The Academy of Medical Sciences: An interview with Simon Denegri OBE

The Academy of Medical Sciences is the UK’s independent body representing medical science in all its facets. It works to ensure health research is utilised to benefit every section of British society, while ensuring that a wider cross-section of the population have a say in health policy and research. Research Features were privileged to catch up with Simon Denegri OBE, Executive Director of the Academy. We spoke about the vital importance of the medical sciences and public healthcare, and about how healthcare might benefit from a closer relationship with the arts.

The Academy defines its important task with reference to four key objectives. It seeks to promote excellence by working with the UK’s best biomedical researchers; it seeks to develop new researchers through numerous mentoring and training programmes; it seeks to influence research and policy, often working with Government in an advisory capacity; and it works to engage patients and the wider public in the broader conversation about health and medical science. We learnt more about the Academy’s work from Simon Denegri. A passionate advocate for involvement and participation in research, Simon is uniquely equipped to speak about medical science and public engagement.

Could you tell us a little about your professional background, and how this led to your work with the Academy of Medical Sciences?

I have a professional background in communications. However, although this has been a very important grounding for me, it does not really explain how I came to be at the Academy. My career is better explained by my passion for the right of people to be involved in decisions about their health care and research. From being part of campaigns in the 1990s to enshrine the rights of disabled people and carers in legislation, to my time as Chair of INVOLVE and the NIHR National Director for Patients, ensuring patients, carers and the public are involved in designing and delivering health research. I would say this focus has really been the constant in my career. And what better place to forge even stronger relationships between people and biomedical and health research than at the Academy, which is uniquely placed to build this relationship across all the medical sciences? When people ask me now for careers advice I say, ‘don’t have a plan, have a passion’ and see where it takes you. My good fortune is that my passion has also rewarded me with lifelong friendships and amazing experiences along the way.

Your interests transcend the medical sciences, and you have spoken of the importance of the arts in healthcare settings. Could you tell us about your interest in the intersection of art and healthcare?

One of my most treasured possessions at home is a picture drawn by a person with dementia who was taking part in an art programme run by the Alzheimer’s Association in Cincinnati in the USA where I lived for a while. The picture is called ‘A Summer Sail’ and shows a yacht on the sea. It is like a shaft of light through the darkness of his dementia and tells us so much about his life and loves. The opportunity to express and reach a greater understanding of what is happening to you, as well as share this experience with others to help them also understand what you are going through, is something I think we should all be able to expect when ill or caring for a loved-one. Art, music, writing are powerful mediums through which it can happen, if only we would allow it. My first love will always be poetry because of its immense power to connect with people. It’s great that we see so much more of the arts in healthcare settings, but it needs to be more than just decorative. An enlightened health care system would be one that sees this as being important to people’s care needs and provides the resource to enable it to happen.

Your past roles have been focused on public engagement with scientific research. How important has this sort of engagement been to you?

A lot of my public engagement activity has been tied-up with campaigns to strengthen and improve science so that it has the best chance of benefitting society. First and foremost, by giving people a voice in what questions science should be addressing and how this should be done. Second, by giving people opportunities to take part in science whether through citizen science projects or taking part in clinical trials. And, finally, by persuading Government to increase funding for science and enable scientists to explore new avenues in research.

“What better place to forge even stronger relationships between people and biomedical and health research than at the Academy?”

The relationship between science and society is going to be decisive to us successfully addressing issues such as climate change and we have already seen the good that can emerge when scientists and citizens are allies working in pursuit of a common purpose during the COVID-19 pandemic. But this can only happen with more investment in public engagement and involvement, greater collaboration between organisations, and the involvement of citizens as full and equal partners in making good science happen. Crucially, science must also be actively seeking to involve and work with all communities across society if it is to be most effective. We have a richly diverse population that deserves so much better from medicine and science than they receive at the moment.

How has the pandemic affected the work of the Academy of Medical Sciences?

The pandemic has been a defining moment for the Academy. Many of our Fellows and Early Career Researchers have been at the forefront of giving expert comment in the media and ensuring public debate is based on sound evidence supported by our excellent communications team. At the invitation of the Government Chief Scientific Adviser, we have recently published an independent assessment with recommendations for how Government and health care agencies should prepare for the coming winter. Through our online COVID Support Space we have provided practical and emotional help and support to our large community of Early Career Researchers whose research and careers have been disrupted. We have also adapted well to new ways of working and are making the most of online events to reach a wider audience – our International Health Lecture last year reached over 400 people across 66 countries.

