Helen joined Hull York Medical School in 2019 to coordinate patient and public involvement in the Transforming cancer outcomes in Yorkshire research programme. She oversees public involvement strategy within the Institute for Clinical and Applied Health Research and leads the public involvement in several grant funded research studies with a focus on cancer, palliative care, and health determinants related research.
She supports researchers to plan for and undertake meaningful public involvement in doctoral research, developing new grant applications, and running grant funded studies. She has skills in building respectful and inclusive relationships, engaging with diverse people, writing in Plain English, creating accessible information, presenting, organising and facilitating events, budgeting for public involvement, and negotiating the emotional and practical complexity of public involvement.
She manages the Involve Hull public involvement network, which is a large, diverse group of people with personal experience as patients, carers and users of health and care services, with a particular focus on cancer and palliative care. She supports members of the network to get involved in research that matches their experiences and interests, enabling them to have a meaningful voice in shaping our health and care research.
Helen qualified as an archivist and records manager with an MA from the University of Liverpool and started her career in the Brynmor Jones Library at the University of Hull in 1993. In 2008 she moved to the north west to manage the Labour History Archive at the People's History Museum in Manchester. She joined the NHS in 2012 to set up a health information service for patients and carers at Airedale NHS Foundation Trust.
Whilst working in the NHS Helen became interested in understanding how people experience their health and care, and how this can feed into improving health services. After studying for a postgraduate certificate in health research, she moved into public involvement in health research as a career. She is committed to ensuring that research is underpinned by the insight and lived experience of those who live with ill health, and use health and social care services.
Active projects
BREEZE 2: A randomised controlled trial of a complex intervention to manage breathlessness in pulmonary fibrosis
CANFit: A phase II, Randomised Feasibility Basket Trial of a Personalised, Home-based Exercise Programme on Disease-free Survival among Early Stage High-risk Recurring Cancers in Yorkshire
DAMPen-Delirium II: Improving the Detection, Assessment, Management, and Prevention of Delirium in Palliative Care Units: a cluster Randomised-Controlled Trial, Economic Analysis and Process Evaluation
NIHR Health Determinants Research Collaboration North Yorkshire
TEMPAC-MCS: Early Diagnosis of Pancreatic Cancer by Proteomics Testing of Pancreatic Cystic Fluid and Blood
TRANSFORM: Reducing Inequalities In Cancer Outcomes In Yorkshire: Realising Our Potential For Innovation In Diagnosis, Patient Management, Survivorship And Palliative Care Research
View Helen's publications on ORCID
Selected publications
Roberts, H., Begum, S., Dale, M. et al. “We don’t get asked”: including people with workforce experience as public contributors in a workforce-related study about homecare work towards the end-of-life. Res Involv Engagem 12, 141 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40900-026-00931-3
Curry, J., Bowers, S.P., Wray, A., Fearfull, A., Roberts, H. Patient and public involvement in health and social care doctoral research: recommendations co-produced by doctoral researchers, public contributors, and a public involvement coordinator. Res Involv Engagem 12, 95 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40900-026-00887-4
Cairns, J.M., Roberts, H., Al-Khafaji, G. et al. Bringing fictional characters to life: reflections on co-creating a comic book with members of the public. Res Involv Engagem 9, 28 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40900-023-00437-2
Howlett, H., Catterick, M., Charlotte, Karen, Cheyenne, , Onukwugha, F., Roberts, H., Dyson, J. & Smith, L., (2023) “Reflections of experts by experience and research team members on research and development about a sensitive issue that attracts stigma”, Research for All 7, 1 (2023). https://doi.org/10.14324/RFA.07.1.02
Curry, J., Roberts, H., Smith, A. et al. Developing and testing the ExerciseGuide UK website for people with lung cancer: reflections on the added value of patient and public involvement within a doctoral degree. Res Involv Engagem 8, 66 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40900-022-00395-1
Dean’s recognition award for living the Hull York Medical School value ‘Socially responsible’, October 2022
University of Hull ‘Inspired in Hull’ award for Most Outstanding Contribution to Social Justice and Inclusion in Practice, April 2023
University of Hull Knowledge Exchange award for Best Public and Community Engagement, June 2023 (with Dr Joanne Cairns)
Humber and North Yorkshire Cancer Alliance Excellence in Cancer award for ‘Championing Patient Voice’, September 2024
Dean’s recognition award for living the Hull York Medical School value ‘Collaborative’, April 2025
University of Hull Research and Knowledge Exchange award for Collaborative Research and Knowledge Exchange Project of the Year, June 2025 (with Dr Charlotte Kelly, Involve Hull, Lilly Williams, Ella Dorton and Grace Ekall)
University of Hull Research and Knowledge Exchange award for Professional Services Staff, June 2026