In this blog, Louise Ting and Charlotte Archer share their reflections on working together as a public co-applicant and principal investigator on a research study looking at the benefits and challenges of remote consulting for anxiety and depression in primary care. A public co-applicant is an individual with lived experience of the condition being researched who is involved in the development of a research funding application. If the research is funded, they also have some responsibility as part of the team for the management and/or delivery of the study.

The study that Louise and Charlotte delivered together involved interviewing 21 patients and 20 practitioners (GPs, nurses, pharmacists) from GP practices in Bristol and the surrounding area. The aim was to understand when alternative platforms for consultations, such as telephone calls, are acceptable, effective and preferable to in-person appointments for people seeking support with anxiety and depression. You can read about … Read more

by Dr Alice Harper, ST3 Academic Clinical Fellow in General Practice, Centre for Academic Primary Care, University of Bristol.

Engagement with individuals who hold a direct interest in your findings is an important aspect of research. This process has been known as ‘stakeholder’ engagement but academics have recently critiqued the use of this language and encouraged more inclusive alternative terms. I have chosen to use the term ‘interest holder’ here.

I was recently involved in organising a local engagement event for the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) funded Supporting People to live wELL with multiple long-term health conditions (SPELL) study. I invited members of the public with lived experience, representatives from local and national health and care charities, healthcare professionals working in local general practices, and representatives from the local integrated care board, to spend the afternoon with the SPELL study research … Read more

By Dr Mavin Kashyap, Academic Clinical Fellow, Centre for Academic Primary Care, University of Bristol

Attending conferences and professional meetings can feel both exciting and overwhelming—especially in the early stages of an academic career. As an early career researcher, I’ve come to see these events as unique opportunities for professional growth, connection, and inspiration. Having attended three conferences and a meeting in the space of three weeks, I’ve learnt some lessons that I’d like to share in the hope that it helps others make their conference attendances purposeful.

Interdisciplinary conferences

Firstly, I attended the South West Public Health Scientific Conference as part of my Public Health Scholarship with North Somerset Council Public Health team. Here I could focus on soaking up the atmosphere and appreciating the varied insights across public health practice from vastly different professional backgrounds.

It was encouraging to see senior leaders in attendance … Read more

by Kerstin Nothnagel, Postgraduate researcher and PhD student, Centre for Academic Primary Care, University of Bristol

I’m a doctoral researcher in the second year of my PhD at the Centre for Academic Primary Care, University of Bristol, focusing on something that feels very timely—and occasionally, just a bit sci-fi: how artificial intelligence can change the way we diagnose and treat illness.

My research lives in the real-world space of primary care, where many diagnostic gaps still exist. One of the things I’m investigating is whether AI-guided ultrasound can support GPs and nurses in diagnosing deep vein thrombosis (DVT) right at the clinic—or even in patients’ homes—without requiring specialist ultrasound skills.

With step-by-step AI guidance and image uploads to a cloud dashboard for remote specialist input, we could speed up diagnosis, reduce complications like pulmonary embolism, and skip the often long and stressful wait for hospital-based imaging.

Sounds promising, … Read more