Meet three new members of Our Future Health’s Public Advisory Board
When building something as large and far-reaching as Our Future Health, it’s crucial to involve the views of the public at every step of the way.
That’s why we have a Public Advisory Board – a diverse panel of people from different walks of life who meet regularly throughout the year. At those meetings, we ask for members’ advice about things we’re working on, such as new projects, ethical questions, or pieces of content. It’s one way that we make sure Our Future Health is designed with and for the public, with participants’ interests in mind.
“Those who take part in Our Future Health should feel confident that their best interests are at the core of what the programme does,” says Andy Bailey, a civil engineer from Nottinghamshire who has chaired the Public Advisory Board since 2022. “That’s why it’s critical that the voice of the public is heard.
“I’m honoured to chair the Public Advisory Board, which is continually working hard alongside Our Future Health to ensure all relevant matters receive input from a broad demographic of laypeople.”
The Board recently gained three new members: Hina Nazir, Sarah Amoss, and Rob Eadon. And they’re ready to get stuck in.
‘We all have something unique to give’
33-year-old Hina Nazir is a mother, foster carer, and ‘stop smoking’ coach from Greater Manchester.
“I lost my dad to a heart attack when I was 11,” says Hina. “He was a heavy smoker, which is why I’m a ‘stop smoking’ coach now. That’s also why I became an Our Future Health volunteer.
“After volunteering, I was asked to participate in some workshops back in February.”
The workshops were part of two ‘deliberative dialogues’ that took place earlier this year, in which members of the public and Our Future Health volunteers were asked to share their opinions on our plans to offer health-related feedback to volunteers; and to recontact them to share information about other research studies they could take part in.
After taking part in the feedback deliberative dialogue, Hina was invited to join the Public Advisory Board. “I was more than happy to, because health really is wealth,” she says. “Health is so important – I lost a parent to poor health. As a member of the South Asian community, if I can contribute my perspective and that makes even a percentage of positive change, then why not.”
Hina adds that considering diverse viewpoints helps to prevent tunnel vision. “We all have something unique to give related to our lived experience. So, let’s be a part of the conversation wherever we can.”
‘Trust is a major factor when it comes to health research’
Retired NHS psychotherapist Sarah Amoss lives in London. Like Hina, she took part in the deliberative dialogue workshops on feedback after becoming an Our Future Health volunteer.
“I thoroughly enjoyed the workshops,” says Sarah. “There’s something amazing about having conversations with people from all different walks of life, about something in which we have a shared interest as human beings – health.
“The dialogues around how feedback and recontact might happen showed me how talking to people with a variety of experiences could improve my own thinking. And the more you talk, the more complicated it often gets – which is great. I loved it.”
Following the sessions, Sarah was delighted to be asked to join our Public Advisory Board.
“Having the Board is important because trust is a major factor when it comes to recruitment into health research,” she says. “Any organisation can become unconsciously biased towards the company mission after an amount of time, so outsiders are always needed to help highlight when they might be losing sight of the public interest.”
‘I want young people’s voices to be heard’
Rob Eadon is an acoustic consultant living in Birmingham. He joined Our Future Health as a volunteer, before also attending our recontact deliberative dialogue workshops in February.
As with Hina and Sarah, following these workshops, Rob was invited to join our Public Advisory Board. At 28, he’s one of its youngest members.
“It feels important to make sure my age-group is represented and put my thoughts forward on behalf of younger demographics”, says Rob.
“I’m not always the most forthcoming person when it comes to putting my hand up and expressing an opinion, or the loudest person in the room by any means. But the environment of the Public Advisory Board is really welcoming and comfortable. Everyone gets their moment to speak without fear of judgement, so it makes it easy to offer an opinion on the topics that come up for discussion.
“Organisations like Our Future Health must have a Public Advisory Board because it shows a level of responsibility and awareness, and a desire to manage internal biases that could emerge without public input.”
As an Our Future Health volunteer, Rob says it’s reassuring to know that there’s a dedicated group keeping the public interest at the heart of the programme.
“I’d like to thank the rest of the Board for being so welcoming. It’s been amazing meeting everyone, and I can’t wait to get more involved going forwards.”
Let’s prevent disease together
By volunteering for Our Future Health, you can help health researchers discover new ways to prevent, detect and treat common conditions such as diabetes, cancer, heart disease, stroke and Alzheimer’s.