Start by listening: the key to impactful healthcare research
#CelebratingEngagement
with Anna Lawrence-Jones
Start by listening: the key to impactful healthcare research
#CelebratingEngagement
with Anna Lawrence-Jones
“It’s about supporting people to ensure that they feel heard and listened to, which they always should have been, but historically haven’t.”
Anna received the Leadership Award in the 2025 President’s Awards for Excellence in Societal Engagement for her commitment to meaningful public involvement in research.
The incredible projects Anna has delivered as Public Involvement Lead at the Institute of Global Health Innovation is testament to her natural ability to foster relationships with patients, carers and community members from diverse backgrounds.
“Some of the most insightful things I’ve learned, and the most enjoyable parts of my career, have come from conversations with patients and members of the public.”
Anna explains that engagement should focus on building and maintaining long-term relationships, and she shares a professional example that has had a lasting impact. “During the Hearing Birdsong project, I formed a strong friendship with an inspirational woman called Jean. Jean is in her 80s and has hearing loss. She taught me how to make our events more accessible and what we can all do to communicate better with each other. Seven years since the project began, Jean and I are still in touch and have been to each other’s homes and met each other’s children!” smiles Anna.
Partnership from start to finish
Hearing Birdsong brought together designers, researchers, engineers, people with hearing loss and audiologists to co-produce an installation of bird boxes that played bird song. The bird boxes were designed to produce the same frequencies as a traditional hearing test, forming an installation that encouraged the public to listen and screen their hearing. “It's a really good example of bringing together art, science and public engagement into something that can make a difference” said Anna.
Anna has also collaborated with Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust on a study that looked at why patients, particularly those at higher risk of inequitable healthcare, do not attend hospital appointments. “I involved people from minoritised ethnic groups or living in deprived areas to co-produce interventions that supported these groups to attend hospital appointments.”
Designers and behavioural researchers led a trial to compare the interventions, and a poster was co-designed with the public to highlight the barriers people face in attending appointments. “This was shared with staff alongside tips to support people, which has raised awareness and led to further Trust-wide initiatives to address these barriers.”
Inclusion without exception
Amongst all her projects, there is a clear emphasis on inclusivity. Why is this important to Anna? “It feels funny to say [diversity and inclusion] is a passion. I think it should just be that everyone thinks it’s important."
“Historically, researchers have called certain groups ‘hard to reach’ when they are not, we were clearly just not engaging with them in the right way.”
“People from minoritised groups are most likely to experience health inequity. So, if we're not involving groups from diverse backgrounds then we're not going to be developing services or products that are meeting their needs.” To Anna, leading inclusive and diverse initiatives is a necessity in health research, and one that the scientific world and society benefits from.
She also highlights that engagement must be reciprocal and benefit everyone involved. “Make sure you're closing the loop and letting the community know what has changed – ‘you told us this, we did this’” said Anna. “You should not only capture how involving the public has impacted the research but also reflect with the researchers and community members on what they have gained and what could be improved.”
The pathway to leadership
Despite her expertise in the field, Anna has not always worked in public involvement. After completing a science degree, she discovered societal engagement during a graduate scheme at the Wellcome Trust, sparked by lunchtime visits to the Wellcome Collection. Her interest in public involvement grew at Cancer Research UK, where she saw firsthand that research proposals were stronger—and more successful in funding applications—when patients were involved. “That is when I realised - oh, this is valuable. I then decided I wanted to work in public involvement and engagement.”
Looking forward, Anna shared her excitement about returning to work from maternity leave and her plans to continue developing creative and innovative involvement practices with input from other sectors. She is particularly looking forward to working with the team to shape engagement at the new Fleming Centre, set to open by the canal next to St Mary’s Hospital by 2028.
She points us towards the Public Involvement Front Door, reminding us that “you don’t have to start from scratch.”
Anna’s parting piece of advice is simple and reassuring: “Don't be scared of involving the public. It's just about conversations.”
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