Celebrating the past, present and future of health research and innovations

Last weekend Sheffield Children’s, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR ) held the first ever Shaping the Future event, celebrating the past, present and future of health research in Sheffield and beyond!

We looked at how medical innovations and clinical research happens through hands-on activities, demonstrations, and exhibitions. There were mock clinical trials showing how researchers determine if a new treatment will be safe and effective, a look at how medical equipment works, a simulation of hearing loss and much more.

Our colleagues from the NIHR Children and Young People MedTech Co-operative team (NIHR CYP MedTech), who are a part of Sheffield Children’s, attended the event, running interactive and engaging activities to help children and young people understand the importance of research. There were opportunities to learn about the research work they are currently doing, as well as create inventions to help children with specific health conditions out of Lego.

Gemma Wheeler, Project Manager, NIHR CYP MedTech: “The NHS75 Shaping the Future event was a wonderful opportunity to meet so many fantastic families and learn more about what’s important to them in the future of healthcare. Having the chance to discuss the crucial role that children, young people and families play in research and innovation was brilliant, and a great way to build links between the hospitals and the communities we serve. We ran some fun making activities on our stall, using Lego to build new MedTech inventions, and we were blown away by the creativity and empathy shown by the children (and a few parents!) involved. We’re looking forward to lots more events like this, so we can shape the next 75 years of the NHS together.”

What a great day of learning, exploring, and celebrating all things research and innovation!

To find out more about what we’re doing at Sheffield Children’s, take a look at our website: www.sheffieldchildrens.nhs.uk/research/