Guts UK has had a long history supporting research into a wide range of digestive conditions – many of which are overlooked and underfunded.
But without a dedicated research communications function in-house, at times the charity has struggled to get across the impact of the research they support. This is especially difficult with early-stage research, where the findings have not yet been translated into something tangible that can benefit patients.
I’ve been working with Guts UK for a few years, on a series of case studies, to help them get across the impact of some of their vital research. The writing of the impact case studies started by reading through documentation supplied by the Guts UK team. The core part of the work was an interview with the researcher leading the project – to gain additional insight into the work, and hear first hand the impact the funding has had on their research and their careers.
Here are some examples of the impact case studies I’ve written for Guts UK:
- Creating lymph node maps to stop the spread of oesophageal cancer
- Creating ‘miniguts’ to develop new treatments for IBD
- Finding ways to prevent severe acute pancreatitis
I also wrote a blog post for Guts UK to coincide with Microscopic Colitis Awareness Week, featuring a researcher funded by the charity.