Health innovation and research in focus at successful community event

Over 150 people visited a highly successful health and research engagement event in Camden which engaged the local community in healthcare innovation, research, and how to stay healthy.

The family-friendly event from UCLH and the Camden Chinese Community Centre (CCCC) featured interactive stalls about health and research, talks and Q&A sessions, and games and activities for children.

UCLH and CCCC developed the event together, with stalls, talks and activities organised around themes which the local Chinese community wanted to hear about. All were welcome to attend the free event, which was busy throughout.

The event was hosted at the CCCC – making it as accessible as possible for the local community.

At the wide-ranging event, attendees were able to:

• Have health measurements done such as their blood pressure, BMI and glucose levels
• Build a DNA model to discover how DNA can help us find better treatments
• Learn about advances in rheumatoid arthritis treatments and diagnosis
• Find out how the mouth affects diabetes and your heart
• Get help to stop smoking and try a loneliness assessment
• Learn about fertility and preparing for pregnancy and the menopause
• Play games which shed light on how drugs are developed
• Look at cancer cells under the microscope and learn about new cancer treatments.

Visitors were also able to attend talks about:

• The impact of a Western diet on people from ethnic minorities
• The link between diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease
• How DNA affects diseases
• How physical activity and exercise benefit health and can aid pain management
• Why muscle strength is important for health and how to maintain it.

Translators provided by CCCC were on hand throughout the event to assist visitors who needed them. Health information materials for the event were also translated into Traditional Chinese.

The event lead at UCLH was Head of Patient and Public Involvement and Communications in the UCLH Research Directorate, Dr Ros Yu, who said: “It has been a delight to work with the Camden Chinese Community Centre on this event and to be able to engage the local community in health and research in ways that are meaningful to them.

"I’d like to thank everyone at CCCC for working with us to put this day together and for everyone who came along.”

Rodney Tan, Interim Community Development Director at the Camden Chinese Community Centre, said: “It was a pleasure working on this event which was a huge success. The event allowed our members to engage with health care experts and researchers in a way they would not normally have access to and this has really been beneficial to them in addressing underlying issues about well-being, fitness, preventive health care and lifestyle which are often a cause of their anxieties.

"We are very pleased that together we were able to respond to their needs through this joint event.”