Centre for Preventive Neurology Symposium

On 7 November 2025, more than 100 delegates gathered at the QMUL Graduate Centre, Queen Mary University of London for the 2nd Annual Centre for Preventive Neurology (CPN) Symposium. The event brought together clinicians, researchers, patients and community partners with a shared interest in early detection and prevention of neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s and dementia.

A notable part of the day was the contribution of peer researchers who spoke about their involvement in this project. They reflected on how their lived experience shaped their participation and thinking about research. We hope these reflections helped the audience to see research not simply as something done to people, but as something done with people whose experiences matter to the framing of questions and interpretation of findings.

We hope this session encouraged symposium attendees, many of whom were scientists, clinicians and early career researchers, to think about knowledge as co-produced and situated within real lives.

The presence of peer researchers at the symposium highlighted the value of participatory approaches in and across the CPN and preventive neurology more broadly, and helped underline that experiential knowledge has a legitimate and necessary role in shaping both research agendas and practice.