And the winner is...Hopkins Van Mil

The HVM team is thrilled and delighted to be announced the winner of the Market Research Society’s 2022 Award for Public Policy and Social Research. The awards celebrate excellence and innovation in the research sector and we are honoured to be recognised amongst such a talented group of finalists. The Award was for our work with Genomics England, the UK National Screening Committee and Sciencewise who commissioned HVM to design and deliver a public dialogue on the implications whole genome sequencing for newborn screening. We’d like to thank our commissioners who were so invested in the process. We also thank the judges who said the research was impressive and that it sets a new standard for gaining insight in this area.

You can read the full report here.

The dialogue was fascinating, not least for the privilege of working with 133 people across the UK who shared their views so honestly. We thank them too. Amongst the participants weighting was given to four groups who might have different perspectives to the wider sample on these implications. These groups comprised people with experience of racial inequalities; new and expectant parents; people with a family history of genetic conditions; and young adults.

The team at HVM is enormously proud to have contributed to the important thinking that needs to inform the considered approach called for by participants on the implications of wgs for newborn screening. You can find out more about participants’ experience of the dialogue in this. short film clip. A quotation from one participant shines a light on the importance of taking time over the next steps:

“Don’t mess this up. It’s a great opportunity but if you don’t do it properly it will fail at pilot stage. Make sure you get a decent cross section of people involved. Thank you for doing this amazing piece of work! ”

— Participant, Genetic Conditions group