Blog posts

Reflecting on our co-produced study with young people with past mental health difficulties

“Please indicate whether your research will include patient and public involvement.” Ticks box.

Rapidly fading are the days when involving patients and the public in research is merely a tokenistic gesture, in favour of meaningful involvement and co-production.

Patient and public involvement (PPI) is research that’s carried out with and by patients, carers and public members, rather than to, for or about them. Co-production takes this one step further; here, researchers work with these individuals throughout the entire project – from start to finish.

How IGHI’s Student Challenges Competition helped us in the fight against parasitic worms

By Laura Braun, co-founder of Capta, 2018/19 winners of IGHI’s Student Challenges Competition

Parasitic worms affect more than one sixth of the world’s population (WHO). They target the most marginalised communities that lack safe water, sanitation, and health care. These worms, including hookworm and the flatworms that cause schistosomiasis, are contracted through contaminated water, soil or food.

Healthcare cybersecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic: a threat too important to forget

By Saira Ghafur, Guy Martin, Niki O’Brien, Ivor Williams, Kelsey Flott and Ara Darzi, Institute of Global Health Innovation

As the global healthcare community has been consumed with managing the COVID-19 pandemic, a wave of cyber-attacks against healthcare organisations has emerged. Cybercriminals and hackers are upping the ante in creating more havoc and exploiting the fear and confusion that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought with it. The threat is global: Interpol even issued a warning signalling the need for healthcare organisations to be vigilant and aware of the heightened risk of cyber-attacks.

Tackling Type 2 Diabetes in North West London

Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) is one of the greatest challenges currently facing the NHS, with growing levels of obesity contributing to a large increase in the numbers of people with the condition. The disease can lead to serious long-term health problems – including heart attack, stroke, kidney failure and sight loss – which have an enormous impact on the lives of patients and their families. And it is these complications that account for most of the healthcare activity and cost associated with T2D.

It’s people who shape our research – here’s how

Research is our bread and butter at IGHI. It lets us explore problems, ask questions, test ideas, make mistakes and learn from them. And after all that, find the right solutions to the issues we’re trying to address in healthcare.

None of this would be possible without people. But not only the brilliant researchers who are the driving force behind our progress. The patients, carers, public and healthcare professionals who devote their time to get involved and be part of our research play an invaluable role in what we do, too. It is through their knowledge and lived experience that we know we’re asking the right questions and chasing the right solutions.

Tackling our ‘Mental Health Intelligence’ in the workplace

For the UK workforce, the challenge of mental health at work is significant.

There is an ongoing stigma that prevents an open discussion on the topic. And with more people working longer hours, uncertainty in job security and a lack of understanding about mental health, this a problem which has repercussions for both employers and employees.