The Inclusion Symposium, a collaborative learning event hosted by the UKRD inclusion working group, returned for the third time to challenge and inspire research professionals looking to improve research practices.
The day began with introductions from inclusion group leads Holly Lovell and Lynis Lewis, who reminded attendees why the symposium matters: “We all have a commitment to ensuring research is truly inclusive and for everybody.”
Professor Habib Naqvi, Director at the NHS Race and Health Observatory — a national leader in tackling health inequalities and advancing anti-racist approaches in health systems — opened with updates from the NHS RHO. These included a recent NIHR funding announcement to launch a project aimed at diversifying research, and a partnership with NICE focused on improving clinical guidelines so that studies are designed without bias and consider the needs of all participants from the outset.
Habib then turned to the importance of tackling the causes of the causes of racism, emphasising the need for demonstrable inclusion in leadership: “Without leaders setting the tone for teams, meaningful change cannot follow.” He explored how data, evidence and insight can help us better understand inequalities and encourage behaviour change.
Acknowledging that racism exists is a vital step, and more organisations are taking a stand against it. The seven principles of racism established by the NHS RHO have now been adopted by healthcare regulators, the DHSC and many NHS trusts. The talk underlined that while there’s much to be hopeful about, there’s always more to do — and it’s our collective responsibility to lead the way.
Delegates were then asked, in a workshop session, to consider the barriers facing individuals, teams and systems in shifting towards more inclusive mindsets and behaviours — and how to overcome them. There was a real buzz in the room as groups shared ideas for engaging staff and inspiring change, from using data to demonstrate the positive impact of inclusion, to facilitating uncomfortable conversations and answering the question “what’s in it for me?” for different groups.
After a break, Rageshri Dhairyawan, Consultant in Sexual Health and HIV Medicine and author of Unheard: The Medical Practice of Silencing, spoke powerfully about epistemic injustice. Recounting her own experience of not being listened to as a patient in pain, she described feelings of shock and vulnerability.
That experience led her to write a book exploring how and why patients are effectively silenced, and what healthcare professionals can do to change that. “Of course, we are the experts,” she said, “but patients know their bodies best — they bring the value of lived experience.”
Patient groups such as women and minority communities have too often been excluded from healthcare decision-making. In the workplace, this leads to a loss of diversity in thought and leadership and impacts health equity. In research, it produces imbalanced findings, a lack of relevance to some parts of the population, and can affect researchers themselves.
Rageshri made a strong case for more inclusive research: amplify patient voices, increase involvement, support patients’ individual needs, include diverse voices, and act on what we’re told. Her session resonated deeply with the audience as she encouraged professionals to “be curious and open.”
Abimbola Wilson then led a session on reverse mentoring — a scheme designed to strengthen inclusive leadership, research culture and decision-making by enabling senior leaders to learn from colleagues with diverse backgrounds, experiences, roles and perspectives.
By turning the traditional mentoring relationship on its head, colleagues gain confidence in their insights while leaders are invited to listen, fostering a team ethos that drives curiosity, innovation and growth. Abimbola’s call for expressions of interest filled all available slots by the end of the event — a clear sign of the scheme’s appeal.
The event closed with presentations on inclusive research projects from around the country: tackling barriers to diversifying the research workforce, delivering research governance training in Pakistan, supporting research inclusion across the UKCRF network, and the CRDC inclusion strategy for commercial clinical trials.
These case studies offered valuable insight into the challenges and benefits of inclusive research in practice, explored further when the four presenters joined for a panel discussion to close the event.
The Inclusion Symposium delivered a collection of sessions designed to challenge and inspire delegates — and it didn’t disappoint. We look forward to updates from the working group in the coming months.
The symposium was generously sponsored by the Noclor NHS Research Office and the UCLH R&D team.