Director of People champions inclusive research by taking part in IBHO

Our Director of People and Site Sponsor for the REACH Network, Onai Muchemwa, visited the NIHR St George’s Clinical Research Facility (CRF) today to learn more about our research and take part in the Improving Black Health Outcomes (IBHO) BioResource during Sickle Cell Awareness Month.

During her visit, Onai met our Research Matrons and members of the wider clinical research team, hearing more about the studies delivered through the CRF and our commitment to making research more inclusive and representative of the communities we serve.

Inclusive research is an important priority for the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), which part-funds our CRF. Ensuring that people from different backgrounds have opportunities to hear about, shape and take part in research is essential if research findings are to benefit everyone.

Onai put this message into action by volunteering for the IBHO BioResource. After learning more about the study, she completed the consent process and chose the saliva sample option to take part.
IBHO aims to increase the participation of Black communities in health research and create a resource that can support future studies into health conditions that disproportionately affect Black people. Raising awareness of opportunities such as IBHO is an important part of helping build greater trust, representation and participation in research.

Wearing her REACH Network Sponsor hat, Onai was particularly keen to explore how the Network could help us reach more colleagues and communities. Following her visit, she invited the CRF team to showcase IBHO at the REACH Network’s upcoming Black History Month event.
Onai also pledged to help spread the word about IBHO and encourage more people to find out about the different ways they can become involved in research.

The visit demonstrates how colleagues across St George’s can play a part in making research more inclusive – whether by participating in a study themselves, sharing opportunities with others or helping us reach communities that have historically been underrepresented in research.

A huge thank you to Onai for taking the time to visit our CRF, meet our research teams and, most importantly, lead by example by taking part.