Our young scientist days are an integral part of the ongoing patient and family involvement in our paediatric gastroenterology team.
Our young scientist day, now in its third year, gives our young people and their families the chance to go behind the scenes of research at CUH and discover a love of science by getting hands-on with a range of fun and interactive activities.
Our researchers are always delighted to have the opportunity to meet with our young patients and their families, and the clinical team relish the chance to chat outside of the clinic setting.
As well as providing hands-on experience of lab techniques, families have a tour of a working research lab, there is time for young patients to play together, discussion groups for families and a picnic lunch!
The day is a perfect forum for clinical teams to listen to patient and family priorities, guiding our direction when it comes to service improvement, as well as discussing potential new research directions. In addition, young patients and families really benefit from getting to know others who truly understand what they are going through.
By bringing our patients and families together with the clinical and research team away from the usual constraints of the medical setting, our young scientist days allow everyone to share their unique perspectives and lived experiences which can improve the quality of our service and research, and lead to more meaningful outcomes.
Feedback
“The team put in a lot of effort to make an interesting and meaningful patient day, both for the children and the parents. It was very important for me to have the opportunity to meet other parents who experience the same difficulties as I do, and it was so to see how quickly the children got along together and felt comfortable with each other. Both me and Assaf are looking forward to the next patient day.” - Assaf's mum
“The patient day was fun, I liked meeting other people and I liked the fun games there. I mostly enjoyed that one game when I saw my own cells and I liked one with colours. I felt formal when I wore a scientist lab coat. The other children were really nice too and it was fun!” - Assaf
“The Patient day was a wonderful experience! I can honestly say it was a highlight of my time in the team. I loved meeting and chatting with everyone who attended (they are, after all, the reason we do what we do) and seeing how much fun they also had. I hope that there will be many more!” - Fliss, Bioinformatician
Want to get involved...?
We are always looking for ideas and support to help make our young scientist days the best they can possibly be. If you would like to get involved, let us know!
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