Young people attend research workshop in south London
Young people attended a two-day Discovering Research event at Guy’s Hospital in south London.
The workshop was organised by the NIHR CRN South London’s Inclusivity Panel and The Hebe Foundation.
Fifteen young people aged 14-22 attended the workshop that consisted of learning sessions, clinical and laboratory skills workshops and meetings with researchers and research delivery staff.
The first day started with watching TikTok videos with health advice that sparked a discussion about validity and credibility of information. We continued with a learning session about the fundamentals of scientific method and research design.
After an informal meet-and-greet with research staff from the Clinical Research Network South London and Clinical Research Facility (CRF) at Guy’s Hospital, young people had two workshops on clinical and laboratory skills, including checking vital signs, providing basic life support, centrifuging, pipetting and others.
On the second day, young people conducted their own research that looked at two types of physical exercise and compared the effect they have on heart and respiratory rates. Following that, young people learned about hierarchy of evidence and systemic bias, as well as how to critically read a scientific article.
Young people also had a chance to meet and talk to 5 early-career researchers from King’s College London, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences. The researchers spoke about their diverse research interests which include brain visualisation, fairness and biases in Artificial Intelligence, radiology and advanced 3D scanning in pregnancy. They also shared their educational experiences and career journeys.
This was the third event organised by the Inclusivity Panel in collaboration with the Hebe Foundation. The previous event took place at King’s College Hospital last August.
The Inclusivity Panel ensures research is representative of the south London region. The panel meets at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust.
The Hebe Foundation is a Christian youth organisation that works with young people aged 13-20. The Hebe Foundation helps them to discover and realise their gifts and talents.
Amie Buhari, Chief Executive and Founder of The Hebe Foundation, said:
“Once again, we were excited to partner with NIHR CRN South London to create opportunities for young people in this field. The quality of the research team delivering great information and learning was matched by the energy, enthusiasm, and knowledge of the participants. It was fantastic to witness our young people have fun exploring research, community, and clinical skills over the 2 days. I believe we are sowing positive seeds into future careers in clinical research.”
Chifundo Stubbs, CRN South London’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Lead, leads the Inclusivity Panel. Chifundo said:
“I want to thank everyone who supported the workshop, and I hope the young people had a great time.”
Email crnsouthlondon@nihr.ac.uk if you’d like to learn more.
