CNWY50060 Intro to Public and Patient Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) for Postgraduate Biomedical Research
About the course
This module is designed to train PhD/Postgraduate students to effectively and confidently involve people with lived experience from the public in their research. It places particular emphasis on understanding why this is relevant and impactful for laboratory based and biomedical/health research, and how it enhances research outcomes. Targeted at early-stage health-related laboratory and dry lab postgraduate students across UCD, the module provides in-depth skills training in meaningful Public and Patient Involvement and Engagement (PPIE). The module consists of a series of lectures, seminars and interactive workshops. These learning activities, will outline the importance of PPIE in research, and provide students with core skills and strategies to effectively, and confidently, involve the public and patients in their research, not as participants (or subjects) of research, but rather as collaborators in: (i) decision-making (ii) prioritising (iii) planning (iv) interpreting and communicating research.
Credits: 5 ECTS
Dates: April & June 2026 (4 days)
Module coordinators: Prof. Amanda McCann & Dr Eoin Brennan
Registration open: SISweb from 14 January 2026
Places available: 20
Course structure: Lectures (7), seminars (2) and workshops (5)
Credit requirements
- Assignment 1: Plain language summary of research
- Assignment 2: Flow chart timeline for public & patient involvement and engagement (PPIE) as part of research lifecycle
- Contributions to workshop and seminar discussions
- Participation in public & patient involvement and engagement activity to implement learnings and get experience of working with those who have a lived experience.
What does it cover?
The content has been co-designed by: (i) Biomedical research academics (ii) PPIE contributors (iii) PPIE specialists. The module includes seminars on the underlying concepts of PPIE, with skill-focused sessions specifically tailored for lab- and health-based researchers, which are not typically taught to research
students. These sessions are delivered by experienced PPIE researchers and contributors. Assessments will include working independently and with people with lived experience to: (i) become accomplished in clearly communicating your research in plain English (written, oral) (ii) create a written research impact plan, detailing PPIE elements in the continuation of your research and its potential impact.
Why enrol?
On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:-
- Understand the importance of involving people with a lived experience in research
- Describe different approaches for involving people with lived experience through the research cycle
- Outline how public and patient involvement and engagement can drive research impact
- Co-create and communicate scientific concepts and findings to non-academic audiences
Next steps
Download the Module descriptor for CNWY50060 in 2025/2026
Register with your School graduate administrator or following instructions on UCD Graduate Studies