Most of the time we talk about open research within our own communities and yet open research can have a greater impact and affect than we realise outside of academia.  In this session we will be hearing from two colleagues:  Dr Andi Skilton, who  helped set up and is Chair of Trustees for the small charity Stargardt's Connected,  will talk about being open from his charity's perspective and Professor Pooja Saini, who carries out research with small charities, will talk about the issues she has faced balancing her research aims, her collaborators' aims and being as open as possible.  

Closing ORW 2025: Professor Vicky Karkou 

Professor Karkou is Director of the Research Centre for Arts and Wellbeing, Edge Hill University and an internationally known academic and researcher in the arts and arts psychotherapies.  She is currently leading the Arts4Us project, one of the largest research awards on the arts, arts therapies and children's mental health funded by the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) involving over 50 collaborators and partners.

Speakers: Dr. Andi Skilton, Prof. Pooja Saini

Dr Andi Skilton is currently Research Impact Lead for Heath Faculties and interim Manager for Participatory Research at King's College London. Andi is Chair of Trustees for Stargardt’s Connected, a charity supporting people and research and raising awareness of Stargardt disease. Andi has extensive experience in health research, communications, patient and public engagement and involvement 

Professor Pooja Saini is Professor of Suicide and Self-Harm Prevention at Liverpool John Moores University and her research is focused at an individual-level, community-level and whole systems approach on risk management and decision-making processes for individuals, professionals, and service providers within forensic, clinical and non-clinical settings. Her main research interests are in suicide and self-harm prevention particularly in young people, cancer prevention in Black and Asian Ethnic Minority Groups, reduction of health inequalities and coproduction. She collaborates with key mental health charities (e.g., JWSMF, PAPYRUS, YASP, Samaritans, YPAS), and Public Health Departments.