Courses

Join us for a practical, hands-on training day designed to help researchers navigate the unique challenges and opportunities of working with young people and schools.

Whether you're new to engaging with young people or looking to refine your approach, this training day will provide essential strategies, ethical considerations, and real-world insights to ensure a successful and impactful research experience for all involved.

Please note this course has been rescheduled to take place on Wednesday 13th May 2026

Who this course is for: 
This course is ideal for PhD students, early career researchers and healthcare professionals who are planning to collect data and run engagement activities with young people.

About this course:
This course provides best practice guidance on how to reach and engage with young people in schools, youth groups, community groups or on an individual level. 

This course focusses on how you can maximise interaction, develop your communications skills to connect with young people, plan engagement activities and pitch language appropriately.

Connecting with young people from the outset is crucial to maximising the quality of data you collect for research projects. The course covers how you can do that effectively as well as building strong working relationships with teachers, schools or youth organisations. 

The learning outcomes are to:
•    Identify the steps required to plan meaningful engagement activities
•    Gain the knowledge to design meaningful engagement activities
•    Develop your confidence to carry out engagement activities at a high-level
•    Understanding safeguarding and sensitive topics – the do’s and don’ts of working with young people. 

At the end of this course, you’ll receive a certificate stating the number of learning hours you have undertaken.

LifeLab

Have you ever thought about becoming a doctor? 

LifeLab would like to invite pupils currently in Years 9, 10 and 11 who are interested in finding out more about becoming a doctor to attend our Summer School on 23rd and 24th July 2026.

Participants will spend two days at University Hospital Southampton where they will gain experience of what it is like to train and work as a doctor.

Participants will have the chance to:

• Learn how to perform clinical skills such as suturing and practice these on a model
• Experience anatomy and pathology teaching
• Talk to medical students about training as a doctor and find out how the application process works
• Listen to our keynote speaker talking about life in medicine
• Talk to doctors about their role

Reserving a place
The two-day course costs £180. All food and drink is included, but participants need to make their own transport arrangements.

Accommodation is not included.

Places are allocated on a first come, first served basis.
After completing the booking process and making payment, you will receive an information pack by email.

Bursary Spaces

We have 10 free bursary spaces available for those pupils who meet 1 of the following criteria:

• In the first generation of immediate family to apply to Higher Education, excluding brothers or sisters and attend a secondary school which achieved below the national average Attainment 8 point score in 2019
• Receive Free School Meals
• Are a Young or Young Adult Carer
• Living or grew up in Local Authority care
• Living in an area with a postcode which falls within the lowest 20 per cent of Index of Multiple Deprivation

Please contact LifeLab by email lifelab@soton.ac.uk as soon as possible if you think you may be eligible and wish to apply for a bursary space.

Please visit our WEBSITE for further information on LifeLab

Payment using the Online Store can only be completed via Visa and Mastercard Credit/Debit Card or PayPal.  AMEX is not accepted.
If you have not previously created an account for the Online Store, you will need to create an account to make a booking.

Please complete the pre-registration application before completing the registration and payment.

Summer Session 2026 - Students for Year 10 and 12 ONLY

Experience Medicine with LifeLab online is a live 6 week online course for students who are interested in studying medicine. Delivered weekly students will experience sessions covering medical ethics, clinical skills, admissions, communication and meet clinical staff.

Have you ever thought about becoming a doctor? Experience Medicine with LifeLab online is a live 6-week online course for students who are interested in studying medicine.

Delivered weekly via MS Teams, students will experience sessions covering medical ethics, clinical skills, admissions, communication and meet clinical staff. 

Participants will have the chance to:

• Understand medical ethics and the impact decisions have
• Practice debating different medical scenarios
• Work through different anatomy case studies
• Ask questions to the medicine admissions team
• Meet the healthcare professionals
• Practice communication skills

As well as live sessions, activities are available online to support your learning and all participants will receive a booklet and certificate of attendance.  

Reserving your place 

The 6-week course costs £150 and places are available on a first come, first served basis. After completing the booking process and making payment, you will receive an information pack by email. 

Please visit our WEBSITE for further information on LifeLab

Payment using the Online Store can only be completed via Visa and Mastercard Credit/Debit Card or PayPal.  AMEX is not accepted.
If you have not previously created an account for the Online Store, you will need to create an account to make a booking.

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To increase the participants’ confidence, enthusiasm and skills in teaching undergraduate medical students.

At the end of this workshop participants will 

• Have a clearer idea of the aims and learning outcomes of primary medical care and how this fits into the overall medical curriculum
• Reflected on ways in which they can help the students learn
• Considered ways of giving feedback to students
• Have had the opportunity to meet with the coordinators and colleagues from other practices to exchange ideas and share good practice

This will be an Virtual workshop.  You will be emailed joining instructions closer to the course date.

• Course Timing 09.30 - 13.30

Payment using the Online Store can only be completed via Visa and Mastercard Credit/Debit Card or PayPal.  AMEX is not accepted.
If you have not previously created an account for the Online Store, you will need to create an account to make a booking.

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To ensure that research and its outcomes meets the needs of patients and public it is vital that they are engaged and involved in its design and delivery. But how can we ensure that their involvement is meaningful? 

You will have access to the course platform until 1st February 2027.

This online learner-led course is designed for and with patients, public and researchers. You will learn about the what, why and how of patient and public involvement and engagement in health and social care research. In this five-module course you will:

• Explore what patient and public involvement and engagement in health and social care research is and why it is so important
• Reflect on the techniques for sharing power and developing relationships to ensure the patient and public voice is heard and has an impact
• Understand the UK public involvement standards which will give you a framework to plan and critique patient and public involvement in any given research scenario
• Develop and apply solutions to common issues and challenges in patient and public involvement and engagement.

This course is ideal for those who are new to or need a refresher on patient and public involvement in research:

• Researchers
• Students
• Staff working in patient and public involvement and engagement

This course is also suitable for public contributors.

Learning outcomes
By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Describe what is meant by patient and public engagement and involvement in research
• Recognise the value and benefits of involving patients and the public in health research
• Differentiate between the different approaches to patient and public involvement  
• Apply the UK public involvement standards to various research scenarios
• Evaluate the quality of patient and public involvement in a given research scenario

Payment using the Online Store can only be completed via Visa and Mastercard Credit/Debit Card or PayPal.  AMEX is not accepted.
If you have not previously created an account for the Online Store, you will need to create an account to make a booking.

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