Hundreds attend Research Open Day

Hundreds of people visited UCLH’s Celebrating Research Open Day this month.

The event – attended by local residents, UCLH and UCL staff, and students from local schools – saw research and hospital teams take over three floors of University College Hospital to showcase some of the latest in medical research in innovation.

Stalls covered some of our world-class research in areas including cancer, imaging, dementia, mental health, diabetes, fetal medicine, critical care, and more.

Alongside 53 interactive stalls, the event offered tours of hospital sites, and researchers delivered educational talks to local community groups and school children. There were an estimated 700 people in attendance.

There were awards for the best stalls, and a prize draw for a pair of Apple AirPods.

It is the first time the Research Open Day has been held at UCLH since 2019 – but after a highly successful event, it is due to be an annual fixture once again in the UCLH calendar.

Professor Karl Peggs, Director of Research at UCLH and BRC Director, said:

“It was great to see so many people – from all parts of our community – attend on the day. The event was inclusive and brought in groups which are less often involved in research. This is thanks to our past efforts to take research directly into these communities. It was clear that, if we present research in an accessible way, there is huge interest in research among the public and our staff.”

The day highlighted opportunities for people to get involved in research, through UCLH and UCL’s research networks and via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Be Part of Research campaign.

Professor Lucy Chappell, Chief Executive of the NIHR, who attended the open event, said:

“I dropped in…to see the fantastic work that is being done by NIHR UCLH Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) in driving research across a number of areas, integrating patient and public involvement and working to address inequalities where they exist. Speaking to researchers and representatives from patient and public involvement groups, I saw a huge range of opportunities for participation across multiple conditions, with stalls staffed by engaged staff keen to demonstrate the value of research.”

Of 75 people who completed the event feedback form:

• 93% said they enjoyed the day
• 88% said they understood research better
• 89% said they are more interested in health research.

The organisation of the event was led by the BRC Patient and Public Involvement team, with the help of staff across the Research Directorate.