Public engagement: Understanding the value of the community in epidemiological research

In March 2018, I took part in a public engagement training course, where I learned about the importance of effective interaction with the public in research. The University is committed to embedding high-quality and innovative public engagement as an integral part of research culture and practice at Oxford. As well as enhancing our reputation as a world-leading research institution, it also carries additional benefits to our research which can be overlooked. From a researcher’s perspective, public engagement can be extremely useful because:

1. It can shape our research

Public engagement can be misinterpreted as science communication, which is often one-sided, ‘taught’ science. Public engagement, however, involves effective two-way communication between members of the community and researchers. People outside the research community can provide fantastic insight which is central to understanding complex health problems and is perhaps overlooked by the research community. This is particularly important in the area of public health, when our key messages should exactly align with the values of the wider community in order to achieve population-level impact.

2. It can alleviate miscommunication and subsequent distrust/dismissal of expert opinion

Community-engaged research can build trust between researchers and communities, encourage participation among underrepresented groups, and enhance the relevance as well as the uptake of research findings. This is particularly important in epidemiology, where our research depends on participant recruitment, adherence to study protocols and long follow-up periods.

3. Disseminating our results in public dialogue is our duty

We have an obligation to disseminate our results effectively to the community because the majority of our research is publicly funded, and as researchers we are ultimately responsible for the direct translation of our research from bench to bedside. Where we choose to publish our work, and in which ‘dialogue’ are decisions which can aid the effective communication of our key public health messages.

4. We can inspire the next generation of scientists

Importantly, epidemiology is a relatively ‘new’ science, and the recent explosion of ‘big data’ means that the methodology underlying population health research is continuously evolving. We must remember that it is the children of today who will be taking on the challenges of tomorrow’s science.

5. The University and funding agencies take public engagement seriously

Major research funding organisations like the Medical Research Council (MRC), and Wellcome absolutely rely on having a great public profile, and therefore they take public engagement very seriously. These organisations are actively seeking grant applications which include imaginative ways to involve the public, not just to ‘tick the boxes’, but because researchers can see the added value of public engagement to the quality and impact of their research.

6. The public are interested! …And it’s fun!

The British Science Association has estimated that approximately 75% of the UK population are genuinely interested in science, with a keen desire to know more! It’s also a great way to meet a variety of different people.

So how can we get involved?

There are many ways we can undertake public engagement. Suggestions include:

Get training – Check out the training offered by funding agencies like the MRC and the Wellcome. Importantly, they encourage the training and conduct of public engagement activity regardless of where you are in your research career. Additionally, the University has a centralised public engagement department, as well as departmental/divisional contacts.

Try it out by signing up for science festivals, science comedy shows, science teaching in schools etc. Having worked for several years with the Edinburgh International Science Festival, I can tell you that it’s a surprisingly fun way to gain teaching experience, meet interesting people, travel, and learn science! Additional opportunities include initiatives like the Brilliant Club, a UK non-profit organisation that aims to widen access to University for students from under-represented groups. It involves teaching one lesson per week to a small group of enthusiastic students whose parents have not received University level education.

Debbie Malden is a PhD student. Debbie studied Biomedical Science at the University of Aberdeen and completed an MSc in Global Health Science at the University of Oxford. Her main research interest is in obesity and the effects on health, particularly cardiovascular disease. For her PhD project, Debbie is investigating anthropometric measures of adiposity in relation to IHD risk in the UK Biobank population of 500 0000 adults.