Outreach & Public Engagement

Our lab is heavily involved in the public engagement and outreach work of the Division of Cardiovascular Sciences alongside the British Heart Foundation.

A few times a year, the department organises lab visits for BHF volunteers to come and hear about the research the valuable money they raise funds. During these visits our students and post-docs host demonstrations of their work and present posters for the BHF volunteers.

We have been involved in the annual Heart Experience event at the Museum of Science and Industry, with fun activities for children to take part in to teach them more about how the heart works – from plasticine demonstrations of the cardiac conduction system to handling animal hearts!

Members of our lab group have also taken part in the Manchester Access Programme, encouraging students from disadvantaged backgrounds to apply for university; the Brilliant Club, teaching high school students about congenital heart disease; and have been involved in setting up a BHF fundraising group in the division.

BHF Supporter Days

Much of our work, and the work of the rest of the Division of Cardiovascular Sciences, is funded by the British Heart Foundation through the valuable fundraising work their volunteers do. The division hosts regular BHF supporter days to allow the people raising money for the charity to come and see the research they help fund. During these days, we host demonstrations; showing how we can study heart development in different species, presenting posters of our work, and explaining how we use our BHF funding to better understand heart development and the causes of congenital heart disease.

Donna Page - Minute Lecture

Want to learn more about congenital heart disease and some of the work we do? Our former research associate, Donna Page, made this video to explain congenital heart disease and some of the work our lab does in just 2:30 minutes as part of the Manchester Minute Lecture series by the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health at the University of Manchester.

Elisavet Fotiou - The Brilliant Club

The Brilliant Club project aims to utilise the expertise and passion of PhD students, who deliver programmes of academic enrichment to small groups of pupils.

Elisavet Fotiou, a former PhD student, brought her her passion to these students. Here is Eliza teaching a group of students from The Radclyffe School. Eliza used the recurring sessions to talk to the students about her PhD studies, and teach them about the heart, genetics, and congenital heart disease.

Kathryn McGurk - Widening Participation Fellow

As a former widening participation fellow Kathryn delivered workshops to secondary school students whose parents have not attended university and/or students on the government school lunches scheme, to encourage them to attend university.

This includes "why study science" talks; “Genetics: CSI Manchester” and “Blood” workshops about research in genetics and cardiovascular disease; literature review writing workshops (EPQ); and women in science talks.

Give It, Don't Bin It

Professor Keavney was delighted to have the opportunity to speak at an event celebrating the success of the Manchester Student Partnership's Give It, Don't Bin It scheme which has raised over £1million for the British Heart Foundation.

At the event, Professor Keavney has his heart beat turned into an "art beat".