Parkinson’s research makes a splash
How do researchers publicise their discoveries? And what does Parkinson’s UK do to bring those findings into the public eye?
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Researchers are working tirelessly to understand more about Parkinson’s and find better treatments and a cure. But their results are published in specialised journals aimed at an academic audience, so it can be difficult for everyone else to decipher what the findings really mean.
Parkinson’s UK works with researchers and journalists to help everyone understand the impact of new research discoveries for people affected by Parkinson’s. Researchers get in touch with Parkinson’s UK when their findings are accepted for publication. This gives us a few weeks before the article is officially published in the journal to plan and co-ordinate the media coverage, which happens through our awesome Media Team.
What kinds of findings attract media attention?
We fund high-quality research that is relevant and important to people affected by Parkinson’s. We all want better treatments and a cure for Parkinson’s, and results that bring us closer to this goal are big news. For instance, earlier this year, there were promising results from a clinical trial of a diabetes drug called exenatide in people with Parkinson’s. This study was funded by the Michael J Fox Foundation and the story was covered in many major news outlets, including the BBC, New Scientist and The Guardian.
Novel or unexpected techniques are also great at attracting media coverage… and it never hurts to throw in some cute dogs! You may have seen in the news that dogs are being trained to identify Parkinson’s using their sense of smell alone and that this unusual research could lead to better, earlier diagnosis. The Parkinson’s UK Research Communications Team worked tirelessly to promote this story — Claire Bale was interviewed by nine radio stations across the country and Dr Beckie Port was fielding questions from the BBC Breakfast sofa.
It’s not just novel techniques, but also novel findings that can attract media attention. In June, 2017 new research suggested that the immune system plays an important role in the progression of Parkinson’s. Prof David Dexter, Parkinson’s UK Deputy Director for Research was quoted on BBC News online saying, “This research lends weight to the radical idea that the condition may involve the immune system becoming confused and damaging our own cells”.
What does media attention achieve?
There are around 127,000 people with Parkinson’s in the UK alone, and many others are affected by knowing someone with the condition or acting as a carer. People affected by Parkinson’s want to stay up-to-date with the latest developments and understand what impact research may have for them.
The presence of Parkinson’s research in the media helps promote awareness and a better understanding for the general public who may not have any direct connection to the condition.
It’s also important for Parkinson’s UK to demonstrate the impact of donations in helping to understand Parkinson’s and finding new and better treatments. And, ultimately our presence in the media fuels fundraising so we can continue to fund high-quality research to find better treatments and a cure for Parkinson’s.
Our research articles published in 2016 gained a lot of coverage, including 2500+ tweets, mentions in 58 blogs and they were featured in 300+ news items. And that’s just our research articles — our other media work around welfare reform, Parkinson’s awareness week and many other activities generate a better awareness of the condition and our work.
To stay up to date with all the latest progress in Parkinson’s, why not join the Research Support Network?
