If we can together create an environment where everyone can achieve to their best ability and where our belief about ability is based on evidence not on other characteristics then we will deliver both quality and collegiality.
Dean of Medicine
We strive to embed different perspectives and experiences in innovation and problem solving.
Promoting diversity in clinical trials
The Southampton Clinical Trials Unit (SCTU) unites clinical staff and the public. It seeks to improve how the public is involved in research. The Widening Participation Project aims to understand the barriers stopping people from under-served groups joining clinical trials.
SCTU builds on their relationships with diverse communities in the South. The Diversity in Clinical Trials Project aims to increase ethnic diversity in clinical research, working with communities to design patient-facing materials and an online forum.
Our National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) BioResource centre joined forces with community engagement agency Egality Health. They aimed to address health inequalities by improving diverse representation in health research. Following their campaign, they reflected on their successes and shared key learnings. These learnings will positively impact future campaigns.
The EQUATE study
EQUATE explores the effects of digital methods on participation and engagement of research in different population groups. They capture people’s thoughts and real-life experiences with digital methods.
Digital methods in research enable people to take part from their homes. If digital is a barrier to research participation in different groups, then research findings will not represent their needs and they may suffer poorer health outcomes.