Biomedical scientist organises ‘The Patient’s Voice’ event

As part of National Pathology Week 2016, Senior Specialist Biomedical Scientist Michelle Martin and Dr Shubha Allard, a Transfusion Consultant at Bart’s Health, organised an event to engage with the public and promote biomedical science.

The ‘Patient’s Voice’ event took place at the Royal London Hospital. Patients met with pathologists and learned about their work in examining samples of sickle-cell anaemia.

One of the patients, Dr Yvette Hendricks, commented, “It’s not often I get to thank everyone behind the scenes…I’ve been a patient at the Royal London since I was five- so that’s a lot of people. It’s because of their use of science for medical advancements that I’m still here.”

Michelle added, “It was wonderful to take off our white coats and step out of the laboratory to meet some of the people who our teams help, and hear how we make a difference. We’re at the centre of care for people with sickle cell disease from the minute we confirm they have the disease, right through to treatment when processing their blood and that of blood donors before a transfusion.”

This activity was held as part of National Pathology Week, an annual week of activities dedicated to help the public better understand pathology and the role of pathologists in medicine. This event featured on the Barts Health NHS Trust website, on the East London Advertiser, and on the Royal College of Pathologists’ events page. 

Are you looking to get involved with the public? Perhaps you want to help educate students about the field of biomedical science. You can by joining the IBMS Public Engagement Group, where you will receive notification of exciting volunteer opportunities in your area. You can also find more information on the IBMS public engagement page.