The Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health recognised the brilliant work taking place in Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) at its annual PPIE Celebration event on 10th July.  

Hosted by Kay Gallacher, public contributor and PPIE Forum Co-Chair, and Dr Jo Pennock, Social Responsibility Director, this year’s hybrid event focussed on the theme ‘Moving Forwards: Inclusivity and Diversity in PPIE’. They welcomed staff, students and public contributors to celebrate our diverse PPIE communities and inclusive practices throughout the Faculty.  

We were joined by six speakers who shared their own experiences with inclusive PPIE and offered insight into the importance of representation in research and teaching. 

Our speakers were: 

• Nadine Mirza, Research Associate with the NIHR ARC-GM; Ashgan Mahyoub, Research Assistant, and Sadia Mir, Independent Health and Racial Equality Advisor. Nadine, Ashgan and Sadia are part of the NIHR ARC-GM Young People’s Network, who co-created the ‘Bridge the Gap’ podcast to encourage young people to get involved with research. They highlighted the need for knowledge sharing, accessibility and openness in research. 

• Anam Bhutta, Public Involvement Co-Researcher and Sadia Mir, Independent Health and Racial Equality Advisor. Anam and Sadia’s presentation focussed on tips and tricks for truly inclusive PPIE. They emphasised the importance of tailored training, manageable workloads, supportive environments, and guided reflexivity for successful PPIE projects. 

• Dr Binish Khatoon, Qualitative methodologist and Co-lead for the South Asian Women in Higher Education Network. Binish presented on the Tree of Life scheme; a research project involving narrative therapy and co-creation techniques for South Asian women in Greater Manchester.  

If you were unable to attend the Celebration event, you can watch the speaker recordings via our YouTube channel. 

For this year’s group activity, participants explored the importance of representation and inclusivity in PPIE, with an aim to encourage effective PPIE practices for the present and future. 

The event also featured the Faculty’s ‘Outstanding Contribution to PPIE’ awards which recognise the inspirational and outstanding commitment to PPIE that has made a positive difference to our community. 

PPIE Awards: Winners and Highly Commended recipients 

Newcomer category 

Winner – Lucy Hulme and Hannah Talbot  

Lucy and Hannah lead the Health Behaviour Change Professional and Public Advisory Group (HBC-PPAG). The group aims to engage and involve relevant professionals and members of the public in their PhD research, focusing on psychology and maternity healthcare communication.  Lucy and Hannah have also created resources to help other PGRs integrate PPIE in their own research. 

Group category 

Highly Commended – Alternative Cervical Screening (ACES) Diversity project 

The ACES Diversity project has worked to challenge the barriers to cervical screening faced by people from ethnically diverse backgrounds. The team engaged with community groups to understand attitudes towards self-sampling for cervical cancer. 

Winner – Dr Keith Geraghty and Prof Aneez Esmail 

Dr Geraghty and Prof Esmail have worked together to lead research into myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). They have worked with people with lived experience to develop guidelines and influence national policy debates on the disease. 

Winner – Co-designing change: Advancing PPIE in self-harm and suicide prevention research 

For over 20 years, the Centre for Mental Health and Safety has involved experts-by-experience in suicide research, informing best practices internationally. Their initiative has aimed to share best practices with researchers, healthcare practitioners, and public contributors. 

Individual category 

Highly Commended (student) – Leneh Buckle 

In her PhD work, Leneh has tackled an unexplored but hugely important topic for the autistic community – autistic inertia. She has worked with autistic adults to create a published article, immersive board game, and relevant case studies on the topic. 

Winner (student) – Erin-Claire Pallott 

Erin developed the Research Hive blog, an online platform for early-career researchers (ECRs) to share their research and expertise through engaging articles and videos. The blog is an accessible starting point for ECRs to develop their public engagement skills and experience and has grown into an international team with significant reach. 

Winner (staff) – Dr Grace Lipowska-Bhalla 

Committed to raising the profile of PPIE education, Grace integrates PPIE principles and practices into her teaching, equipping the next generation of researchers and healthcare professionals to not only understand its value but also apply it effectively across diverse professional contexts.   

Highly Commended (public contributor) – Jav Rehman 

Jav has been a public contributor at the University for around 7 years. During that time, he has been an instrumental member of several PPIE groups. In particular, he is passionate about equality, diversity and inclusion and is a champion for everyone’s voice to be included, especially those from grass roots organisations as their voices often go unheard. 

Winner (public contributor) – Moira Lyons 

Moira has been a public contributor at the University since 2016 and is involved in both research and teaching related activities. She believes passionately in PPIE and how it is instrumental in making a difference to research, healthcare delivery and all those involved in it, including the public contributors themselves.   

Public Engagement category 

Highly Commended – Manchester Memories: the COVID-19 era 

Manchester Memories is an online and printed ‘zine’ co-created by over 20 members of diverse local communities, from varied social backgrounds at different life stages, who came together to explore their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. The production and launch of the zine incorporated several public events and workshops. 

Winner – Let’s Talk About Cough 

Let’s Talk About Cough aims to create empathy and understanding about chronic cough by sharing stories in creative ways. The project has involved workshops, audio storytelling, and a pocketbook to share the experiences of people with lived experience of chronic cough. 

Inclusive PPIE 

Highly Commended – Tree of Life 

The Tree of Life project used narrative therapy approaches to create culturally tailored safe spaces for dialogue. Women from south Asian communities across Oldham shared stories of their life journeys including reflections on origin, adaptation, family and health experiences. 

Winner – JointCare 

JointCare has involved children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis and their parents to identify research questions through workshops, discussion groups and online campaigns. The team utilised online approaches and collaboration to ensure inclusivity and accessibility in their PPIE work.  

Outstanding Contribution to PPIE 

Kay Gallacher (public contributor) 

Kay has played an integral role in PPIE across the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health. She has been the co-chair of the FBMH PPIE Forum since 2019, leading the group with sensitivity and dedication. Her leadership has fostered a collaborative environment, encouraging active participation and ensuring that diverse voices are heard and valued.  

Read more about previous PPIE award winners on our blog site and 2024 PPIE Award winners booklet.    

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