This site is optimised for modern browsers. For the best experience, please use Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Microsoft Edge.

Eastern Researcher gets creative for National Poetry Day

In a time when the research world has never needed to be so creative, one research lead has taken this to another level by composing a poem for National Poetry Day on Thursday 1 October 2020.

Joanna Watts, Community Research Manager at the Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust in the Eastern region, has created the poem “Be Part of Research” to highlight why health and social care research is so important in finding new treatments, and to show how everyone can get involved.

Since 2013, Joanna has been working for the NIHR which launched the Be Part of Research website in 2019 to help people in the UK find out about research happening in the NHS and social care.

Joanna feels passionately that people have the right to know about the research opportunities available to them, and she hopes her poem will be shared and displayed around hospitals and GP practices to help people find the website and get involved. Joanna said:

“Finding a vaccine for COVID-19 is a priority at the moment, but there is also research taking place in local hospitals and GP surgeries to find ways to care for people with many other conditions too, including cancer, diabetes, stroke and other illnesses. We can’t do any of this research without the help of volunteers and the NIHR’s Be Part of Research website is the best place to go to find out more, so I really hope my poem helps raise awareness of that!”

Dr Helen Macdonald, Chief Operating Officer of the NIHR’s Eastern Clinical Research Network, said:

“The NIHR’s unique community of research staff around the country continues to be instrumental in the developments and breakthroughs we are able to make in finding ways to care for people, including ways to prevent COVID-19. Not only is Jo a valued member of this community, her poem is an inspired way of helping people to find the gateway to learn more about research and in becoming one of the many vital volunteers that we are so grateful for.”

Be Part of Research, a poem by Joanna Watts

Research is vital for well-being and health,

Everyone can benefit regardless of wealth,

Scientifically sound research is all that we do,

Exploring new treatments that could one day help you,

Approvals in place, informed consent obtained,

Researchers and staff are all expertly trained,

Children and Adults, there are studies galore,

Huge selection of trials out there to explore!

If you would like to find out about research happening in your area, including how you can sign up to find out more about COVID-19 vaccine research, visit bepartofresearch.uk.