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05 December 2025

SSM Early Career Day 2025 - Recap!

Photograph of the front page of the printed booklet used for the ECR day
Read a summary of the pre-conference ECR day in Bradford at #SSM2025

Author: SSM Communications & Newsletter

Full Blog:

On 9th September, the SSM Early Career Researcher (ECR) Subcommittee and Bradford Institute for Health Research (BIHR) team welcomed early career researchers to the historic Midland Hotel in Bradford for a brilliant day of professional development, networking, and skill-building.

The day kicked off with a warm welcome and warm up session with the SSM ECR subcommittee and BIHR team, before a really informative session focused on the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and how they are supporting ECRs and the research community. Richard Furnival introduced the NIHR Academy and outlined how they are helping ECRs develop their research careers, Professor Jane West discussed the Research Support Service Specialist Centre for Public Health's support for research outside NHS settings, and Dr Ellen Flint highlighted how the NIHR Health Determinants Research Collaboration programme is showing how evidence can be embedded into local government decision-making.

A key part of any ECR day is networking - and Dr John Pickavance’s networking bingo proved to be a particular highlight! ECRs were tasked with racing to find someone who fulfilled the criteria for each square on the bingo card, with categories including “Someone who loves something other people hate”, “Someone who has ridden a horse”, and “Someone who speaks more than one language”, which got everyone moving and finding out unexpected facts about each other!

As well as meeting other ECRs, attendees were treated to expert talks across a range of topics. Dr Sebastian Hinde's health economics session was a revelation for many, with one ECR saying "The health economics talk helped me finally understand the topic"! Dr Jamie Crowther's engaging session on the opportunities and potential of qualitative methods highlighted fresh perspectives on research approaches, while the co-production workshop with Jabu Phiri and Syed Abbas broadened understanding of meaningful public involvement. 

Last but not least was Mark Brealey's media training workshop, which was a highlight of the day for many. Mark's engaging delivery style and practical approach transformed what could be an intimidating topic into something manageable and “made it seem less scary” according to one ECR. The interactive session provided actionable advice and clear tips for communicating research effectively and attendees particularly valued learning to think about difficult questions beforehand, understanding journalist objectives, identifying target audiences, and simplifying complex information. The reminder that "it's okay to not know the answer" resonated strongly! 


A big thank you!

A big thank you to all the ECRs who attended the day and participated with such enthusiasm, our excellent speakers who shared their expertise so generously. Special thanks to the ECR sub-committee Local Officers, Dr Liz O’Nions and Dr Kayley Ciesla, and colleagues Dr Hollie Henderson, Carolyn Clover, Katie Swinden, Prof Jane West, Divine Dantis, Sarah Gibson, Dr John Pickavance and Kate Robinson, for all their hard work organising and facilitating such an engaging and informative day!

If you're an early career researcher looking to expand your skills, build your network, and join a supportive community, we hope to see you at next year's ECR Day!

Get in touch

If you attended the ECR day and have any further feedback you’d like to share, please get in touch ecr.ssm@gmail.com. We’d love to hear from you!

Richard Furnival presenting on the NIHR Academy
Jane West presenting on the NIHR Specialist Centre for Public Health
Jane West
Sebastian Hinde presenting Wherefore Art Thou Health Economics?
Jamei Crowther presenting on the possibilities and importance of qual research
Jabu Phiri and Syed Abbas presenting on co-production
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