Lauren Bell, NIHR HDRC Coventry Research Fellow, recently spoke at a national conference about the work of Health Determinants Research Collaborations (HDRCs).
The Health Services Research UK Conference, held in Manchester, was a fantastic opportunity to share the work that HDRCs are doing across the UK.
Lauren said about the conference:
“I presented a project that involved 6 NIHR HDRCs, led by Dr Anne Buffardi from NIHR HDRC Islington. As part of this project, I reviewed information about NIHR HDRCs and held a group session to reflect on what HDRCs had done in practice.
I shared the key findings at the conference, including how NIHR HDRCs had involved local communities, delivered bitesize training, and placed researchers within local authorities to strengthen the role of research. I also talked about how councils shape the health of their communities through the strategies and services they deliver.
In other parts of the conference, I learnt about how to make sure research findings are used to influence decisions and improve services. One interactive session highlighted how it was important to involve different people in the research process, including community members and those responsible for making changes.
At the end of the conference, I left feeling motivated by everyone’s efforts to make lives better and fairer through research.”