Video Library

Some 2.3 million people in the UK are living with coronary heart disease. Computed tomography (CT) heart scans are the recommended test for people with cardiac chest pain. These images assess narrowing and obstruction in the heart and blood vessels. But they fail to pick up half of the heart attacks that occur. Research has shown that changes in the fatty tissue and increased inflammation around coronary vessels is linked to a higher risk of fatal heart attacks. In this talk, held on 8 April 2025 at Rewley House in Oxford, Clinical Research Fellow Kenneth Chan of the Radcliffe Department of Medicine explains how a new device developed in Oxford combines the CT scan with artificial intelligence to detect these biological processes –invisible to the human eye – that precede the narrowing of the arteries and cause heart attacks. The CaRi-Heart device, now successfully trialled in NHS hospitals, promises to be a game-changer in our efforts to prevent cardiovascular disease. We believe the involvement of patients and members of the public in research is vital, so if you’re interested in getting involved, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at OBRCenquiries@ouh.nhs.uk.

This is a special seminar marking the centenary of Franz Kafka's death, as we examine the disease that took his life: TB (tuberculosis), and how Oxford is at the forefront of addressing this major global challenge. The seminar, recorded at the Weston Library, features leading researchers from the University of Oxford, supported by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, who are tackling one of the world's deadliest infectious diseases. A talk from a former patient on the lived experience puts the work in perspective. In this video, you'll hear from: • Prof. Helen McShane, Deputy Head of the Medical Sciences Division and Director of the Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, who discusses her groundbreaking work on new TB vaccines. • Dr. Philip Fowler, who explains the crucial role of genetics in identifying drug-resistant TB strains and developing targeted treatments. • Amy, a patient representative, who shares her personal journey through the challenges of TB diagnosis and treatment.

How is your healthcare data being used? It’s a contentious topic, with fears around patient confidentiality, but the patient data held by the NHS is an incredibly rich resource for understanding and fighting some of our deadliest diseases. In this talk, Professor Eva Morris, Professor of Health Data Epidemiology and Oxford BRC Theme Lead for Translational Data Science, explained how harnessing data appropriately can inform NHS cancer services – and prevent hundreds of deaths every year. Professor Andrea Cipriani – Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the NIHR Oxford Health Clinical Research Facility and Oxford Health BRC Theme Lead for Data Science – discussed how clinical data can help deliver personalised care for patients with mental health disorders, improving their outcomes and reducing NHS costs. This talk, held on 16 April 2024, was jointly organised by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre and the NIHR Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre.

Professor Shaun Treweek, an expert in ethnicity inclusion from the University of Aberdeen, provides guidance to our researchers on utilising the INCLUDE ethnicity framework and other relevant frameworks to improve trial diversity. This workshop took place on the 07.03.2024 at Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford, with the collaboration of NIHR Oxford BRC and NIHR Oxford Health BRC, and facilitation by Open Edge experts. For more information on Patient and Public Involvement, please visit: https://oxfordbrc.nihr.ac.uk/ppi/

In early 2024, two research papers were published by University of Oxford researchers looking at the impact of COVID-19 vaccination beyond reducing infection and hospitalisation, specifically looking firstly at long COVID and then cardiovascular complications and blood clots. The studies, which were based on large patient datasets, were led by Professor Daniel Prieto-Alhambra, who is supported by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre. In this interview, Professor Prieto-Alhambra outlines the findings of the two studies: in the first study, his team found that vaccination against COVID-19 consistently reduced the risk of long COVID symptoms; in the second, they discovered that the risk of cardiac and clot-related complications after COVID-19 drops significantly for people who have had the vaccine. Learn more – Long COVID study: https://oxfordbrc.nihr.ac.uk/covid-19-vaccines-found-effective-in-reducing-long-covid-symptoms/ – Cardiovascular study: https://oxfordbrc.nihr.ac.uk/covid-jab-linked-to-lower-risk-of-covid-19-related-clot-and-heart-complications/

Long before symptoms appear, the body can give us clues if someone will develop Parkinson’s disease. In this talk, Professor Michele Hu, Consultant Neurologist and Professor of Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Oxford, explains how research has shown that people with REM sleep behaviour disorder often go on to develop Parkinson’s more than a decade later. The talk was held on 30 January 2024 at Rewley House in Oxford. By identifying the warning signs early – and potentially treating them – can we intervene to offer Parkinson’s patients and their families a better quality of life? We believe the involvement of patients and members of the public in research is vital, so if you’re interested in getting involved, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at OBRCenquiries@ouh.nhs.uk. To participate in RBD research, please email Professor Michele Hu’s team (Oxford Parkinson’s Disease Centre) at Parkinsons.discovery@nhs.net.

Gut, skin, joints, brain – inflammation can affect various parts of the body. But for too long we have treated them separately. Now, NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) researchers are looking at treatments that recognise the common features across different inflammatory diseases. In this Oxford BRC public talk, Professor Chris Buckley, Director of Clinical Research at the University of Oxford’s Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, and patient representative Georgina McMasters, discussed how traditional speciality-driven approaches are evolving into a more holistic, cross-disease perspective. The talk took place on Tuesday 21 November 2023 at Rewley House, Wellington Square, Oxford.

