Bangor researcher recognised for her creative research methods into chronic pain

Dr Mayara Silveira Bianchim, Patient and Public Lead for the National Centre for Population Health and Wellbeing Research (NCPHWR) and Research Officer at Bangor University, has been awarded the esteemed Thomas C Chalmers Award for her CHAMPION project working with children and young people and their experiences of communicating their chronic pain.  

The recognition comes in response to the innovative way people with lived experiences were involved in the study which included the use of cartoons and infographics to facilitate collaboration and conversation with children and their parents. 

Mayara said: “The team’s vision was to ensure the research remains relevant and produces meaningful outcomes that directly impact the lives of those affected by chronic pain. 

“Awards presented by the Cochrane Community are recognised as the highest standard in evidence-based health and social care research. This award is very meaningful to the team as it solidifies all the hard work from our patient and public members and the research team.” 

One of the people involved of the study,  Georgina Ferguson-Glover, who lives with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, said that being part of the project made her feel like she has made a meaningful contribution to research.

She said: “Being part of the CHAMPION project felt like something positive was coming from my condition and my experiences will help others like me in the future.” 

Georgina added: “People with chronic pain can often feel like we are not listened to but in this project everything we said was listened to, noted down and discussed which made me feel valued.” 

Dr Emma France, research lead from the University of Stirling added: “This work represents the future of research methods, demonstrating that patients and the public are active partners in the research process. Then the outcomes are not only scientifically robust but also deeply meaningful to the communities they aim to serve.” 

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