Sharing expertise in research with underserved communities

An NIHR course for people working in social care, local councils, and charities has had a visit from a special Mobile Research Unit (MRU) van.

The van is operated by University Hospitals Plymouth (UHP) NHS Trust and stopped by during day 8 of the First Steps into Research programme. Participants got to explore the van and join a workshop led by UHP Research Nurses Lisa Shainberg and Eden Wildman on bringing research to ‘underserved’ communities that often miss out.

Ela Roszkowska, from the Diversity Business Incubator Community Interest Company, also joined the event. Ela, who collaborates with the MRU team, shared tips on working with diverse communities.

The First Steps into Research programme is run by the NIHR South West Peninsula Regional Research Delivery Network (SWP RRDN) and supported by local councils, universities, public contributors and others. This year, 12 people are taking part. The course teaches them about research and how to use it in their work. By the end, they’ll know how to support NIHR research studies or start their own career in research.

Helen Chenoweth is SWP RRDN Head of Research Delivery and Support for out-of-hospital settings. She said: “We were very grateful to the MRU team for coming to share their expertise for our day focusing on research in the community. Our course participants found it hugely beneficial to hear from Eden, Lisa and Ela, with their hands-on experience engaging with communities that can be hard to reach, and delivering research in some of the region’s most deprived areas.

"We hope the visit helped the group understand some of the challenges and rewards of working with participants in groups underserved by research but which have so much to gain from taking part and the resulting advances in treatment."      

Eden Wildman said: ''Lisa, Ela and I were so pleased to share with the group the work we have been doing over the last two years. We shared successes and lots we have learnt along the way. 

“Ela has been a huge source of guidance for us in building trust within the community, and as a result of the work we have done, our inclusion of participants living in underserved communities has doubled. We shared knowledge through the workshop, and discussed ways to get started in connecting with our community.''

The MRUs were funded by nearly £33,000 from the NIHR during the COVID-19 pandemic to help with vaccine research.

Want to learn more about a career in health and social care research? Find out more about how to develop your career in health and social care research on the NIHR Research Delivery Network's website