Oxford’s annual Health Research Showcase, which brings researchers from many disciplines together with members of the public, attracted hundreds of half-term visitors to Oxford’s Westgate Centre on 28 May.
The event, organised by Oxford’s two NIHR Biomedical Research Centres (BRC), is aimed at letting the public know about the amazing healthcare research taking place in their city to improve diagnosis, treatment and care for a range of conditions, from Alzheimer’s to asthma, depression to diabetes. There were stands highlighting the BRCs’ work in young people’s mental health, heart disease, infection, sleep problems or genetic diseases.
The event is held during the half-term holidays, and many children were among the visitors learning about the science behind the research through fun, hands-on activities.
The Showcase event was also a chance to encourage people to get involved in research, whether by participating in trials or helping to design and evaluating studies.
The NIHR BRC: Oxford is a partnership between the University of Oxford and Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) NHS Foundation Trust, while the NIHR BRC: Oxford Health is a partnership between the University and Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust. Together they conduct research across 26 different healthcare themes.
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is the UK’s largest funder of health and care research. NIHR BRCs are collaborations between universities and NHS organisations that bring together academics and clinicians to translate scientific breakthroughs into potential new treatments, diagnostics and medical technologies that benefit NHS patients.