Nasra Gedi

My public involvement experience so far

I have now been involved in a few research projects since starting public involvement in 2020. My first project was about the COVID-19 vaccination and raising the community’s awareness especially the elderly and those less informed with language barriers or other socioeconomic barriers.

After this project, I joined MAVIS Study which was about exploring the uptake of maternal vaccinations including the vaccination for whooping cough. I am proud of participating in this group because we could see how our input was shaping and improving aspects of the study and we hope that it will have real life impact on healthcare professionals and patients who are pregnant so that more resources and work is put into supporting these patients.

Why public involvement is important

Being involved in research is important to me because I come from a community where people do not have access to the necessary information and support regarding vaccinations and other important health decisions, which is why we are under-represented in research. Having an opportunity to be involved in research is a great way to learn and share knowledge and be the voice of a community that is often unheard.

What I have enjoyed about being involved in research

The thing I enjoyed the most was learning about vaccinations, how they were created, and because of what I’d learnt through my involvement, having the necessary knowledge to encourage people in my community to consider vaccination. I also valued having the opportunity to ask questions to professionals who were able to answer these to the best of their ability.