I am also pleased to say that public involvement and dialogue has been fundamental to our COVID work thanks to the excellent collaborations that exist within teams at the Academy, particularly between our comms, engagement and policy colleagues. This, coupled with the unique position the Academy holds as a trusted advisor, mean we can facilitate conversations that feed public and patient views into policy making. From our very first project looking at mental health research priorities, right up to the present day, we have sought to innovate in the way patient, carer and public voices have been involved. The Planet DIVOC-91 online comic series – produced with colleagues from Vocal and Wowbagger Productions – empowering young adults to make sense of the challenges from the pandemic is just one example of this.

In sum, I am very proud of the way that we have risen to the challenge given that we are a relatively young organisation – we are only 22 years old. But we are also acutely aware of the need to learn the lessons from this period. It has not all been plain sailing by any measure.

Mentoring and training programmes are integral to the work of the Academy. What are some of the opportunities on offer to researchers at various stages of their careers?

As an Academy we award over £10 million in grants each year with the aim of supporting researchers on their career path to independence. We have now reached our 1200th mentoring pair of postdoctoral researchers – a significant milestone. But even with such long-standing schemes as this, we are constantly looking to innovate, and I am pleased to say we have just done a successful pilot of online mentoring which I think is going to be a great option going forward. Other schemes to mention include:
• INSPIRE – a programme to encourage medical, dental and veterinary students to consider a research career.
• SUSTAIN – helping women researchers thrive in their independent research careers.
• FLIER – a new programme for Future Leaders in Innovation, Enterprise and Research.

This article is timely because we have also launched a new AMS HIVE network with the help of the Deputy Chief Medical Officer and Academy Fellow, Professor Jonathan Van Tam. HIVE (Hub of Innovation, Vision & Engagement) will offer all our previous Academy grant awardees and programme participants longer-term career support and networking but it is an important strategic step into the future for us in showing a desire to remain connected to colleagues throughout their career trajectory and not just at the time they are participating in one of our schemes.

If readers would like to receive our bi-monthly newsletter, which advertises upcoming events, funding calls and other opportunities for early career researchers they can email [email protected]

“The relationship between science and society is going to be decisive to us successfully addressing issues such as climate change.”

What are some of the areas of policy the Academy focuses on, both in the UK and globally?

One of the Academy’s greatest strengths is our ability to convene the best medical scientists alongside other partners including patients, carers and the public to address the greatest challenges facing society. Our policy work has been integral to advancing debates on issues such as use of data for research, regulation, public health, and the use of scientific evidence. We have recently published our report on climate change and health, titled ‘A healthy future: tackling climate change mitigation and human health together’, with the Royal Society. We also convene the AMS FORUM which brings together partners from across the NHS, industry, academia, and charities to focus on key issues of concern to the community in a series of events each year. More details on the FORUM including how to join can be found here.

Internationally, we continue to be at the forefront of the work being done across the science sector to ensure continuity in UK collaborations with European partners following Brexit, working very closely with colleagues at the Federation of European Academies of Medicine (FEAM). We also continue to hold online Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) workshops for colleagues globally on issues such as pandemic preparedness and urban health. A full list of all our policy activities can be found here: acmedsci.ac.uk/policy/policy-projects

The Academy has launched a new project called #MedSciLife. What is the project, and why is it important?

Our #MedSciLife series is not so new anymore! But it easily one of the most popular and rewarding things we have done and integral to our work to celebrate diversity in the medical sciences. At its heart it is a campaign we developed to share the life experience of those working in biomedical and health research and provide advice and tips to the next generation of scientists. We ask those featured to reflect on their personal journey, including their passions and achievements outside work which have influenced their careers. We believe that time outside of work has the potential to nourish creativity, build resilience and give fresh perspectives on existing problems, precisely the skills that result in the best quality research. But it’s also about sharing the challenges as much as the successes that happen in careers, recognising that we learn as much if not more from reflecting on the former. As Dr Mehrdad Alizadeh Mizani, UCL Research Fellow in Health Data Science says in our latest #MedSciLife piece:
We need to learn how to just sit and do nothing for a couple of minutes. No talking, no scrolling, no inbox checking, no planning. I think we can meditate and be mindful wherever we are.

How can our readers get involved with the Academy of Medical Sciences?

In the first instance please visit our website (www.acmedsci.ac.uk) and follow us on twitter @acmedsci for regular updates, and of course readers can email me at [email protected]

Contact

E: [email protected]

W:  www.acmedsci.ac.uk/

The Academy of Medical Sciences: An interview with Simon Denegri OBE