THE HILDAS
Get involved - have your say in our maternal health research
WHO ARE THE HILDAS?
The Dame Hilda Lloyd network was founded in memory of Dame Hilda Lloyd, the first female president of any UK medical royal college.
Dame Hilda was a trail blazer and made a real difference to the lives of women in Birmingham. We are looking to create a group of women who share Dame Hilda’s ethos and are eager to make a real impact in Women’s Health research here in the West Midlands. The group has been named ‘The Hildas’ to signify that we can all make a difference to the lives of women through the work of the group.
We are actively looking for group members who have a personal experience of pregnancy, childbirth and reproductive issues. The group will share their experiences with researchers from the University of Birmingham and advise on the direction of Women’s Health research.
WHAT DO THE HILDAS DO?
We typically meet 3 times a year either in person or online, with meetings lasting 2-3 hours..
We offer remuneration for travel and involvement.
Women who get involved in our public and patient involvement and engagement activities can take part in a wide variety of activities, based on their interests and preferences. The list below highlights some examples of activities that will give you a flavour of what to expect as one of The Hildas.
1. Discussing topical Women’s health issues
2. Reviewing research proposals
3. Advising on lay summaries
4. Assessing patient documents
5. Advising on recruitment and dissemination
ARE THE HILDAS INCLUSIVE?
We welcome women from a wide variety of backgrounds, and are especially keen for women from minority ethnic backgrounds to be a part of The Hildas. Minority ethnic women are often not as well represented in research as we would like. You can be part of changing this going forwards by working with us to ensure that our research better reflects Birmingham and society as a whole. Your insights and experience will be incredibly important in highlighting what we are doing well and what we can do better to encourage other minority ethnic women to want to participate in research.
We are committed to diversity, equality and inclusivity, so please get in touch if accessibility is an issue as we would like to reduce barriers to your involvement.
ARE THERE OTHER GROUPS SUCH AS THIS?
The Hildas are a new public advisory group that is being set up to allow women within the West Midlands to have their say and to make a real impact to the research surrounding Women’s Health. The Hildas is lucky enough to have connections to established patient groups that are already contributing to women’s health research across the country.
Katie’s Team is a similar group to The Hildas covering the East London area
https://www.barc-research.org/katies-team
DAISY PCOS engagement group brings together women suffering from poly-cystic ovary syndrome https://daisypcos.com/engagement/
Tommy’s National Centre for miscarriage looks to understand early miscarriage
https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/maternal-health/about-us.aspx
HOW DO I BECOME ONE OF THE HILDAS?
To express your interest or find out more please send an email to our team
A video from our International Weight Management in Pregnancy project, which The Hildas discussed during one of our meetings.
iWIP Animation
Our groups
The Hildas is our umbrella group in which everyone will be a member. From this group, people can get involved in our subgroups which focus on the Women's Health life course approach.
