Stevie with her PPIE Award

In this blog series we will be featuring our award winners and highly commended recipients from the Faculty’s ‘Outstanding Contribution to PPIE’ awards. Showcasing the inspirational and outstanding commitment to PPIE that has made a positive difference to our community and highlighting the amazing events, activities, people and groups from across the Faculty.  

Our next blog in this series will feature Dr Stevie Shoop-Worrall, staff winner in this year’s Inclusivity category, who has been recognised for her work towards bridging the gap between child and adult care of psoriatic arthritis.  

Stevie’s research focuses on the impact of psoriatic arthritis across all age groups. Often centred on the experiences of adults, the disease can affect people at any point in their life. Stevie has developed an inclusive and flexible approach to PPIE, enabling as many people as possible to engage with her research and have their voices heard.  

In 2020-21, Stevie began planning an MRC Career Development Fellowship. She developed a highly tailored approach to PPIE, taking disabilities, developmentally appropriate activities and personal preferences into account.  

Her inclusive perspective has led to a range of planned activities for public contributors. For example, it became apparent that adolescents tend to benefit from peer interaction, leading to group workshops. On the other hand, adult carers expressed a specific preference for 1-1 meetings. 

Stevie is mindful of the disabilities and access needs of those with psoriatic arthritis in PPIE. All in-person venues are selected based on access (and cake!) availability. Activities are planned based on the physical and developmental capabilities of participants. One of her most popular activities has been creative drawing exercises with children – drawing aids are specifically requested beforehand if necessary. 

Stevie does not exclude PPIE members who cannot participate in person. Participants in her online focus groups receive care packages, complete with snacks tailored to dietary requirements and ready to be opened on the day of the meeting. This seems a small gesture but has massively improved morale and motivation.    

Her tailored planning has recently contributed to the following achievements:  

• 2021: A guidelines paper – co-authored with young people with rheumatic diseases – on involving young people with rheumatic diseases in research. This was published in the highest-impact journal in Rheumatology: Annals of the Rheumatic Disease.   

• 2022: A successful £1m 5-year MRC Career Development Fellowship.   

• 2023: A prize from the NIHR for Inclusive Involvement Excellence at the Greater Manchester Health and Care Research Awards.  

• 2024: The co-produced guidelines paper was included in European-wide guidelines for PPIE in rheumatic disease. 

Stevie’s work stands out as a fantastic contribution to inclusivity in research and as an example of a proactive and engaged approach to PPIE.  

Find out more: 

• Dr Stevie Shoop-Worrall’s research profile. 

• Interview with Stevie Shoop-Worrall, winner of the Inclusive Involvement Excellence Award, Greater Manchester Health and Care Research Awards. 

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