From left to right: Michael Matheson MSP, Public Health Minister; Ken Bowler; Jim Eadie MSP; Katherine Crawford.
On Wednesday 6th November an evening event entitled ” Scotland’s Brainpower – Parkinson’s UK Research” was held at the Scottish Parliament, organised by Tanith Muller and Katherine Crawford from the Scotland Office of Parkinson’s UK.
The aims of the event were:
- To enable MSPs to meet directly with researchers to find out more about the groundbreaking work taking place across Scotland to improve life for people with Parkinson’s and find a cure
- To provide an opportunity for MSPs to hear from people affected by Parkinson’s about what research means to them
- To publicise Parkinson’s UK’s £5 million investment in Parkinson’s research in four Scottish universities and the wider role of medical research charities in supporting the growth of the life sciences in Scotland and the UK
- To enable people affected by Parkinson’s with an interest in research to engage with researchers and MSPs about Parkinson’s research in Scotland
The event provided a great opportunity to speak to MSPs about the importance of Parkinson’s research. There was a “market place” format, so MSPs and guests were encouraged to speak directly to researchers, rather than listen to lots of speeches. It was an enjoyable and inspiring evening!
Tanith says:
“Our host, Jim Eadie MSP, is the convener of the Cross Party Group on life sciences so has a particular interest in biomedical research. We hope that this event really helped us to engage with MSPs with an interest in science and the economy as well as health issues. We wanted to send a clear message that Parkinson’s UK research has a part to play in making Scotland a global centre for life sciences. We had attendance from 16 MSPs, including the Public Health Minister, which was great, and it was fantastic to see how many lively and interesting conversations were taking place between our guests, politicians and researchers.”
For more photos of the event click on this link.