What is Public Involvement?
Public involvement in research can be defined as research being carried out ‘with’ or ‘by’ members of the public rather than ‘to’, ‘about’ or ‘for’ them.
Public involvement is collaborative. We all work together to make sure that the skills, expertise, knowledge and experience of everyone involved, is used to ensure our work is the best it can be.
We call members of the public who work with us our public partners. We are in a partnership with them and work together with them to get the best results we can.
What is Public Engagement?
Public engagement can be defined as using a range of activities to communicate and share information about research with the public.
Public engagement activities can include science festivals, raising awareness of research through the media and sharing research findings.
Why do we need public involvement in public health research?
Public health is about helping groups of people to be healthier so we live better, longer lives.
Our public partners bring their expertise in the form of their lived experiences. These could include things they have seen or experienced and their opinions on what is important and whether our ideas will work. With their help, we get a better understanding of whether our research will help address some of the big issues that are important to our communities.
Why should I get involved?
As a public partner in our research, you would be able to help influence our work to improve the health and quality of life of communities around England.