Join Us in Advancing Diabetes & Chronic Disease Research – Your Insight Matters

Introduction

Research Area:

chronic conditions/ Chronic Disease Management/ chronic obstructive pulmonary disease/ Diabetes/ Digital data and technology/ prediabetes/ Primary Care

What is the research about?

The Converge research centre is based in the School of Population Health at RCSI. Our work focuses on improving health for people at-risk for, or who have a diagnosis of, a chronic condition (E.g., Diabetes, COPD, Heart disease). Our team includes people from various professional backgrounds, who are all working together to tackle the challenges caused by chronic diseases. Our team have experience and knowledge in improving overall public health, improving access to health services and furthering understanding of cost of care.  To find out more about our work, visit our website: https://convergecentre.eu/about-us/.
A big part of our research is using population-level information (also referred to as data) to help make better decisions about preventing and reducing the impact of chronic diseases. By looking at large amounts of data, we aim to find patterns that can guide policies and health services to support people with chronic conditions more effectively. As a research centre, we are involved in multiple studies running at the same time.
We collaborate with healthcare professionals, policymakers, and other groups to make sure our findings lead to real changes that can improve lives. We are now looking to create a PPI panel of members of the public and patients who can share their lived experience to inform one, or multiple, of our research studies.
Who is the opportunity for? 
We are aiming to recruit 10-12 PPI contributors to join our panel. This is open to individuals aged 18 years and over, based in the Republic of Ireland. Previous experience in PPI or research is not required. In particular we welcome people with:
• A diagnosis of pre-diabetes, Type 1 diabetes, Type 2 diabetes.
• A history of cardiovascular disease.
• Experience of caring for people with a diagnosis of one or more of the above medical conditions.
What will PPI Contributors do? 
PPI contributors will have the chance to get involved in one or more projects, depending on their interests. For specific projects, activities will vary, but we anticipate the PPI panel will help write funding applications, review data,  review recruitment materials and inform dissemination of our results. Frequency of meetings will vary depending on projects, and we will confirm frequency of meetings with the panel.

Opportunity for:

Person living with condition / Member of the public / Parent or carer / Social care experienced person / Service user

Involvement Opportunity Details

Time

Time commitment:

Online meetings will be the primary form of contact and we anticipate these will last no longer than 1.5 hours. However, 1 -2 in person meetings will be held per year in Dublin. In-person meetings will last no more than 4 hours. 

Contact between meetings:

Outside of in-person meetings, we will reach out to PPI contributors with invitations to contribute to our work. This may involve online group meetings, one-to-one discussions or communicating via email/phone.

Length of involvement:

4 years (There is no expectation for contributors to commit to the 4 years)

Start date for involvement:

01/05/2025

Logistics  

Where?

Online / In Person

If online, explain how:

Online meetings will be the primary form of contact and will be conducted via Microsoft Teams. When scheduling meetings, we will circulate a list of potential dates. We will choose the date that suits the majority. Any required pre-reading will be emailed or posted at least 1 week prior to the meeting.

If in person, explain where:

RCSI, Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2.

Other ways of communicating:

Phone Calls / Posting letters and supporting documentation

Funding available for:

PPI contributor’s time / Travel and other expenses

If no funding available, explain why:

Not applicable

Other Information

Stage of the research study/ programme:

More than one research study

Is this opportunity for PPI in a PhD:

No

Closing date to contact researchers:

15/04/2025

Research Team

Contact person:

Jennifer Pallin

University/organisation:

RCSI

Contact email:

jenniferpallin@rcsi.ie

Researcher background:

We are a multi-disciplinary team with backgrounds in epidemiology, public health, health economics, podiatry, nutrition.

Research funder:

Research Ireland

Photo:

Interested in this PPI Opportunity?

Please complete this form and click SUBMIT

Our PPI Opportunities noticeboard aims to connect members of the public and patients with researchers who are looking for PPI contributor partners. The PPI Ignite Network do not receive a notification that you are contacting this research team.(Required)
This field is hidden when viewing the form
Scroll to Top