SSM ECR pre-conference day Tuesday 5th September 10am-5pm (BST)
Policy and your research: Dissemination and impact
We all hope that our work will have influence and inspire positive change, but how do you actually go about disseminating your work to policy makers to ensure it has impact?
This year’s pre-conference day for ECRs will be all things policy engagement. We have an exciting, interactive day lined up, with impact and communication experts from across research, public health, and government.
Places at the pre-conference day are currently full, but there is a waiting list for any ECRs who would like to attend and you may get a place if space becomes available.
When: 5th September, 10:00-17:00
Where: Newcastle University (exact room TBC)
The day will include:
- Keynote on policy impact in academic research by Professor Kate Hunt
- Panel session with policy and dissemination experts
- Interactive workshop on communicating research for policy impact
- Networking with other ECRs
- Optional evening social activity
Speakers include:
- Professor Kate Hunt, Institute for Social Marketing, University of Stirling
- Hannah Davies, Northern Health Alliance and Health Equity North
- Dr Annie Williamson, Institute for Public Policy Research
Keep an eye out on twitter for updates on the programme and confirmed speakers. A finalised programme will be sent nearer the time to all those registered.
For details of the whole conference (6-8 September), and to register, see the conference website.
Please do let us know if you’ve registered for the ECR day and are no longer able to attend so that we can offer your place to someone else.
SSM ECR 2023 Summer Webinar: Tuesday 11 July, 3-5pm (BST)
This year the SSM ECR training events are focused around research impact and dissemination. This summer event will complement the ECR pre-conference day in autumn, which will focus on engaging policy makers with research.
The webinar will cover:
- Using social media for public engagement
- Communicating your research in blogs
- Creative public (non-academic) events
We have three talks from four excellent speakers:
- Viki Male: “Public engagement under pressure: what I learned during the pandemic”
- Praveen Paul and Elodie Chabral from Pint of Science talking about Pint of Science and their journeys in Science communication
- Éimear Foley: “Science communication with The Mental Elf” – It is known to take 17 years for health research to make an impact in clinical practice. The Mental Elf is working to close this gap between research and practice by sharing evidence in an accessible way to frontline practitioners, those with lived experience, carers, and policymakers. The Mental Elf has been in existence for over 10 years and now has over 100,000 followers on social media. The team works to curate freely accessible content via a range of mediums including blogs, podcasts, social media discussions, and live streaming and tweeting of international mental health events. This session will focus on the importance of digitally disseminating research, how to best use social media to communicate your research, and how you can get involved with The Mental Elf by blogging and helping to take events #BeyondtheRoom.
For more information and to register for free: https://bit.ly/3NNhH4X
Exploring the options: non-academic career pathways
Thursday 9th June, 13:30 – 15:00 (BST)
The SSM ECR subcommittee invites you to an online panel discussion on career options outside of academia. Our panellists, all of whom have moved from or between academic and non-academic roles, include:
- Fran Darlington-Pollock, Research and Evidence Advisor, Save the Children
- Brendan Collins, Head of Health Economics, Welsh Government
- Laurie Rachet-Jacquet, Economic Analyst, The Health Foundation
The panel will discuss their experiences of working outside traditional academic roles, including the differences between academic research and the sector they work in, how they made the decision to change roles, and how they found the transition.
Registration is free and the event will be held via Zoom.
The ECR & MCR sub-committees invite you to a whistle-stop tour of the fellowship application process, with insights from fellowship committee members and first-hand experience from fellowship award holders.
Wednesday 14th April 2021, 14:00-15:30 (BST)
Registration is free and the event will be held via Zoom.
Programme:
- What makes a good fellowship application: person, project, place: Professor Sally Wyke will talk about the three key elements of a good fellowship proposal, followed by a short Q&A session. Sally has supported multiple researchers through the fellowship application process, and sits on several review panels. She is an Interdisciplinary Research Professor & Deputy Director of the Institute of Health & Wellbeing, University of Glasgow.
- An ECR & MCR perspective: Dr Gemma Sharp and Dr Sophie Wickham will talk about their experiences of the fellowship application process, top tips, and lessons learned. Gemma holds an MRC New Investigator Research Grant and is a Senior Lecturer in molecular epidemiology at the University of Bristol. Sophie has a Wellcome Trust society and ethics fellowship, and is a research fellow in public health at the Department of Public Health, Policy and Systems, University of Liverpool.
- Panel discussion: The session will end with an opportunity to discuss the advice given, ask questions, and share experiences.
