Get involved
Find out how you can help shape research taking place at Cardiff University.
What is Public and Patient Involvement in research?
Researchers are increasingly understanding the importance of involving people who have lived experience of the conditions and life experiences they study, not just as research participants, but throughout the research process too.
Public and Patient Involvement is often referred to as a ‘PPI’. Research studies often now have a PPI Group that includes people with lived experience, who advise researchers on aspects of their study.
PPI groups can advise researchers in a variety of ways. For example, how best to communicate their research to the public, how to recruit participants, and how to interpret findings in a meaningful and relevant way.
Involving those with lived experience in research has many benefits, and helps to break down barriers between researchers and members of the public.
Read more about two of our PPI members, Shahid and Jane:
Shahid's story
Born and bred in Bradford West, Shahid Khan has been a member of the Born in Bradford Community Research Advisory Group since 2017.
Born in Bradford is a specialist group of community members who are interested in supporting researchers and academics to make their research design appropriate and inclusive to the communities they intend to engage with.
Shahid is passionate about how research is being carried out regarding the general public.
As an active member of and volunteer at his local Madni Masjid since 1989, Shahid’s duties include making decisions regarding the day-to-day running of the masjid and the needs of the local community.
Shahid's mosque has also been involved in lots of community work and works in partnership with the local church to provide shelter to the homeless during the winter months. They also organise regular funding events, such as bike rides to raise money for Marie Curie Cancer Hospice and Brain Tumour Research.
Jane's story
Jane Sprackman has been a public contributor to research at the Centre for Academic Primary Care (CAPC), University of Bristol since 2019.
Prior to this, Jane worked at Streamside Surgery as Practice Administrator before resigning her post in April 2019 to concentrate on her family.
Whilst working for Streamside Surgery, Jane was Research Administration Lead and got involved with research groups from Bristol University. Through this, she joined the CAPC Steering Group for Patient and Public Involvement in research, deciding that this would be an ideal way to keep up her interest in research alongside her new commitment as a grandmother.
Besides her role in the Steering Group, Jane has been involved with numerous research projects at CAPC, including on urgent care, end of life care, and infection control in care homes.