Research for members

We all benefit in numerous ways from research, almost every aspect of our lives has been improved by it. Medicines, surgeries, equipment, access, rights: all these are the result of research.

Shine members who participate in research are contributing towards the health, wellbeing, care, and treatment of huge numbers of people who are living with spina bifida and hydrocephalus, as well as others who may have these conditions in the future. Read about our research participation opportunities. 

Members might have different reasons for wanting to be involved in research and may value different aspects of participating, examples of the benefits of taking part include: 

• To help improve health, wellbeing, and/or quality of life for yourself and others
• To take an active role in your own health and condition management 
• To gain greater understanding of your own condition, and to help others to understand it  
• To contribute towards the advancement of science 
• To help combat feelings of helplessness 
• To do something interesting 
• To meet new people - including others with the condition, and professionals with relevant expertise 
• To improve the reliability of research by having more participants 
• To have your experience, perspective, and needs specifically considered in research 

Learning about the findings from research that has taken place has a lot of similar benefits, which is why we have created a Science & Research News section on our website to help keep you informed.