The Imperial College London Vasculitis Centre, Imperial College NHS Trust Renal and Rheumatology Teams, and the Prendecki-McAdoo Lab were delighted to host a collaborative patient education event on Sunday 26 July 2026 at Chiswick Town Hall, bringing together patients, healthcare professionals and researchers for an afternoon of learning, discussion and shared experiences.
The event featured patient-focused overview talks on vasculitis and IgA nephropathy, alongside presentations about current research in these areas. Patient panels provided an opportunity to hear directly about patients’ experiences of participating in research and clinical trials, helping demystify the realities of taking part in research.
Attendees also took part in smaller breakout sessions with members of our multidisciplinary team, including colleagues from dietetics, counselling, clinical nursing, research and clinical research fellows. These sessions provided an informal opportunity for patients to ask questions, explore topics in more detail and engage directly with members of the team.
The afternoon concluded with further small-group sessions in which members of the research team presented their work in an accessible and understandable way, giving patients an insight into the research taking place at Imperial and how it may contribute to improving understanding and treatment of these conditions.
We were delighted by the high level of engagement from patients throughout the event and the excellent feedback we received afterwards. It was a fantastic opportunity to bring our clinical and research communities together. A huge thank you to the BRC for funding this event, to Leo from the PERC team for ensuring this was a safe, and accessible event, and all the patients, volunteers, clinicians, researchers and wider team members who contributed to the event. Their time, enthusiasm and expertise helped make the afternoon a real success.
