Become Community Researcher

Are you from a Black or Pakistani background and have been affected by blood cancer?

We need your help to make trials and research more accessible for your community.

Details of the Community Researcher role:

• Reports to: The Social Innovation Partnership (TSIP)
• Remuneration: £98.63 per day (London Living Wage of £13.15 per hour; plus expenses)
• Duration: 29 July 2024 - 30 April 2025, with the possibility of extension
• Commitment: Approximately 20 hours per month, with the possibility of extension
• Location: London
• Application deadline: 20 July 2024. Interviews will happen on a rolling basis.

• Attend Community Researcher virtual training sessions
• Engage with people who have been affected by blood cancer living in your local community
• Co-create a safe space for those involved in the project
• Co-develop workshop and listening session content with TSIP
• Co-design workshop materials
• Attend and co-facilitate at in-person and digital workshops
• Attend virtual meetings with the wider team to discuss findings.

Essential

• From a Black or Pakistani background
• A connection to cancer or blood cancer - this can be through family, friends or your own experience
• Live or be working in London and be able to work in the UK
• Over the age of 18
• A trusted member of the community who has links and is connected with local groups
• Someone who is able to create safe space for people to speak and share views.

Desired

• Passionate about health inequality, cancer or blood cancer
• Direct lived experience of blood cancer
• Knowledge of a community language

You do not need to have a background in research to apply. For further information about the requirements for the role, please read the role description.

If you require support with your application or have questions, please email Veronica: [email protected].

Background

Evidence shows that people from minority ethnic groups are less likely to take part in medical studies and tests, including those for treating blood cancer. This is partly due to people from these minority ethnic groups not knowing about opportunities to join clinical trials, as well as a lack of culturally relevant support and information from healthcare professionals.

The underrepresentation of ethnic minority groups means that it's more difficult to understand how treatments might affect these groups of people differently.

Aim

We'll conduct workshops with members of the Black and Pakistani communities, healthcare professionals and researchers to better understand what stops people from these communities from joining clinical trials. We're focusing on these ethnic groups because some types of blood cancer are more common in these communities.

We'll use the findings from these workshops to co-design tools with the community to test and learn. Throughout the project, we'll be leaning on our Steering Group of professionals and community members to ensure the products developed are useable across the UK and adaptable for all minority ethnic groups.

This project was made possible by the generous funding from Bristol Myers Squibb.

To help deliver this project we've partnered with The Social Innovation Partnership (TSIP). They work to ensure that people and organisations have the knowledge, access and power they need to drive positive change in the places they choose and on the issues that affect them. Their way of working is rooted in a unique service design and co-production approach, which combines elements of human-centred design done with and by communities, systems thinking and continuous learning.

See their Theory of Change for more insight on their approach to reimagining a fair society.