Blog posts

Breaking down barriers to access academia

Last year, we proudly launched our Julia Anderson Training Programme, a paid internship scheme for people who have little or no work experience, as we know how difficult it can be for people to get that first foot in the door. This programme is the first of its kind at Imperial, giving people the opportunity to boost their skills while working on an impactful programme of work at IGHI. Our first trainees, who you can read about on our website, worked on a range of topics including education, digital health, and data science.

Now open for its second round of applications, Clarissa Gardner, Research Assistant at the Institute Global Health Innovation, who led the creation of the programme, gives her thoughts on why now, more than ever, these placements are needed. 

As a research topic, Long Covid found me

I usually say that as a research topic ‘Long Covid’ found me.

In March 2020 I was busy with my research in cancer early diagnosis, learning health systems and artificial intelligence for improving diagnosis in primary care. I caught COVID-19 in mid-March, just before the first lockdown, with moderate symptoms; cough, fever, but my blood oxygen levels were fine.

Health Innovation Prize winners: Where are they now?

A decade ago, Imperial medical student John Chetwood darted from his Varsity hockey match to try his hand at another competition, with a different prize at stake. It was the inaugural IGHI Health Innovation Prize, giving UK university students the opportunity to win cash towards their global health idea.

John was one of five finalists to face our panel of judges at the Dragon’s Den-style final, and took home the top prize of £2,000 towards his new diagnostic tool for an aggressive type of bile duct cancer.

Since then, teams from all across the country have competed in our annual competition, now in its 10th year and growing, with £10,000 up for grabs for the top team.

Shaping research on healthy environments with diverse voices

Having access to a healthy environment is important for our health and wellbeing. Yet what a healthy environment means to people varies. Everyone’s unique situation and past experiences will influence their views.

In addition, when it comes to supporting healthy environments, what may be a priority for policymakers might not be important to the public. Research funders therefore face difficult decisions when deciding how to focus their work in this area.

A vision for the future of safe care: Maternal and newborn safety during COVID-19

The Institute of Global Health Innovation hosted their third World Patient Safety Day event on the 17th September, with the theme of safer maternal and newborn care. The aim of this year’s World Patient Safety Day was to raise awareness of maternal and newborn safety and engage different stakeholders – from healthcare professionals to decision-makers – in adopting strategies to improve them. This virtual event was chaired by Dr Mike Durkin, IGHI’s Senior Advisor on Patient Safety Policy and Leadership, and included a range of speakers and panellists. Throughout the event a graphic artist created a live illustration that captured key messages, displayed above.