Dr Phil Macdonald, 2024 PPIE Award winner

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

Our latest blog in this series features Phil Macdonald, who has been involving public contributors in his work for over 10 years. He was recognised as a winner in the Individual category at the 2024 PPIE Awards. 

Dr Phil Macdonald is Director of the Manchester Academy for Healthcare Science Education (MAHSE), which coordinates NHS-commissioned Healthcare Science Training Programmes at the University of Manchester, in partnership with other universities across the North West. MAHSE supports the education of healthcare scientists through graduate, postgraduate, and doctoral training, including the NHS Scientist Training Programme (STP) and the Higher Specialist Scientist Training (HSST) Programme, helping ensure the NHS has the skilled scientific workforce it needs. Phil also leads the MSc Clinical Science (Blood Science) programme within the STP. 

In this blog, public contributor Lindsey Brown shares her experience of the encouragement and support she has received from Phil during her time working with MAHSE. 

Phil was the first person to offer me a PPI role. At the time I didn’t fully understand what PPI was or what the role would involve, but his conviction that I would be helpful inspired me. 

From day one he treated me as though I were a new member of the team rather than someone temporary that would be asked to come in from time to time. He told me all about the course, the students, what they wanted to achieve and his ideas of how I could help. From that day, and ever since, he has encouraged me to ask questions, suggested activities we could try, given me the independence to develop sessions and resources, and offered advice, support and encouragement whenever I needed it. He has been my advocate, introducing me to colleagues who have expanded my PPI activities, and has made me feel that I am an integral part of the course.  

I appreciate that ‘good’ PPI is often thought of in terms of measurable impact and legacy. However, as a public contributor I believe that sometimes a person’s approach, and what that inspires and enables us to achieve is just as important. Whilst I can’t demonstrate a measurable impact, I want to nominate Phil, because of his attitude and values.  

He embodies the conviction that public contributors are essential in teaching healthcare scientists and offers the freedom, support and encouragement to ensure their involvement is effective. The impact of this is not only felt by his students and by myself, but in all the projects I have been inspired to (and had the confidence) to undertake since. His approach also influenced me to suggest additional opportunities on the course for other public contributors and informed my approach when working with them.   

To find out more about PPIE: watch our short film, sign up to the monthly Public Engagement Digest, visit the PPIE blog, or contact srbmh@manchester.ac.uk.      

To read more about other PPIE Award winners visit here. 

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