A celebration of research undertaken across the Black Country is being held this autumn, with a Team GB Gold medal Paralympian ready to inspire and support further successes.

The celebration event will bring together healthcare providers across the area which collectively recruited around 5,000 participants – across more than 200 studies – in 2023/24 who are all playing their part in finding better care and treatments for a host of conditions.

Aaron Phipps MBE, a Team GB wheelchair rugby player who had both legs amputated from the knee down aged 15, along with most of his fingers, after contracting meningitis is the keynote speaker. He has been ranked in the top 100 most influential people in the UK with a disability and as a keen charity fundraiser became the first disabled person to scale Mount Kilimanjaro unassisted.

Sarah Glover, Research & Development Directorate Manager at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, said: “The Black Country has much to be proud of when it comes to showcasing the high-quality research taking place across the region.

“Our Trusts have recruited some of the first patients in Europe – as well as the UK – on to various trials and we want to celebrate these efforts and bring healthcare providers together to reflect on our collective successes.

“The event will include presentations from research leads, participants and investigators alike, along with posters showcasing projects. This is also an opportunity for colleagues to explore potential collaborations for future research. And we’re thrilled to have Aaron as our keynote speaker as his story is such an inspirational one that we can all learn from.”

The event is being held on 21 November at The Hawthorns, home of West Bromwich Albion Football Club, from 8.30am-4.45pm. It will be opened by Sir David Nicholson KCB CBE, Chair of Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust and Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust.