News

Members of Nottingham’s Gambian community had a chance to take part in the NIHR Improving Black Health Outcomes (IBHO) BioResource programme in July, when the community research team at Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) attended their annual family fun day.

The community event was held at Melbourne Park, Nottingham, and brought together members of Nottingham's Gambian community for a day of celebration, sport, food and community connection.

Alongside the festivities, attendees had the opportunity to learn more about the IBHO BioResource and ask questions about health research, including how their participation can improve understanding of health conditions affecting Black African and Caribbean communities.

To make research more accessible, the Community Research Team, led by Kebba Konteh, Senior Clinical Research Officer within the Community Research Team at NUH, brought its mobile research unit directly to the event. Staffed by trained research professionals and equipped with onboard facilities, the unit enabled 10 people to provide consent and a saliva sample to join the IBHO BioResource on the day, a fantastic effort by all involved.

Bringing the research programme to the annual community event was a great example of moving research from the hospital to the community, a key theme in the NIHR delivering on its role in the NHS 10 Year Health Plan for England.

Kebba Konteh said:

“It is important we develop this dedicated research resource that can enable vital research studies that help us better understand the health experiences of people from Black communities. Up until now, this is a group that has been underrepresented in research.”