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Third Patient and Public Involvement Event hailed a success in bringing community together
A third annual Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) Event held in Stirling this week has been hailed a success after more than 170 gathered for the landmark interactive showcase
On Tuesday, NHS Research Scotland (NRS) further underlined its commitment to research excellence in this area by highlighting the country’s most impactful PPI initiatives through a strong range of contributing voices and the welcoming of an inclusive audience.
A wide spectrum of attendees gathered including PPI partners, professionals, researchers from all career stages, and policymakers working in the area.
This year’s free to attend event — hosted by NRS and the Chief Scientist Office (CSO) of Scottish Government at Stirling Court Hotel — included insightful plenary sessions, interactive workshops, networking opportunities, as well as awards for best posters following an afternoon viewing session.
Key themes centred around ethical PPI, working with underserved groups and communities, and building and supporting the PPI community.
Among programme highlights — shaped by the PPI community — were a morning plenary session from:
- Sammy Waite, Patient and Community Involvement in Research Officer from the University of Edinburgh who presented on ‘Inclusive Language for Patient and Public Involvement’ and discussed the need to “work together to develop a shared way of talking about PPI and research to allow meaningful conversations to begin”
Afternoon plenary sessions further included:
- Peter Gee, Senior Public Involvement Manager from Health and Care Research Wales who placed a focus on ‘Discover Your Role - Public Involvement Action Plan for Wales’ and noted the necessity of “tackling administrative and system barriers to meaningful public involvement”
- Rachel Edwards, Public Engagement Officer of Research Data Scotland discussing ‘Public Engagement Fund Showcase: Engaging Scottish Communities with Data’ and its priority of “making it faster and simpler to access Scotland's public sector data for research”
One eye-catching LEGO®-led workshop was entitled ‘Building Inclusive Knowledge Spaces, One LEGO® Brick at a Time: Involving Underrepresented Communities in Data Research’, overseen by Dr Piotr Teodorowski, Research Fellow, University of Stirling, Rachel Edwards, and public contributor Michael McTernan.
The event’s poster winners were:
- Judge’s Choice: ‘Integrating the Voices of Underserved Communities into the Development of Trusted Research Environments’, Maisie McKenzie and Anthony Chuter (prize collected on their behalf by Judith Fisher)
- People’s Choice: ‘What Do Young People Really Think of This Mental Health App?’, Dr Rachel Harris and Aideen Quirke
Organisers insist it is vital that patients and the public play a prominent role in the research that affects them in order to accelerate studies and improve access, inclusivity, and diversity — and believe that events like Tuesday’s are key to maintaining momentum while settings sights higher.
Dr Julie Simpson, Research Manager — Information and Capacity, at CSO, said: “Our third PPI gathering in as many years demonstrated just how far we’ve come in a short period with clear progress in evidence across a very memorable day.
“It was great to see so much learning and enthusiasm with Stirling providing the perfect backdrop to enable the valuable sharing of unique insights drawn from multiple specialties and the forming of fresh connections.
“We are hugely grateful to all who attended and contributed with successes celebrated, lingering gaps identified, and collective understanding deepened.
“Placing patients and public at the heart of research undoubtedly leads to enhanced quality studies, stronger recruitment, and ultimately better outcomes. We must continue to nurture that active partnership for the benefit of all, ensuring that PPI remains cutting-edge, relevant, and effective.”
Publication date: 5th March 2026
