Usher Institute celebrates success at the 2026 Research Impact Awards

The Usher Institute is delighted to celebrate success at the 2026 Research Impact Awards, recognising outstanding contributions to engagement, impact and applied research across its community and partner organisations. This year’s winners highlight the breadth of collaborative work spanning early-career researchers and external innovation partners, and the shared commitment to delivering meaningful impact from research.

Engagement Newcomer Joint Winner

Rachel Thomsen, a PhD candidate in the Advanced Care Research Centre within the Usher Institute, was named Joint Winner in the Engagement Newcomer category in recognition of her outstanding commitment to applied, co-produced research early in her academic career.

During her training year, Rachel initiated the development of a Hospital at Home (H@H) patient safety toolkit, placing patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) at the heart of the project. Recognising that patient voices are not always fully embedded in service design and evaluation, she designed a co-production approach grounded in shared decision-making and co-design principles.

Rachel worked closely with a PPIE group with lived experience of Hospital at Home services, co-leading the project alongside patient and public contributors. This collaborative approach ensured that patients, carers, clinicians and managers were meaningfully involved throughout the research process, reflecting a strong commitment to genuine partnership working.

Now in the main phase of her PhD, Rachel continues to expand the reach and impact of her work. She has presented at the National Hospital at Home Conference and successfully secured additional funding to support public contributors to attend, ensuring equitable participation in national engagement activities. She continues to share her research through conferences, policy networks and practitioner forums, with a clear focus on translating findings into practice.

Impact Enabler Winner

Dr Jeff Wright, Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Edinburgh Innovations Limited, was recognised as Impact Enabler Winner for his pivotal role in strengthening the engagement, translation and real-world impact of the Viking Genes project, led by Jim Wilson, Professor of Human Genetics at the Usher Institute.

Drawing on extensive experience across academia and innovation, Jeff has significantly enhanced the project’s capacity to engage with participants, communities and stakeholders. His work has been instrumental in supporting the return of clinically actionable findings to over 150 study volunteers, including information on increased risk of certain cancers, enabling earlier awareness and intervention opportunities.

Jeff also played a central role in securing an additional £100,000 in funding to support community-based screening initiatives for high-risk Scottish island populations. This funding has enabled the project to extend its impact beyond traditional research boundaries and into direct community benefit.

In addition, Jeff has strengthened the project’s communication and engagement strategy, working closely with the research team on media engagement, press communications and stakeholder messaging. His contributions have supported more effective dissemination of research findings to both policymakers and the wider public, ensuring that the Viking Genes project continues to deliver tangible benefits for participating communities.

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