Ethics in Public Involvement

Dr Simon Kolstoe is leading a seminar on ethics in public involvement at the University Learning Centre on Friday 11 September, from 1.00pm to 2.00pm. It's the third session in the INSPIRE Portsmouth series, which looks at how researchers engage with people and communities in their work. The series is run in collaboration with the NIHR-funded Portsmouth Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC) and Portsmouth City Council, as part of the city's MRC funding scheme.

Kolstoe is an Associate Professor in Bioethics who specialises in research ethics and integrity, with a particular focus on human participant medical and defence research. He also works with the UK's Health Research Authority, where he chairs a Research Ethics Committee and sits on its Community Committee. The session draws a distinction between undertaking public involvement activities and conducting research, so it's as much about the practical boundaries as the ethical ones.

It's open to researchers at all career stages, public involvement leads, and members of the public, so you don't need a background in research to get something out of it. If you're involved in community work or just interested in how research is done properly, it's worth a look. The seminar is free, and you can join either in person at the University Learning Centre (ULC), Room 1.24, University of Portsmouth, Portsea Island, Portsmouth, PO1 2DH, or online if you can't make it into the city.