Spotlight on: 🔦Anna Beckett 🔦
- Jun 29
- 3 min read
Anna Beckett PPIE Working Group Coordinator, DSxHE
Contact:
What does your job actually entail?
My day job is typically a mix of social research, evaluation and engagement. I use my facilitation skills to help people hear from different perspectives and develop solutions. I work a lot with patients and the public and also with healthcare professionals and policy-makers. There’s no such thing as a normal day but you can see a range of my recent projects on my website. https://a-b-consulting.co.uk/
When not at work, you can be found...
Out walking with my dog
Why did you join the DSxHE community?
To work with the PPIE working group to help bring public and patient voices into data science. My career has been all about trying to break down the bubbles we all live in, exposing people to different viewpoints and life experiences, recognising the diversity of life in the UK.
What should people reach out to you for help on/with? (ie your community “offers”)
If you want to understand more about patient and public engagement, or want to access the new DSxHE PPIE Working Group who are on hand to provide advice and guidance to your projects on how to do PPIE well.
What would like help with from members of the DSxHE community? (ie your community “asks”).
Please think about undertaking PPIE in your work and come and ask for our help!
What’s your interest in data science and/or health equity?
I want my work to have an impact. I think the statistics on differences in life expectancy and healthy life expectancy in the UK are shocking. I think the key to unlocking this is to hear from communities and understand their lives and think PPIE has a role in that.
What’s a topic in data science/health equity that you know/care a lot about - why is it important/interesting, tell us about it!
As you’ve probably guessed by now, I’d say it’s public engagement. At one stage in my career I stopped doing engagement for a couple of years to work in a policy role. During that time Brexit happened and it blindsided me as nearly everyone I spent time with had one point of view. I’m now back facilitating focus groups and deliberative workshops on a regular basis, engaging with all sorts of people I would otherwise not meet, and I feel far more grounded as a result.
What’s a skill/expertise you have in data science/health equity - How did you learn/develop it and how might others do so to?
Knowing how to do good PPIE or knowing who to ask. The easiest way for others to learn this is to get in touch with our working group: ppie@datascienceforhealthequity.com
What is your guilty pleasure?
Chocolate (far too much of it)
If your pet could talk, what would they say about you?
She doesn’t give me enough treats (he’s very food obsessed)
What is your favorite thing to do in the summertime?
Hiking and swimming in the Lake District (where I grew up)
Would you rather have regrets about actions or inactions?
Inactions – my motto is ‘say yes and work it out later’ – usually it works out just fine!
What makes you sad?
How out of touch decision-makers are from the people they are making decisions on behalf of.
What makes you hopeful?
There is some understanding that decision-makers are out of touch and mechanisms exist to address this. So over time maybe they will come to understand more?
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