaking, research funding, and understanding whether or not new cancer treatments work.
An interactive Q&A session then allowed attendees to learn more from advocates already involved in clinical studies, while the final portion of the day was devoted to talks on children’s cancers and current hot topics in cancer research.
PPIE Partner and Chair of the Cancer Research Advocates Forum-UK Richard Stephens closed the event with a look at the future of PPIE in cancer research.
Sophia Skyers, a researcher in attendance as well as a speaker on the day, remarked: “The event offered an important opportunity to engage and to be informed in a congenial space. This is the third PPI annual event and as was the case with the previous two, it excelled. Thank you everyone.”
The programme of talks and workshops in full:
Why it matters to increase uptake to clinical studies among patients fromunderrepresented groupsSimeon Greene, NHS England's Patient and Public Voices ForumDesmond Powe, Friends and BredrinsDr Niamh McGarry, Sandra Mooneyan, Kenny Imafidon, Clearview ResearchHow can patient advocates be supported when they get involved with research?Linda von Neree, PPIE AssociateGillian Murphy, PPIE PartnerThe role of diversity in clinical trialsSimeon Greene, NHS England's Patient and Public Voices ForumDr Sophia Skyers, CIBS IQ ResearchSoft skills training for patient representatives (interactive sessions)
- Speaking out and how to make simple presentations (Neil Ranasinghe, PPIE Associate & Anne Ranasinghe)
- Understanding if a new cancer treatment works or not (Prof Allan Hackshaw, CTC Director & Linda von Neree, PPIE Associate)
- How is clinical research funded and why only some clinical trials are chosen (Anne Croudass, CRUK Lead Research Nurse & Nicholas Counsell, CTC Principal Statistician)
Involvement in research – interactive Q&A session with attendees
- How do I get involved in research studies? (Gillian Murphy, PPIE Partner)
- This is my experience of getting involved (Samixa Shah, PPIE Partner & Solomon Alexis, PPIE Partner)
- Patient videos for trials: why/how they were done, how patients built confidence to do them (Tony Collier BEM, PPIE Partner)
Experience of parents and carers in research studiesSarah Owen, Parent RepresentativeSuccessful trials in treating childhood cancerAmy Kirkwood, CTC Principal StatisticianCurrent hot topics in cancer research
- Finding cancer early (Prof Allan Hackshaw, CTC Director)
- Testing cancer for genetic abnormalities to decide the best treatment (Dr Charlotte Grieco, Francis Crick Institute)
The future of PPIE in cancer researchRichard Stephens, PPIE Partner & Chair of Cancer Research Advocates Forum-UK