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News
National Festival Empowering Patients and the Public in Health and Social Care Research launched at UCC

The third National Public and Patient Involvement (PPI) Festival, a pioneering event that brings together patients, the public, healthcare professionals and researchers to celebrate the crucial role of public involvement in shaping health research in Ireland was launched at UCC this week.
The festival, coordinated by the National PPI Ignite Network (www.ppinetwork.ie) will see over 40 national and international events take place throughout the month of October.
Funded by the Health Research Board, Irish Research Council and seven Higher Education Institutions in Ireland, the tagline for the 2024 festival is: Connect. Collaborate. Celebrate. Events will be organised by, with and for members of the public, representatives from charity and voluntary organizations, healthcare professionals, and researchers.
Professor Helen Whelton, Head of the College of Medicine and Health, UCC officially launched the event and congratulated the team on an excellent PPI Ignite Network@ UCC Impact Report 2024.
“UCC is proud to lead the way in fostering a collaborative research culture where the voices of those most affected by health conditions play a key role in shaping research priorities and outcomes”.
Prof. Whelton said: “It is hugely impressive to see the sheer numbers of researchers, undergraduate and postgraduate students and PPI individuals and organisations who are engaging with PPI Ignite Network@ UCC for PPI advice and support”.
Earlier this year, PPI Ignite Network@ UCC invested €11,000 to fund six early-stage PPI initiatives across the university.
This funding, Professor Whelton said “has given researchers an important opportunity to build connections and relationships with individuals with lived experience of the topics they research. The scheme has allowed researchers to establish and develop PPI relationships with different communities, including people living with Intellectual Disability, Dementia, Aphasia and Cystic Fibrosis”.
Dr Emmy Racine, Programme Manager, PPI Ignite Network@ UCC said: “We are thrilled to host the National PPI Festival, which places patients and the public at the heart of health research. This festival reflects UCC’s commitment to fostering an inclusive, patient-centered approach to research, and we believe it will inspire many new collaborations that will lead to better healthcare for all.”
The festival is open to everyone and is free of charge. UCC encourages people of all backgrounds to participate, whether they have experience with health conditions, are healthcare professionals, or simply wish to be more involved in shaping the future of health and social care research in Ireland.
For a full schedule of events, and further information, visit https://ppinetwork.ie/national-ppi-festival/ or contact ppi@ucc.ie
More information here: PPI Ignite @ UCC | University College Cork