Collaboration for Academic Primary Care (APEx) Blog
Collaboration for Academic Primary Care (APEx) Blog
Posted by ma403
9 May 2025Last week I had the chance to attend the Cancer in Primary Care Research International (Ca-PRI) conference at The Lowry in Manchester.Ca-PRI is a two day conference that explores the latest research in primary care related to cancer, featuring a wide range of fields including genetics, epidemiology, inequalities and mental health considerations.
Equity was a big theme running throughout the conference and this was a good fit for the interdisciplinary audience. Too often representation is left as a footnote in a limitations section, and it was great to see this put at the forefront of the discussion. It’s particularly important for messages on racial disparity to reach policymakers and clinicians as well as a public audience.
It was two solid days of thoughtful research that made us all hopeful about the future of the field. In a world that sometimes feels very divided, conferences like Ca-PRI brings everyone closer together to challenge the problems of today and tomorrow. Adaptation to new challenges is vital to continued success, and the backdrop of Old Trafford was a powerful, constant reminder of how badly things can turn without forward planning.
The final session of the conference featured an ideas pitch which provided a unique platform for pitching half-baked ideas. Usually conference talks are finished, polished pieces of work but the ideas pitch gave a valuable opportunity to float ideas at an earlier stage, which I wish more conferences did. I found the experience highly valuable as I gained feedback from a clinical audience on a grant I intend to write soon.
As a mathematician that works across a lot of different disease fields, Ca-PRI was a fantastic opportunity to meet key figures in the field and keep up with the latest research. I look forward to 2026 in Utrecht!
Harry
