SciCommConf speaker notes

I've been involved in charity science communication since joining Diabetes UK as a Science Information Officer (a hybrid between a librarian and a science communicator) in November 2003, a post I still hold part-time. My second part-time job, also in science communication, is as Public Engagement Co-ordinator (since January 2010) with the CHI+MED project which is funded by the EPSRC and is running for six years over four universities (I'm based at the Queen Mary, University of London site) and two hospitals.

Although my two jobs are entirely separate they are complementary. At Diabetes UK I provide answers to scientific enquiries from members of the public (usually referred by colleagues) and healthcare professionals - I'm enthusiastic about people being able to get hold of health-related information that makes sense to them. My work also includes fact checking any statistical information for our campaigns and media work. I contribute to the science posts on the Diabetes UK blog and provide a current awareness bulletin for staff based on medical literature and health policy matters.

For the CHI+MED project (which is looking at ways of making medical devices safer) I'm responsible for adding content to our website, blog and Twitter etc and capturing information about the offline engagement work we do (eg at schools, science events and festivals). Public engagement is formally embedded in the project, in addition to our work with stakeholders such as medical device designers, regulatory bodies, nurses and other healthcare staff and patients.

My enthusiasm for working in the various science communication fields has spilled over into my blogging life and I've run the Science Communication Jobs Posterous blog since October 2009 where I post information about jobs in different sectors. Before I did any of this I worked at the Institute of Psychiatry and the School of Pharmacy, wrestling with GC-MS analyses of membrane lipids before realising that I much preferred talking to people about science than moving colourless solvents around.

Further blethers at @JoBrodie