The PPI in Research Committee was established in 2020 with the goal of improving Public Patient Involvement (PPI) in research conducted through RCSI Medical Sciences and Healthcare University. The aim of the the Committee is to ensure that patient needs, expertise and preferences inform research at RCSI University across all research stages and types, including pre-clinical, translational and clinical research. Learning from the RCSI PPI in Research initiative will also inform the Irish National PPI Ignite Network, the Health Research Board as well as RCSI’s international healthcare research partners. The Committee has already developed a PPI Reimbursement Guidance document which has been approved of by RCSI Finance Office. The Committee has now been tasked to co-produce a PPI strategy for RCSI in collaboration with PPI stakeholders and progress on this will be reported to the Senior Management Team in RCSI University.The Committee meets on a monthly basis.
The PPI in Research Committee is an interdisciplinary, multi-stakeholder group comprising of 13 members. There are two public and/or patient involvement representatives, two research support staff, three clinician scientists, and five academic healthcare researchers. All of the public and/or patient representatives were appointed from the RCSI professional network of healthcare research contacts due to their significant experience of furthering PPI research in the medical and healthcare fields. The Committee members work to agreed terms of reference, serve for two years, and then membership is reviewed.