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Campaign highlights research careers in NHS and local authorities

Staff working in the NHS, public health and social care are being encouraged to learn about getting involved in delivering research in a new NIHR campaign.

The Your Path in Research launches today with a two-week focus on research in public health and social care for staff such as social workers, care home managers and local authority workers. After these two weeks, the campaign will focus on health research careers until the end of the year.

We are working hard to strengthen a research culture within local government, highlighting what we can offer as a funder and provider of research evidence.

Here’s how you can get involved:

  • Learn more: about helping deliver NHS, public health and social care research at the NIHR website, including case studies. Click this link to visit the NIHR website to learn more.
  • Mentoring support: the NIHR has launched Link and Learn, a matchmaking service connecting public health and social care practitioners with researchers in the field to gain unique insight, exchange experiences and ask questions
  • Work placements: the NIHR is offering local authority staff placements in NIHR research organisations and eligible NIHR staff placements in local authorities to allow individuals to develop skills and capabilities to co-create research that is meaningful and is better able to inform practice and policy. Learn more on the NIHR website
  • Read our staff stories: read stories about working in healthcare research from Sue, Nicola, EmmaPolly and Ziyad
  • Read about our public health and social care research: read about how we are working with Oxfordshire County Council to evaluate the impact of transport changes on walking and cycling and a study we are supporting into therapy to improve the mental health of five to 12-year-old fostered or adopted children. Read other examples on the NIHR website.
  • Social media: if you work in research, print our social media board, write on why you love working in research and take a photo of yourself for social media with #YourPathInResearch. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram to share campaign messages
  • Play our interactive game: do you want to find out how you could add research to your career, but unsure of where to start? Play the Your Path in Research Game to explore how adding research to your career can help you gain new skills and qualifications, help you to build your career around areas you are passionate about, and make a real difference to patients, service users, carers and the public.
  • Posters: download and print posters to promote getting involved in delivering NHS, public health and social care research
  • Online course: learn about health research: join this free online course to discover how research is improving healthcare; find out what’s involved in health research, bust the common myths surrounding health research and explore ways to get involved. The course runs for four weeks and you can start whenever you want. Visit this website for more.