Join a steering group: Help shape Dr Patrick Kierkegaard’s project

Patrick is inviting additional individuals to join his steering group to get the voice of lived experience in every aspect of his project.

The project

A key part of pancreatic cancer research is to diagnose earlier, we want to develop new and easy tests that can be used in your GP surgery to find cancer markers in breath, blood or urine. But how ready are GP surgeries for these new tests once they are developed? Dr Patrick Kierkegaard and his team at Imperial College London is undertaking a project funded by Pancreatic Cancer UK to create a step-by-step “toolkit” to find out. They want to know how ready GP surgeries are and to identify important areas that will help them prepare to use the tests once they are developed.

This novel study collaborates with researchers from Imperial College London, University of Oxford, Queen Mary University of London, and University College London. The project will talk to healthcare professionals, patients, carers, and key decision makers to find out what support and advice is needed so that doctors’ surgeries can prepare and plan to use the new tests. They will then hold focus groups with patients, carers, healthcare professionals, and key decision makers will discuss the results from the first part of the study and co-design the toolkit. They will make sure that their toolkit will have a real impact in primary care.

Patrick is looking for additional members for his steering group which will be involved in every aspect of the project. This group will meet every other month for workshops lasting approximately 2 hours where you will input on the project progress, suggest recommendations, help plan public engagement strategies and give comments on documentation to maximise the impact of the study. Meetings will be virtual or in-person in London if preferred and participants will be reimbursed for their costs and their time.

Next steps

Steering committees or groups consist of researchers and people with lived experience working together on the project to make key decisions about the direction of the project or to ask opinions and give helpful advice from your personal perspective.

No scientific background or prior experience is needed to take part in this opportunity.

If you are interested in getting involved, please contact Patrick (p.kierkegaard@imperial.ac.uk) or if you would like to know more information about steering groups or the project please contact the Research Team (research@pancreaticcancer.org.uk).