Environment and health issues occupy a central place in public consciousness, but public understanding of these issues can often be limited by both uncertainty and sources of conflicting information.

To try and improve public engagement with scientific research about health and the environment, we have established a public user group to engage with the Centre’s work.

“My interest is in public access to academic institutions. I was keen to be able to learn about and contribute to the health research process.” – HEPE Member

This group has called itself the Health and Environment Public Engagement group, or HEPE for short.

HEPE meets quarterly and is made up of members of the public who live in the South West and who have an interest in research about the interconnections between environment and health.

The group aims to consult and collaborate with researchers from the Centre, ensuring that its work considers the public perspective at all stages of research, from design and conduct to dissemination.

Are you interested in getting involved with HEPE? You can find out more about what’s involved here.

If you would like to join or for more information on the group, please contact HEPE@exeter.ac.uk

“Working with HEPE has been fundamental to the successful planning of our research; not just in the opinions they shared but also the contribution they made to the study design. They’ve been extremely valuable.” – Anne Leonard, PhD Student