.jpg)
What is Let’s Chat Medicine?
Let’s Chat Medicine (LCM) is a collaborative and innovative public engagement project which brings together scientific researchers, young people and creative professionals to create meaningful education opportunities and lasting communication centred on the theme of personalised medicine. The innovative public engagement and involvement (PEI) process centres on a week-long programme of learning and co-creation where young people learn from active researchers at Systems Biology Ireland in UCD after which they engage in a co-creation process to develop themed posters on different aspects of personalised medicine. In 2025, the participants created eight posters on the topics of DNA, mutations, personalised medicine, genomics data and digital twins.
These posters will be displayed and presented in the public domain by the Let’s Chat Medicine team throughout Autumn 2025 and Spring 2026, engaging people from all walks of life in conversation about personalised medicine through the visual interpretation and creativity of our young participants. The LCM PEI cycle is delivered by Systems Biology Ireland, in partnership with (opens in a new window)Barretstown, (opens in a new window)CanTeen Ireland, (opens in a new window)Genomic Data Infrastructure Ireland and the Young Person’s Advisory Group at the National Children's Cancer Service and is funded by Research Ireland. To date (August 2025), there have been two co-creation weeks involving teens in creating themed posters. One entire PEI cycle was completed in 2024, and the 2025 cycle is underway.
The Let’s Chat Medicine Team are currently working in the background on Let’s Chat Medicine content and are in the process of booking events for displaying the student’s work from the co-creation week in 2025. Please contact us at lcm@ucd.ie if you are interested in having the posters on display at your venue or event in Autumn 2025 or Spring 2026.
If you are interested in the work of this programme please let us know and keep an eye on our social media - we are on Instagram! (opens in a new window)@lets.chat.medicine
Can I participate in Let’s Chat Medicine?
If you will be 15-18 years old in 2026, have interest in science and/or art and live in Ireland, then yes! Please get in touch with us to register your interest or keep an eye out here and on our social media for the new round of applications in Spring 2026.
Can you tell me more about the Let’s Chat Medicine PEI cycle?
Stage 1:Recruitment of 30 young people aged 15-18 years old, who are passionate about science and medicine.
Stage 2: “Co-Creation”: Young participants join scientific researchers at UCD Campus to engage in educational and interactive workshops, where they learn about personalised medicine. Following this, participants spend 3 days at Barretstown Campus working with science communicators and artists to put what they had learned about personalised medicine into artistic visuals. Visuals from 2024’s workshop can be accessed here.
Stage 3: “Amplification”: Visuals, depicting topics of personalised medicine, are shared at public facing events. Details of upcoming events will be posted here.
Stage 4: “Progression”: Young participants and scientific researchers involved in the Let’s Chat Medicine co-creation stage are signposted to alternative PEI opportunities. And so, the public engagement and involvement cycle continues! For upcoming opportunities, please click here.
Let’s Chat Medicine Programme 2025
Let’s Chat Medicine co-creation week ran from 2nd-6th June 2025 in University College Dublin campus and Barretstown. We had an extremely successful and productive co-creation week with 38 young participants completing our programme of events. Over the course of the five days the Let's Chat Medicine teen participants took part in workshops from a variety of researchers, science communicators and professional artists including our own Systems Biology Ireland teaching staff and early career researchers, members of Genomics Data Infrastructure Ireland, science communicators Claire O’Connell and Niamh Shaw and science illustrator Eleonora Nigro.
The culmination of the workshops and co-creation sessions was an incredible presentation by our participants where they pitched their completed science communication posters to a panel of judges across all of the topics that they learned about earlier in the week; ranging from DNA bonding to genomics data storage and the considerations of personalised medicine. The week had a big impact on our young people, inspiring them towards careers in science and connecting them with like-minded peers with an interest in STEM and personalised medicine.
The Let’s Chat Medicine team is continuing to engage our students as we embark on presenting the work to the public - stay tuned for updates as we continue this collaboration into the coming months.
See the photos from the 2025 week (opens in a new window)here.
