Meet the Team

Michael Bahrami-Hessari

• NIHR Global Surgery Unit (GSU)
• Global Health and surgery
•  m.bahrami-hessari@bham.ac.uk

Michael joined the team in January 2022 as the Community Engagement and Involvement Manager for the NIHR Global Surgery Unit. As a Microbiologist by training Mike has a wealth of experience in science communication and patient and public involvement.

Laura Nice

• NIHR Surgical Reconstruction and Microbiology Research Centre (NIHR SRMRC) and the Centre for Conflict Wound Research (CfCWR)
• Trauma, burns and critical care
• l.nice@bham.ac.uk

Laura has been a part of the team since 2018. Her previous roles have included involving patients in her own Psychology and Healthcare research.

Her current role is to ensure that patients and the public have meaningful and rewarding involvement in critical care, burns and trauma research.

Magdalena Skyrbant

• NIHR Applied Research Collaboration West Midlands (ARC WM)
• Health and social care service delivery
• m.t.skrybant@bham.ac.uk

Magdalena has been a part of the team since 2017. She has a background in languages and Polish history and her previous roles were in teaching and research administration at the University of Birmingham.

Her current role is leading Public Involvement in the Applied Research Collaboration West Midlands (ARC WM). ARC WM is funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and is a collaboration of health and social care researchers, patients and the public and researchers to respond to and meet the needs of local communities.

Laura Chapman

• PPIE Manager for NIHR Birmingham Biomedical Research Centre (BRC)
• l.chapman.1@bham.ac.uk

Laura joined the BRC as Public & Patient Involvement/Engagement Manager in 2018. She has experience of championing diversity and inclusion from a career in Human Resources (private sector and NHS organisations) and conducting research with the public on readability/usability of Patient Information Leaflets for medicines.  Her experience as a patient with a chronic disease for over 20 years has led to being involved in research personally and to a desire to involving and engaging others in research on a larger scale.

Her current role is to ensure that diverse members of the public/patients are involved in research related to the work of the BRC.