On Tuesday 12th July, the Faculty is hosting its annual Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) Celebration Event. For this event we have a great line up of speakers – keep reading to find out more.

Theme: From Buzz Words to Reality

This year’s celebration event titled ‘From Buzz Words to Reality’ will explore the themes of intersectionality and inclusivity, and how together we can create an inclusive and supportive environment for all.

Intersectionality – We are all made up of a range of social identities, for example; race, religion, age, gender, sexuality, disability, etc. Choosing just one of these identifiers is impossible, which is why intersectionality is so significant. Intersectionality is the complex way these many social identities overlap, affecting the discrimination and prejudice a person experiences. For example, a BAME woman may face sexism and racism in the workplace. Find out more about intersectionality on this TedTalk ‘What is intersectionality’ by Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw, American civil rights advocate and professor at the UCLA School of Law and Columbia Law School. 

Inclusivity – Is the idea that everyone should be able to use the same facilities, take part in the same activities, and enjoy the same experiences, including people who have a disability or other disadvantage. Find out more in this short video here

Co-Hosts

Professor Stephanie Snow (She/Her), Co-Host

Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health’s (FBMH) Academic Lead for Community Engagement and Involvement.

Stephanie is a historian of medicine and the project director of NHS at 70: The Story of our Lives, which is collecting stories and memorabilia from people who worked and were cared for by the NHS since its creation in 1948 to mark the 70th anniversary of the NHS. Her work on stroke has led to an ongoing collaboration with the Stroke Association to produce a series of workshops where undergraduate students from different healthcare courses and stroke survivors explore stroke together through art. Stephanie is also is Co-Chair of the Faculty’s Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) Forum.

Kay Gallacher, Co-Host

Public Contributor and Co-Chair of the Faculty’s Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) Forum.

Kay is Co-Chair of the Faculty’s PPIE Forum and has been a Public Contributor on many research projects.  Kay is the lead Public Contributor on a project developing a handbook and app for users of primary care services, a member of PRIMER and is currently involved with six other projects. Having a marketing and communications background, Kay likes to apply her skills to ensure that research findings are written in plain English and are accessible to the general public. One of her personal objectives is to get more members of the public involved in research, particularly those from under represented communities.

Keynote speakers and panel members

Dr Rachel Cowen (She/Her), keynote speaker and panel member

University’s Academic Lead for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (Gender and Sexual Orientation Equality)

Rachel has 25 years’ experience as a cancer researcher, academic and researcher developer and equalities champion in Higher Education. She has led institutional strategy, policy and practice developments and works with a network of inspirational colleagues to support academic excellence and equalities progress. In particular she has been a vocal and passionate advocate for inclusive culture change working towards a system that rewards and values diverse researchers and academics at all levels and promotes inclusive academic practice. Rachel is a national Athena Swan panel chair and Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Andrew Gilliver (He/Him), keynote speaker and panel member  

Pride in Practice Coordinator (Gtr Mancs), LGBT Foundation 

Andrew is part of LGBT Foundation’s Pride in Practice team, working with primary care services across Greater Manchester to support their LGBTQ+ patients. LGBT Foundation is the largest service provider of its kind in the country where Andrew is proud to have worked for over twenty years.

He primarily works with organisations to discuss specific issues around LGBT+ inclusion and health inequalities and regularly supports organisations to discuss how services can harness the lived experience of individuals, best practice guidelines and community assets to initiate meaningful and sustainable change. Twitter: @andrewrgilliver & @LGBTfdn

Angela Ruddock (She/Her), panel member 

Angela is a Public Contributor based in Manchester and has been involved with the University for several years. Her involvement includes;

• being a member of PRIMER for 10 years (PPI Group based at Manchester Uni -Primary Care Research Centre)
• Lay rep on Patient Safety Research Centre (PSTRC)
• member of the Public Community Involvement and Engagement Group (PCIE)
• taking part in numerous research studies as a public contributor, including the design of several studies at an early stage. 
• has collaborated with PRIMER Research Academic staff in delivering training for new and experienced researchers 

She is particularly interested in strategies encouraging greater participation and involvement from groups not normally used to inexperienced in research and is experienced in working with researchers in developing patient/public friendly summaries of research studies, advising academic researchers of public perspectives and have been part of national award panels assessing applications for research grants.   

Dr Hamied Haroon (He/Him), panel member 

Research Associate in Biomedical Magnetic Resonance Imaging, The University of Manchester.

Dr Hamied Haroon works as a Research Scientist in quantitative biomedical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at The University of Manchester where he gained his PhD in 2005. When Hamied became a member of staff he was shocked to suddenly lose all the support he had as a disabled student! He helped to establish the University’s Disabled Staff Network in 2007 and became its first Chair. The Network’s first proud success was to achieve a dedicated University support service for disabled staff! In 2013, Hamied became Co-Chair of the Network with Melanie Sharpe, and together they organised the “What Are We Hiding?” national conference for disabled staff on 6^th June 2014 focusing on hidden disabilities and the hidden contribution of disabled people to the economy. Based on the success of this conference, they won the University’s inaugural “Making A Difference Award for Equality & Diversity” in May 2015.

At this conference, Hamied launched the National Association of Disabled Staff Networks (NADSN), a super-network that connects and represents disabled staff networks in universities and colleges, NHS trusts and other sectors, which he currently chairs. Hamied won the University’s Staff Volunteer of the Year Award 2019 for being a “tireless campaigner”. The Royal Society highlighted the profiles of a selection of past and present disabled scientists to celebrate the International Day of Disabled People in 2019, which included Hamied. As 2021 began, Hamied was co-opted onto The Royal Society’s Diversity Committee, and featured in a new children’s book called “Superhero Scientists”! He delivered the University of Oxford’s Annual Disability Lecture in May 2021.

Jess Baxter (They/She), panel member

Recent Biochemistry graduate at The University of Manchester

Jess is a Biochemistry graduate and an Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) scholar entering the education industry, focusing on promoting inclusivity and equality in science teaching. They have experience in teaching and in social justice groups, working to provide safe spaces for those with marginalised identities and being a voice on how sexual orientation and gender identity in particular, intersect with current scientific knowledge and communication. Jess’ experience includes writing, public speaking and social media activism.

Dr Hawys Williams (She/Her), Activity Lead

Faculty Social Responsibility and Public Engagement Manager.

Hawys manages the Social Responsibility and Public Engagement Team which enables, engages and embeds Social Responsibility and all aspects of PPIE within the Faculty. Hawys trained as a research scientist working in labs and has since worked in project management, ethics and governance and PPIE in Higher Education, the NHS and in the third sector. When not at work she volunteers as a Girl Guiding Leader.

Find out more about the event in this padlet here

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