It’s seven months into the global COVID-19 pandemic. In that time, Elizabeth Blackwell Institute has offered funding and a programme of events to the research community at Bristol. We’ve supported over 80 projects and have hosted events for over 400 members of our research community. I'm mindful of how hard colleagues have been working to turn their attention to the virus and its impacts on society so that they can contribute their skills to the global response.

But I’m also mindful of what a difficult and challenging time this is, and has been, for so many members of our research community, as well as for communities more broadly. For particular groups, however, these difficulties can be even more challenging.  

Some months ago, evidence emerged about the greater impact of COVID-19 as a disease on some groups in society, particularly people from black and minority ethnic groups. We’ve also seen growing evidence that the burden of the pandemic is particularly harsh for people in precarious work or living on low incomes. Alongside this there is evidence from surveys that women’s hours of household work have increased disproportionately when compared with men’s. My understanding of the research is that existing systemic and structural inequalities are heavily implicated in these differences. Although women’s research is highly visible and relevant to the effort to counter the pandemic, within research more broadly there’s evidence of reduced contributions to journals from women during the pandemic.

Previous pandemics and epidemics have usually impacted most on the least privileged in society and I know that many people are concerned that this is happening again within COVID-19. For us as a research community we can explore these impacts and make them visible.

Our future plans at the Elizabeth Blackwell Institute centre on how best to support the research community, including championing equality. We are currently recruiting for a researcher who can work with us to deliver research and a publication focused on equality, diversity and inclusion. The focus will be both research careers and research participation in health and related research. Find out more about this new position.

Many of us as researchers are trying to think about and address the longer-term issues that the pandemic is bringing. Within our research culture we can consider our practices and processes and remember to centre equality and inclusion in these. But I am aware that in working towards a more balanced society that we have to balance time for this thinking and work with the very real pressures on our time and energy at the moment.

If you have ideas about ways we can support you and the health research community at Bristol as a whole then please do get in touch. 

Email: ebih-admin@bristol.ac.uk