Dr Katharine Owen from OCDEM is one of only seven researchers to be chosen as one of the 2019-20 cohort of Public Engagement with Research (PER) leaders at the University of Oxford.
The PER Leadership scheme is for academics to take on a leadership role in a culture change project for their departments and faculties to enhance support for PER. The scheme is targeted at those who have a strong interest in PER, who want the opportunity to demonstrate their leadership skills within an academic environment and to explore new ways of working through facilitating change.
The seven winners will each receive £5,000 to initiate PER-focused initiatives within their departments, and will participate in training from a variety of internal and external PER and leadership professionals throughout the coming year.
Dr Katharine Owen is a consultant endocrinologist and academic working in OCDEM (with an interest in rare monogenic forms of diabetes and young adult diabetes. She has organised events to showcase the research done at OCDEM and RDM, as well as to mark World Diabetes Day (pictured are schoolchildren recreating the 'blue ring' symbol for World Diabetes day around the Radcliffe Infirmary Fountain, the 2018 event Dr Owen organised).
She is chair of a local patient research panel – a group of interested lay members and patients who help comment on the priorities and design of our clinical research with the Biomedical Research Centre diabetes theme. She also works in the Thames Valley Clinical Research Network as a public engagement champion, encouraging patients to be involved in assisting research teams with study recruitment and dissemination of research findings.
Many congratulations to Dr Owen!
Read more about the awards.