Resonate Late: Scientists help policy-makers make public health decisions, but who helps the scientists?
On Thursday 23rd May, we returned to 1 Mill Street in Leamington to find out how public voice is essential when helping to guide healthcare policy.
This event was a chance to share the story of a Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) Group who have been working with researchers from both Warwick and Oxford University, but also to find out understand how these groups are key to healthcare decision making.
We were joined by some of the MEMVIE Team (more detail on the project is available at the end of the page!) who shared their journey of developing a method to use Mathematical Modelling to help inform decisions around vaccine distribution.
First, Professor Sophie Staniszewska from Warwick Medical School introduced the project, but also shared why they’d joined us in Leamington that evening: to hear the audience’s thoughts on what modelling feels like from a public perspective, to better understand how the public can contribute to modelling, and to develop our thinking of the potential for public involvement in modelling.
Dr Ed Hill from the Mathematics Institute then gave us all a course on infectious disease modelling, explaining how we turn complex, real-life problems into questions that computers can help us solve.
Next up was Dr Corinna Clark from Warwick Medical School, explaining their modelling framework and how this can be a bit like baking a cake - checking you have the right ingredients, right equipment, and making sure it looks like the picture in the recipe book when it’s done (and if not, asking why?)
Then, it was our turn to act as the PPI group. Together, participants designed their own infectious disease and worked through this framework - selecting appropriate models and helping the scientists to understand - what are we missing?
Importantly, the event also shared information on how teams are working to include more patient and public involvement in healthcare policy making. We discussed how far this has come and where the team hopes it can go, but also how you can share your voice if you’d like to be involved in PPI.
Check out the links below to find out more about the MEMVIE project, and how to get involved in projects like these.
