Published: 20 October 2020
The NIHR has announced the establishment of a Race Equality Public Action Group (REPAG) focused on public partnership.
Hosted by the NIHR Centre for Engagement and Dissemination, the group aims to give people from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities a stronger voice in shaping priorities for research, the design and delivery of research, the recruitment of BAME volunteers into studies, and the mobilisation of evidence into practice.
The group is part of NIHR’s broader efforts to improve equality, diversity and inclusion in health and social care research. It reflects recognition, highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic, that BAME communities most affected by ill-health are also among the most under-represented voices influencing the research agenda.
The REPAG is an expert advisory group comprising public contributors, senior NIHR staff and members of the health and academic communities. It will be co-chaired by founding member Fay Scott, Senior Public Involvement Manager at the NIHR Centre for Engagement and Dissemination, and Royston John, International CEO of the National Coalition-Building Institute. It will begin meeting this month.
REPAG will:
- Help NIHR to strengthen its understanding of race inequality in health and social care research
- Advise on actions for NIHR to take to ensure that race equality is embedded in the interactions between the research community and patients, service users, carers and the public.
Royston John commented: “In 2020 NIHR is showing the way by its agenda to be more inclusive and I am proud to be part of that process.”