Involving patients and members of the public in health research helps to ensure the research benefits those who most need it. This film is an edited version of an in-person session held in September 2023 where researchers from Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, University of Oxford and patient and public contributors described the benefits of involving patients and members of the public in research. In this session we discussed: 00:00 -Talks Trialblazers: a project putting patients in the driving seat of clinical trials. 13:11 – Diversity in Research a participatory case study to understand and optimise the impact of a diverse public involvement group in biomedical research. 28:01 – What is public and community engagement in the context of global health research? Overview and examples from OUCRU in Vietnam [lhttps://www.oucru.org/], KEMRI-Wellcome in Kenya [https://kemri-wellcome.org/] and Oxford Health Systems Collaborative [https://www.cghr.ox.ac.uk/research/health-systems-collaborative]. 41:15 – Why and how to evaluate public and community engagement, with examples of a range of evaluation practice and evidence. Thanks for watching!

Professor Dan Lasserson was one of the first doctors in the country to provide hospital care at home using a range of point of care diagnostic technology, which allows clinicians to look after people with more complex acute illness who previously would be taken straight to hospital. Here, in an NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) public talk at the Said Business School on 11 October 2023, Professor Lasserson explains how digital innovations can be deployed for acute medical care in the home and care home and asking: 'Can we really replace the hospital?' Professor Lasserson is Clinical Lead, Acute Hospital at Home Service, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; Professor of Acute Ambulatory Care, University of Warwick; and sub-theme lead within the Digital Health from Hospital at Home Theme of the Oxford BRC. His OUH Hospital at Home team is featured in this BBC Panorama programme on the future of the NHS. https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001h917/panorama-the-nhs-crisis-can-it-be-fixed

There is growing interest in the possibility of using blood tests to detect cancer. If such tests become available, they could transform how we diagnose and look after people with the disease. This offers exciting possibilities, but also many potential pitfalls. Blood tests could be used to screen apparently healthy people for cancer, to decide who should have more tests, or even replace scanning as a means of monitoring the effects of treatment or whether cancer has come back. In this talk, Professor Mark Middleton, Director of the Cancer Research UK Oxford Centre, explains how we are developing these tests and assessing their use in clinical trials. Sue Duncombe, a member of the Oxford Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) Group, talks about this development in early cancer detection from a patient perspective. The talk was held on Tuesday 29 November 2022.

Stroke is the second largest cause of death worldwide, responsible for over six million deaths each year. A common cause of stroke is carotid artery disease, which can be treated in one of two ways: carotid artery surgery; or having a stent fitted, with a view to improving blood flow to the brain. Until recently, it has been unclear which of these procedures results in better overall patient outcomes. To answer this question, researchers at Oxford Population Health at the University of Oxford have coordinated the Asymptomatic Carotid Surgery Trial 2 (ACST-2), the largest trial to date comparing the outcomes of the 2 procedures. In this talk, research fellow and consultant vascular surgeon Richard Bulbulia will discuss the findings of the ACST-2 trial and whether patient factors favour one approach over another when treating those at risk of a stroke.

In this talk, Luke Jostins Dean, associate professor and Sir Henry Dale fellow at the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, talks about his research into the relationship between anxiety and irritable bowel syndrome, and whether there is a genetic link. Luke discusses the outcome of a large survey about digestive and mental health, completed by over 170 thousand volunteers, and what it has told us about the relationship between IBS, mental health and genetics.

Kazem Rahimi, Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine and Population Health, gave an online public talk about his research into whether lowering blood pressure can help to prevent type 2 diabetes, and the extent to which a person’s blood pressure or their treatment affects their risk of developing diabetes.

Patients and members of the public from the Oxford and Oxford Health BRCs’ Diversity in Research Group provide advice and insights to researchers about working with people from diverse communities. This event in March 2022 was attended by 60 researchers and members of the public.

When we involve patients, carers and other members of the public in our research – including them in the design and delivery of our clinical trials and studies – it improves it and ensures it benefits the people and communities who need it most. It is even more important that the voices of people from diverse and under-served communities are heard when we are designing our studies. In this video, researchers explain how involving patients and members of the public from different communities has added value to their research and made it more effective.

When we involve patients, carers and other members of the public in our research – including them in the design and delivery of our clinical trials and studies – it improves it and ensures it benefits the people and communities who need it most. It is even more important that the voices of people from diverse and under-served communities are heard when we are designing our studies. In this video, patient and public involvement and engagement contributors explain the value they have brought to research studies.

Poor outcomes in delirium: finds from an observational cohort of over 1,700 unselected acute medicine patients

A commitment to provide equal opportunities for all and address any barriers to diverse and inclusive patient and public involvement (PPI) in research seems a non-disputable moral good. But why is unequal access to PPI morally problematic? Is the absence of marginalised or seldom heard groups always wrong? What are the ethical standards that a health researcher should follow when designing, implementing and assessing their PPI strategies? This webinar was presented by Dr Sapfo Lignou.

On 29 April 2021 leading clinicians and scientists from the Oxford Translational Gastroenterology Unit will present on the latest research into the causes, treatment and monitoring of Crohn’s and Colitis.

In line with its aim to have the public and patients at the core of its research, the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) has been working with a group which includes teenagers, young adults, carers and people from black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. The project is part of the development of a new strategy and had a particular focus on making health research accessible. Group members had a range of experience of health services; including learning disabilities, autism, cancer and mental health services. They were supported by BRC staff and long-standing contributors. The group reviewed materials such as advertisements and handbooks, researcher talks and webinars. They explored the BRC’s website, giving insight into what worked well and where improvements could be made. They made useful recommendations on issues such as: accessibility for a range of audiences and how and where patients and public feature in content. If you would like to get involved in the BRC’s research, or to learn more about it, please email: GetInvolved@ouh.nhs.uk