Last March, CCS-UPF PhD candidate Aina Amat completed her first research stay. Within the framework of the European doctoral network Mac4Me, international placements are key elements in the training of future researchers. On this occasion, Aina moved to University College Dublin (UCD), Ireland, to work with Patient Voice in Cancer Research (PVCR), an initiative based at the UCD Conway Institute, a biomedical research centre.

The goal of PVCR is to actively involve patients, researchers, and other stakeholders in conversations and processes that have a real impact on cancer research and the patients themselves. PVCR, which is also part of the Mac4Me network, stands out as one of the consortium's leading pioneers and trainers in Patient and Public Involvement (PPI).

For a full month, Aina worked closely with Amanda McCann, Elaine Quinn, and Anna Wedderburn. Amanda, Professor and Principal Investigator at the institute—specialising in chemotherapy resistance mechanisms in triple-negative breast cancer—was one of the founders of PVCR. Elaine is the institute's head of communication and education, and Anna is the coordinator for the entire public engagement area. All three are active members and leading figures in PVCR and PPI.

Research with perspective

In her PhD thesis, Aina studies the public perception of metastatic breast cancer (MBC); specifically, what society knows about this disease and the research dedicated to it. After conducting several sessions with MBC patients in Barcelona, the stay in Dublin allowed her to apply the same PPI methodology with Irish patients. The goal is to identify potential differences and common ground between the two countries.

Furthermore, this collaborative work served to refine the central methodological tool of her project: a population survey. Thanks to direct review sessions with patients, the survey now incorporates a much more accurate perspective, including topics and nuances that might otherwise have gone unnoticed.

Beyond the thesis

In addition to her doctoral research, Aina collaborated on other PVCR initiatives, such as "Threads of Discovery" (a spin-off of the "Cut from the same cloth" project). This initiative seeks to bring the participation model (PPI) beyond the field of cancer, involving often marginalised communities in biomedical research and building relationships of trust between science and the public.

In Aina’s words:

“This secondment was an opportunity to put a human face to the research I do, to understand the impact it can have, and to learn new ways of approaching research and science communication.”