PenARC are celebrating the news that a number of our people and projects have been shortlisted in the South West Research Awards 2020. The awards, a new, region-wide initiative by the NIHR Clinical Research Network South West Peninsula, celebrate innovation and excellence and the achievements of outstanding individuals and teams involved in health and social care research across Cornwall, Devon and Somerset.
PenARC’s Patient and Public Involvement Team have been shortlisted for a Public Engagement Award to recognise excellence in promoting the interests of patients and public in research delivery. Our Parent-to-Parent Support Interventions for Parents of Babies Cared for in a Neonatal unit (PaReNt) Project is also one of only three to be shortlisted in the Public Engagement Category. The project, which explored the impact of peer-to-peer support for parents whose babies are admitted to neonatal units, produced a state-of-the-evidence summary to help ensure an impact on both local and national neonatal services.
PenCHORD, our Operational Research Team, have been shortlisted for an Outstanding Research Contribution Team Award to recognise the teams that work collaboratively to achieve shared goals and deliver meaningful studies with a positive impact.
The Community and Primary Care Professional Services Team who support the PenARC team at the University of Plymouth have also been shortlisted for an award, this time in a category which recognises the ‘hidden heroes’ of research. The team, which supports research activities and NIHR funded projects within the Peninsula Medical School, Faculty of Health: Medicine, Dentistry and Human Sciences, University of Plymouth was nominated for a Research Administrator or Co-ordinator Award.
PenARC research entitled Understanding the sustainable processes and impact of engaging young people in a peer-led dance group, the TR14ers, which links to PenARC’s C2 Connecting Communities Project, a learning and delivery programme seeking to transform disadvantaged neighbourhoods by reducing inequalities and creating the capacity for positive change, has also been shortlisted for a Contribution in a Community Setting Award. The award recognises a pioneering attitude and a flexible approach in delivering research in the community.
Nominations for the awards were encouraged from health and social care staff and the public of individuals and/or teams who, in their experience, went the extra mile. The shortlists of just three in each category were drawn by a panel of experts from a field of 190 nominations.
The award ceremony, the first in the initiative’s history, will take place on March 13th at the Duke of Cornwall Hotel in Plymouth, bringing together staff from across the region to recognise and celebrate the achievements of outstanding individuals and teams. The awards will be presented by Jonathan Sheffield, the CEO of the Clinical Research Network.