Patient and Public Engagement Group Away Day 2026
At the end of April, members of the DeNPRU-QM Patient and Public Engagement Group (PPEG) met in Birmingham for an away day. Whilst the group meets online every month, this annual in-person event is a great opportunity to spend more time together and reflect on the past year of research involvement.
In the morning, Yolanda Lau led a session about quantitative methods in research. She explained how these methods can be used to identify patterns in large datasets, but that other methods might be needed to tell us why such patterns occur.
She gave an example of a recent DeNPRU-QM project on MS and diabetes to demonstrate the value of input from people with lived experience of MS. This includes making sure we are asking the right questions at the start of the project and communicating the findings in a way that doesn’t blame individuals for things they cannot control.
The second session was chaired by PPI Lead Mohammed Akhlak Rauf, who spoke about overcoming imposter syndrome when working alongside researchers. Sue Williams, a Public Advisor Researcher at the University of Liverpool, shared more about her role and the skills and experience she brings to the DeNPRU-QM team. In the afternoon, attendees split into smaller groups to reflect on the UK Standards for Public Involvement. These standards outline best practice in areas such as inclusive opportunities, governance and impact.
You can find out more about patient and public involvement at DeNPRU-QM by watching this short video.