Report on IHW research away day 2022

Published: 28 April 2022

Our first research away day since the start of the pandemic took place in May 2022, and saw record numbers attending – both in person and via zoom! – and a diverse range of topics and speakers

The 2022 Institute of Health and Wellbeing research away day was once again a great success, with 178 attending in person on the day and 74 via zoom. 

Jill Pell speaking at research away day 2022

This was the first away day since 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic began, and it felt like a turning point, with everyone finally in the same room again.

This was reflected in attendance at the event, which was at a record high (252 in total, exceeding our previous high of 204). Delivering a full day event on this scale via hybrid (in person and zoom) methods was not without its challenges, but it all went smoothly on the day.

The day began with a discussion and Q&A from Prof Jill Pell about the new Clarice Pears Building, followed by a refresher on promotion provided by the chairs of the IHW Athena Swan career progression/early career researchers group, Dr Arlene McGarty and Dr Paul McCrorie. The day ended with a thought-provoking discussion and Q&A about research integrity presented by Prof Denis Fischbacher-Smith.

Photo of speaker and participants at research away day 2022

In between we had interesting talks on values, priorities and workload in academia (Prof Carron Shankland, Dr Breda Cullen and Dr Julie Langan-Martin) and another fantastic 3 Minute Thesis (3MT) competition, the winners of which was as follows:

  • FIRST PLACE
    Kathrin Loosli
    "Antibiotic quality, access, demand and use in three communities in northern Tanzania"
  • RUNNER UP
    Ryan Field
    "Joint modelling in heart failure"

Our poster competition winners were:

  • FIRST PLACE
    Hanin Farhana Kamaruzaman
    "The ABC of D – Disinvestment in Healthcare: A scoping review"
  • RUNNER UP
    Ahmad Alkhatib
    "Chronic illness and the urban environment of the twin cities of Ramallah and Albireh in the occupied Palestinian territory"

Special thanks to Ryan Field (PhD student and 3MT presenter) who provided unofficial technical support on the day!

Of the 82 people who completed the evaluation questionnaire, 84% found the day useful or very useful. There was also praise for the organisation of the event, with 92% rating the pre-event organisation as good or very good, and 90% giving similar ratings for organisation on the day. 

Group of attendees at research away day in 2022

Please continue to pass on your feedback so that next year’s away day can be even better!


First published: 28 April 2022