Amy Connelly is a Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) specialist at Heriot-Watt University, where she works to ensure that patients, carers and communities have a meaningful voice in shaping health research, innovation and decision-making.

At 27, Amy has established herself as a recognised leader in public involvement, helping researchers, health professionals and organisations move beyond consultation towards genuine co-production. She believes that the people most affected by research and innovation should play a central role in shaping it and is passionate about making involvement accessible, inclusive and meaningful for everyone. A key focus of her work is reducing barriers to participation and creating opportunities for people whose voices are often underrepresented in research.

Amy leads and develops involvement activities across major health and research initiatives in Scotland, creating inclusive approaches that enable diverse communities to influence priorities, funding decisions and the development of new technologies.

One of her most significant achievements has been developing and coordinating the Tay Health Tech Citizens Assembly, bringing members of the public together with researchers and innovators to help shape the future of health technology. Through this work, she has championed a model that values community perspectives alongside academic and professional expertise, ensuring innovation is informed by the people it is intended to benefit.

Amy has also played a leading role in public involvement for CONSOLIDATE, a UK-wide dementia network bringing together researchers, people living with dementia, unpaid carers and community organisations. By embedding lived experience throughout the programme, she has helped ensure those most affected by dementia play an active role in shaping research priorities and future directions.

Her work has gained national recognition as an example of meaningful public involvement in practice. Alongside delivering projects, Amy supports researchers and organisations to strengthen their PPIE practice and promotes approaches that centre accessibility, inclusion and lived experience. Through her work, she is helping to reshape health research culture in Scotland, demonstrating that when communities are treated as partners, research becomes more relevant, equitable and impactful.