University Programme
The Silverlining is making a real impact through university partnerships.
The Silverlining Brain Injury Charity has proudly collaborated with Aston University for almost five years through our Experts by Experience Programme and Pathway to Healthcare Programme. Through this partnership, Silverliners share their lived experiences of brain injury and recovery with medical students, enriching learning and deepening understanding of brain injury beyond clinical theory.
By placing lived experience at the heart of medical education, Silverliners support future healthcare professionals to develop empathy, insight, and confidence when working with people affected by brain injury. This collaboration has already led to published academic research, including a peer-reviewed paper exploring how Expert by Experience (EBE) perspectives can be meaningfully integrated into early medical education. Building on this work, a practical Toolkit has been developed to support wider adoption of patient-engaged learning across medical training.
We are now extending this collaboration through an exciting podcast project with Aston University, which builds on the impact of the Toolkit and further amplifies the value of meaningful partnership between students, faculty, and patients. Each podcast episode will explore a specific theme, offering powerful insights into what brain injury survivors want future doctors to understand—highlighting perspectives often missing from textbooks. Episodes will include honest conversations about lived experience, daily life, long-term challenges, and achievements after brain injury, bringing learning to life through authentic voices.
This evolving programme creates valuable opportunities for Silverliners to work alongside medical students and academics, sharing personal narratives that challenge myths, deepen understanding, and celebrate resilience. Together, we are shaping a more compassionate, informed, and inclusive approach to healthcare education.
Silverlining is now developing and expanding partnerships with other universities and colleges. If you would like to be involved or learn more about our University Programme, please contact sharon@thesilverlining.org.uk.
