Research Champion awarded Certificate of Achievement

The NIHR CRN Greater Manchester Certificate of Achievement is a recognition scheme run by CRN Greater Manchester and is presented to deserving teams or individuals who have made a valuable contribution to the delivery of health and care research in the region.

Norraine Mhlanga is a qualified nurse who has worked at several organisations across our region and also a patient who has been involved in research. Norraine has been a constant and proactive Research Champion across Greater Manchester, East Cheshire and East Lancashire for over seven years.

A Research Champion is someone who promotes health and social care research from a patient's point of view. They could be a patient, service user, carer or member of the public who is enthusiastic about health research and wants to raise awareness amongst the public and healthcare professionals. Some of the activities Research Champions can get involved in include helping people find out about research studies, taking part in local events and activities, speaking to patient and community groups about health and care research and encouraging people to take part, not only in trials but also in engaging in interest and focus groups.

Norraine was selected for this special award because of her passion for patient involvement, the contribution she has made to research and the many projects she has worked on. Norraine has travelled across the CRN Greater Manchester region to support Research Festivals, was was part of the Participant in Research Experience Survey (PRES) working group, presented at staff inductions on the role of Research Champions and supported initiatives such as International Clinical Trials Day, Join Dementia Research and International Women's Day. Norraine has been a key local contributor to research delivery, always generous with her time and expertise.

She was presented with the certificate by CRN Greater Manchester Chief Operating Officer Sarah Fallon. On receiving the Certificate of Achievement Norraine said:

“I would like to express my eternal gratitude and sincere honour to receive the certificate. It seems such a grand gesture for a role that I entered into as an interesting educational activity to it becoming an important part of my volunteering life and even my work. I have not only found personal growth but it has also been rewarding and fulfilling meeting and working with other champions. I have placed immense value to the mentoring I have been given by colleagues at NIHR during my journey and hope to continue to benefit from and enjoy in the foreseeable future."