Author: Maria Piggin

Why did nobody ask us?! Reflections and findings from co-produced research into children’s vaccine uptake.

In conversation with Dr Helen Skirrow, Lena Choudary-Salter and Habiba Haque

A recap on our research project

Not enough children in the local area around Church Street, Westminster, London where the Mosaic Community Trust is based get their routine vaccines.  We therefore worked together on our project that Lena Choudary-Salter (Mosaic’s CEO) named ‘Why did nobody ask us?!’ to reflect that local parents’ views who live in an area of low vaccine uptake had not previously been listened to.  We have written about our partnership working before. Children missing out on their routine vaccines is a problem not just in Church Street but in lots of areas of London and other urban areas of the UK, which are poorer and have more ethnically diverse populations.

“I sound like Darth Vader and I cough up fur balls” How people living with Airway Stenosis have informed my research career so far.

In conversation with: Dr Gemma Clunie, Senior Clinical Academic Speech and Language Therapist working within: Sackler MSK Lab, Surgery & Cancer  and PERC Fellow (2024)

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

Airway stenosis (AS) is a narrowing of the windpipe between throat and lungs. People with AS experience a range of distressing symptoms such as shortness of breath, wheeziness, a hoarse voice and swallowing difficulties. Many patients have complicated surgery to widen their throat and improve their breathing. The picture included below shows one of my PhD research participants immediately after this surgery.

Why has nobody asked us?! Our journey so far to co-produce research.

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In conversation with Dr Helen Skirrow, National Institute Health Research Clinical Doctoral Research Fellow, Child Health Unit, Department of Primary Care and Public Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London. and Lena Choudary-Salter, Founder and CEO of The Mosaic Community Trust

What is “Why has nobody asked us?” about?

“Why has nobody asked us?” aims to explore families’ experiences and perspectives of childhood vaccinations and is a co-production research project between Dr Helen Skirrow and The Mosaic Community Trust. In the UK, children living in poorer areas of big cities like London who belong to ethnic minorities or who do not speak English at home are less likely to be vaccinated however in previous research the voices of these families have often been missing.

Involving teenagers in research about the environment and mental health

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In conversation with: Rhiannon Thompson, PhD student working within the Imperial College Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and the SCAMP study

What did you do? 

As part of my PhD project, I wanted to find out more about how adolescents are affected by their physical environments (their thoughts and feelings about urban and rural places, buildings and traffic, greenspace, nature, noise, etc). To begin with, I recruited 12 teenagers for a project design workshop where we brainstormed ideas for how this question could be answered.

Designing follow-up care for stroke with those who know it best

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In conversation with: Jennifer Crow, Clinical Specialist Occupational Therapist in Stroke who is undertaking a NIHR Pre-doctoral Clinical Academic Fellowship programme working within: Therapies/Stroke at Charing Cross Hospital, London

Jenny’s pre-doctoral fellowship is a partnership fellowship funded by the Stroke Association and the National Institute for Health Research.

What did you do? 

I ran my first virtual Patient Public Involvement Group via zoom with 6 attendees. I had previously been involved in public engagement activities in the form of patient stories and feedback but I had not attempted public involvement.

Involving those with lived experience of Anorexia Nervosa in clinical trial design

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

In conversation with: Dr Meg Spriggs (Research Associate) and Hannah Douglass (PhD Candidate),  Centre for Psychedelic Research, Division of Brain Sciences, Imperial College, London

Working in collaboration with:  Dr Kirsty Alderton and Dr Frederico Magalhaes who offered mental health support for these focus groups.

What did you do?

There is a current lack of effective treatments for anorexia nervosa (an eating disorder characterised by weight loss, difficulties maintaining weight, and often a preoccupation with one’s own body weight and shape). With fewer than half of those diagnosed with anorexia making a full recovery, there is a desperate need for new treatment avenues to be explored.

Exciting opportunity to attend free course on co-creating solutions in health

Co-CReating Innovation Solutions for Health (CRISH) is an original two-day multidisciplinary course that aims to bring together health sector members, including patients, to support the co-creation of innovative research, policies, products or services that will promote and improve health. The course is delivered by EIT (European Institute of innovation & Technology) Health, of which Imperial College is a partner.