Working with us as a public contributor

Working with us as a public contributor

We work closely with our team of public contributors with a variety of lived experience who provide valuable insights in a number of different ways, such as:

  • Membership of our Management Board to provide a public perspective and ensure that we meet the requirements of our contract with the Department of Health.
  • Panel members providing public insight at our review panels and workshops throughout the year including Bid Development Workshops, Pre-Submission Panels and Mock Interviews for NIHR Fellowships
  • Co-facilitators involved in developing and delivering induction and training for RDS staff and clients
  • Representing the RDS as members of regional partnership meetings and other appropriate events.

All of our public contributors have honorary contracts with University of Essex which enables them access to relevant learning and support and also reimbursement of out of pocket expenses. We also offer payment in lieu of time according to the nature of the involvement.

 

Thank you to all of our public contributors, a few of whom you can meet below.

David Bousfield

I was a biomedical publisher until 2005 and then a freelance data and business analyst until 2015 when I was diagnosed with Parkinson”s disease. Before that I was a fundraiser for LEPRA and a Cranfield Trust volunteer. After 2015 I have been a lay reviewer for Parkinson’s UK, NIMR, Cure Parkinson’s Trust, the Cochrane Collaboration and the BMJ. In my spare time I publish articles about Victorian railways.

PPI activities I have been involved in:

 

  • Providing Document/application Review
  • Reviewing plain English summaries
  • Involved in an RDS Pre-submission panel

What have you enjoyed most about working with the RDS in your public involvement role? 

“Working with a broad range of people to improve the quality of research”

Jeremy Dearling

I became disabled and unemployable in 2003 as a result of septicaemia, Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation, and multiple organ failure. I have been reviewing research since 2012, and now support new and existing research teams across the country. Among those I support are the NIHR, Cancer Research UK, the Stroke Association, Moorfields, British Heart Foundation, Health Research Wales, Addenbrookes and the N&NUH. I also review for publication on behalf of the BMJ. I’m informed to do this having been a critically ill patient, a carer for my wife, and from. having been for many years a staff nurse. I find PPI rewarding, stimulating and fascinating, which is why I do a great deal of it.

PPI activities I have been involved in:

  • Providing Document/application Review
  • Reviewing plain English summaries
  • Involved in a mock interview panel
  • Involved in an RDS Pre-submission panel
  • Bid development workshop
  • Involved in designing and/or delivering training workshops

What have you enjoyed most about working with the RDS in your public involvement role? 

“Learning from RDS colleagues about their perspectives has helped me develop my own insights. I also enjoy being able to support emerging researchers with their proposals, but there is no one involvement I prefer above others, as it is all fascinating.”

Beth Webb-Strong

I recently graduated from the University of Essex, after studying an LLM in International Human Rights Law, specialising in law concerning the rights of refugees and displaced persons. I am currently working in the human rights sector, specifically in refugee support with a number of organisations including the Helen Bamber Foundation and the British Red Cross. I volunteered with Refugee Action – Colchester during my studies and have been assisting them with casework over the last 8 months alongside taking the lead on a NIHR funded research project. When I’m not working, you can usually find me outside – hiking, rock climbing or practising yoga. On rainier days, I am happiest curled up with a new book.

PPI activities I have been involved in:

  • Providing Document/application Review
  • Attended and/or presented at regional/national meetings on behalf of the RDS
  • Involved in designing and/or delivering training workshops

I am also currently working on a research project funded by the National Institute for Health Research. The project aims to evaluate the effectiveness of statutory mental health services in the Colchester area by considering their impact and accessibility for Refugee Action Colchester’s (RA-C) service users. We hope this project will allow us to identify gaps in the current services available, to fully consider barriers to accessing services and lead to a full database and report concerning which services are the most effective for different groups of our clients. The project also aims to consider how the support of RA-C has impacted service users’ mental health and wellbeing, which may be able to assist in funding bids to continue vital community and befriending services.

What have you enjoyed most about working with the RDS in your public involvement role? 

“I have most enjoyed the opportunity to provide research advice on engaging and partnering with local community organisations. It has been a privilege to share some of my own insights and learnings from working within the local community to carry out research, including the importance of working with flexibility, gratitude and understanding the limitations of resources and time on over-burdened organisations.”

Godwin Daudu

Below is just a very short bio of previous life before being a part of African Families in the UK (AFiUK) CIC family.

  • Policy Studies -Polytechnic Of North London.
  • Hospitality/Retail General Manager-27 years.
  • Recruitment & Human Resources Management.
  • Effective Coaching/Product Quality Management.
  • Modular Management Trainer.
  • Previous Owner of Hospitality Consulting Company.

PPI activities Godwin has  been involved in:   He has already contributed to the work of the RDS through the Reaching Out Project and also a talk he gave about his work with African Families in the UK at our recent Staff Development Equality and Diversity Workshop