Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Co-Developing Guidelines for Brain Health Researchers Working with the Community Sector
Researchers at the Centre for Dementia Research within our School of Health have recently received funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Yorkshire and Humber Clinical Research Network to find ways to make brain health research more inclusive and representative. In this post, Senior Research Fellow, Dr Laura Booi, introduces what will be the first local Brain Health Research Network, based here in Yorkshire.
As highlighted in the recent NIHR report on the need to increase diversity in research participation, the vast majority of health research participants are overwhelmingly homogeneous, with white, middle and upper-class individuals in urban areas overrepresented.
Maintaining brain health is one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century, as few other issues will have a similar level of effect on human longevity. Briefly, brain health refers to disorders or dysfunctions of the brain including mental health, neurodevelopmental, neurological and neurodegenerative disorders, across the lifespan.
The need for diversity in brain health research ventures is a national priority. Researchers and voluntary and community sector enterprises (VCSEs), working together is a clear opportunity to support equitable representation and priorities in research.
This project will be the first local brain health research focused endeavour to focus on how researchers can best work with community enterprises. The purpose of this project is twofold. Firstly, to identify how brain health researchers currently engage with VCSEs, and how VCSEs currently engage with brain health researchers. Secondly, to develop a set of guidelines for how collaborations between brain health researchers and VCSEs would ideally work.
Thus far we have had two successful workshops. Our first workshop focused on the perspective of those representing VCSEs and their experiences with working with brain health researchers. The second workshop focused on the perspective of brain health researchers and their experiences working with VCSEs. Live Illustration below outlines the key points of the discussion that took place with researchers.
We are currently developing an in-person Brain Health Research Network workshop, taking place in Leeds at the HEART Centre in Headingley, on Thursday, 20 April, 12:00 – 16:00. The aim of this third and final workshop is to co-develop a set of guidelines for brain health researchers to support mutually beneficial collaborations between brain health researchers and VCSEs.
For any inquires please email me or contact me on Twitter.
Dr Laura Booi
Dr Booi is a social gerontologist focused on research and advocacy relating to brain health equity and dementia, globally and locally.
