News
Featured spine health research collaboration
8th October 2025
Huge thanks to UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) for featuring our research collaboration with Prof Jude Meakin in their EPSRC research outcomes and impact series!
We worked with Prof Meakin from the University of Exeter’s Biophysics research group, and her research team from Exeter and Cardiff Universities, in 2022-2023 to develop a public engagement programme of their work; including a website and infographic, and culminating in the featured World Spine Day 2023 consultation event.
We loved how this project enabled residents to genuinely get involved in influencing local research! The researchers were particularly interested in how they should communicate their research, and understanding whether their methods of creating accurate spine models – which need volunteers to take X-rays and MRI scans – would be considered too invasive. It was incredibly helpful to have public participants with experience of / interest in back pain contributing to the discussion, and it has had an important influence on the researchers’ work.
We’re also glad that our contribution as a convenor and mediator of this event was helpful! The article was submitted by Prof Meakin and her team, and says:
Science centre was critical to successful event
The researchers faced challenges in recruiting people to take part in the engagement event… They turned to Exeter Science Centre, a local organisation that aims to involve the community in science, for help in recruiting people and facilitating the event.
The team’s advice for other researchers doing patient and public involvement was:
– to use professional organisers who can keep you to time and keep you on subject
– not to be afraid to get help with the recruitment and planning.
Jenny added: “One of the takeaways for me was that we would have struggled to carry off that event without the help of Exeter Science Centre.”
Check out the article, and find out more about the project on the project website!