Author: Halle Johnson

Understanding the relationship between diet and gut health

This entry is part 1 of 11 in the series People's Research Cafe at the Great Exhibition Road Festival 2022

This blog is part of a series showcasing the People’s Research Cafe which took place on the 18th and 19th June 2022 in South Kensington, London as part of the Great Exhbition Road Festival.

What is a People’s Research Café?

The People’s Research Cafe is a café with a twist. Visitors are welcomed to sit down at a table co-hosted by an Imperial College researcher and a public contributor whose role is to help the conversation flow freely. Over a free hot drink, visitors find out about the researcher’s project and will be asked for their opinions on it.

User-centred design in diabetes technology development

In conversation with: Dr Parizad Avari, ST7 Registrar and Honorary Clinical Lecturer, working with Professor Nick Oliver in the Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Imperial College, London

What is your research project about and what stage are you at?

We are aiming to improve the lives of people living with Type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune condition which requires lifelong insulin therapy. The Horizon 2020 PEPPER (Patient Empowerment through Predictive PERsonalised decision support) project is a personalised decision support system to support self-management. The PEPPER app was designed for people with type 1 diabetes to manage their condition by providing personalised advice about insulin dosage and carbohydrate intake through artificial intelligence.

Dying Matters Week: Ensuring you and your loved ones are #InAGoodPlace at the end of life

This week we are highlighting an important cause – Dying Matters Awareness Week. Dying Matters is a campaign run by Hospice UK that aims to get us talking more openly about death, dying and bereavement. The focus of this year’s awareness week is on what it means to be #InAGoodPlace when we die. To be in a good place at the end life involves having your physical, emotional, financial and spiritual needs met and getting the right care and support. We can only achieve this if we get people thinking about, and talking through, their wishes for end of life care.

Involving women to help shape a project exploring pregnancy care following weight-loss surgery

This entry is part [part not set] of 0 in the series Case studies

In conversation with: Dr Saleem Ansari, Registrar in Metabolic Medicine and Chemical Pathology, working within the Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, imperial College London

What is your research project about and what stage are you at?

My research aims to answer the question ‘What is the preferred weight-loss operation for women with obesity who are of child-bearing age.’

There are two main weight loss-operations, the ‘gastric bypass ‘and sleeve gastrectomy’. The gastric bypass operation is associated with complications during pregnancy such as early delivery and small babies, but whether these complications occur after sleeve gastrectomy is currently unknown.

National HIV Testing Week: Give HIV the Finger!

This week has marked National HIV Testing Week. This year’s campaign focusses on promoting regular testing among the most affected population groups, to reduce the number of people diagnosed late and living with undiagnosed HIV.

Why test for HIV?

People can live with HIV and display no symptoms for several years so testing is essential to know your HIV status. Being diagnosed as early as possible helps reduce transmission, allows you to start treatment early and ultimately improves health outcomes. With effective treatment, there is no risk of passing the virus on to sexual partners (Undetectable = Untransmittable).

Involving Year One students to help shape research into physical activity and child health

This entry is part [part not set] of 0 in the series Case studies

In conversation with: Dr Bina Ram, Postdoctoral Research Associate working within the Child Health Unit, Department of Primary Care and Public Health, Imperial College, London

What is your research about and what did you do?

Our research is the iMprOVE cohort study which is investigating children’s physical activity and mental health in primary schools that do and do not implement physical activity interventions. Regular physical activity is known to have many health benefits but only half of children in England meet the recommended guidelines of 60 minutes of physical activity per day.

Involving women to design and develop research into early-onset pre-eclampsia

This entry is part [part not set] of 0 in the series Case studies

In conversation with Olive Adams, Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) Midwife working with Professor Christoph Lees and the research team based at the Centre for fetal care at Imperial Healthcare Trust and Women’s Health Research Centre at Imperial College London.

How would you describe your role as a Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) Midwife? 

My role as PPI midwife was specifically developed to ensure high quality public involvement activity was undertaken across all of Professor Lees upcoming projects within the Women’s Health Research Centre, including enabling involvement at the very  earliest stage of each study.