Patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE)
The involvement and engagement of patients and members of the public in research, teaching and learning is an integral part of our work.
Involving patients and the public in our work is important to us because so much of what we do has the potential to affect the lives of millions of people, both in our local communities and further afield. By involving a range of partners and sharing experience and knowledge, we gather unique and valuable insights to achieve more effective, meaningful and inclusive research and teaching.
Our public engagement work covers the ways in which our research and teaching is shared with the public. Our involvement work focuses on developing our active partnerships between patients and members of the public and our research and teaching staff and students.
Public contributors
Our work is open to everyone, from collaborating on research to teaching our medical and healthcare students. Members of the public involved or engaged with our work are referred to as public contributors. They participate in community engagement activities, play a significant role in many of our events and benefit from our extensive resources.
Patient involvement and engagement helps to build relationships between researchers and patients, allowing for a meaningful knowledge exchange and the shaping of more informed and relevant research priorities.
For example:
- public contributor Maggie Wilcox is an advocate for Independent Cancer Patients’ Voice (ICPV) and a breast cancer survivor. In her role with our Manchester Breast Centre she works with PhD students and post-doctoral researchers.
- the Doubleday Centre for the Patient Experience involves members of the public in the training of our medical doctors, enabling medical students to receive a more person-centred education and, ultimately, improve the care they give to patients when they qualify as a doctor.
- the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health and the University provide support and guidance for public contributors and researchers on all PPIE activities.
Join our public contributor community
To find out more about becoming a public contributor and what it entails take a look at the induction guide. You can also read the PPIE blog, sign up to the Public Engagement Digest or contact the Social Responsibility team at srbmh@manchester.ac.uk.