04 | Biomedicine, Self and Society

The 2022-23 mpox outbreak was a critical moment for sexual and public health in the UK. It required developing responses that were rapid and engaged with a multitude of stakeholders, including community organisations, clinicians, and policy actors.

Our interdisciplinary team conducted rapid research to explore how the response had been articulated, its strengths and weaknesses, and develop guidance for future pandemic preparedness and outbreak response. In this poster we focus on two areas:

• The involvement of community organisations was key to tackling health inequalities but faced important barriers related to funding allocation and 'ways of working'. Furthermore, the was no clarity regarding the role of novel partners, such as social media influencers or dating apps. We suggest that communities should be strengthened as part of pandemic preparedness and the ethical implications of new partnerships with digital health actors.
• Collaborative networks involving a diversity of stakeholders were essential for effective communication and message development. 

However, these networks were often informal and based on personal relationships. We provide recommendations to develop 'infrastructures of collaboration' that can support future outbreak response. 

This project was funded by the ESRC [ES/ X010805/1] and led at the University of Edinburgh by the Centre for Biomedicine, Self and Society (Jaime Garcia-Iglesias and Martyn Pickersgill) with partners at UCL (IPPO), UKHSA, University of Bristol (NIHR HPRU) and University of Manchester.

Exhibitor: Jaime Garcia Inglesias

The SCOPE Project is a Scottish Government-funded project working to improve access to post-abortion contraception in Scotland. Through a collaborative co-design approach, we are developing adaptable service models that reflect the experiences and needs of both people who have accessed abortion and contraceptive services and care and those involved in providing it.

Our poster display will introduce attendees to the aims and structure of the project, outlining our three key stages: synthesising evidence, conducting co-design workshops, and developing and disseminating a new framework for service delivery - ScotPAC. As the project is still in the analysis phase, we will share some early, high-level insights from stakeholder engagement activities and outline the emerging themes coming from our work.

The display will highlight the importance of inclusive service design in shaping accessible and equitable contraceptive care. Visitors will also be invited to learn about ways to engage with the project in the future, including how they can participate in future events and contributing their perspectives.

We aim to develop conversations about the future of post-abortion contraceptive services in Scotland, and how evidence and collaboration can drive positive change and innovation in care.

Exhibitors: Jeni Harden and Nicola Boydell

Medicine without doctors is now a possible and plausible future for healthcare. Already encroached upon by commercial and scientific stakeholders, doctors’ roles in the UK have recently changed dramatically. New technologies, patient activism, and economic upheaval draw power traditionally held by doctors.

This is a new Wellcome Trust 6-year project reimaging the future of care, exploring whose voices are heard and whose knowledge is valued. Through four case-studies (abortion care, LGBQT+ health activism, autonomous systems, physician associates) the team will investigate whose authority, needs and values are emerging when the doctor’s is de-centred, and which are neglected and lost. Using engagement methods anchored in speculative tools of play, we combine perspectives from history, law, ethics, sociology, and Science Technology Studies (STS).

Join us at our poster display to learn more about our plans for this exciting project and explore with our team what a future without doctors could be.

Exhibitors: Ingrid Young & Nayha Sethi

In this collaborative project with sixth form students from Castlebrae Community High School and George Watson’s College, Dr Sophie Atherton and Dr Jaime Garcia developed a bespoke plan: a series of workshops where students were introduced to key facts about HIV transmission and stigma, and were supported in developing their own posters tackling HIV mis-information.

The posters were displayed for the community in Craigmillar library during November 2024, and was seen by an estimated 800 members of the public. A showcase event was held on Saturday 9th November 2024 to celebrate the posters and engage in discussions about tackling HIV stigma. Furthermore, students visited the Usher Building, learned about what universities are like, and got to ask questions about future careers. 

In this poster, you will learn more about the workshops, get to see some of their posters, and read students’ feedback about the activity!

This project was funded by the Economic Social Research Council, Festival of Social Sciences, College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine (CMVM), and supported by Dr. Dom Cairns-Gibson, Dr. Jenny Bos and Denise Di Nella from Castlebrae Community High School. "

Exhibitor: Sophie Atherton