A round-up of all the activity on the sixth annual Biomedical Science Day.
The biggest ever Biomedical Science Day saw thousands of members celebrating the profession and millions of people reached online. The day was held on 9 June with members promoting their vital work to the public and colleagues in healthcare, as well as NHS decision-makers.
The hashtags #AtTheHeartOfHealthcare and #BiomedicalScienceDay2022 trended in the top five on social media and are estimated to have reached more than four million people.
Prominent politicians (see box, below) and influential organisations and individuals tweeted their support, while thousands of IBMS members took part both virtually and face to face.
Public engagement events and laboratory tours took place across the UK and hundreds of members set up stands for the public and medical colleagues in hospital foyers.
The celebrations continued online, with members following and engaging with the IBMS social media channels.
Political support
The following politicians tweeted their support for the profession on Biomedical Science Day:
Caroline Dinenage MP – Conservative MP for Gosport
Rachel Hopkins MP – Labour MP for Luton South
Ben Everitt MP – Conservative MP for Milton Keynes North
Stuart Anderson MP – Conservative MP for Wolverhampton South West
Liz Twist MP – Labour MP for Blaydon
Karen Bradley MP – Conservative MP for Staffordshire Moorlands
Martyn Day MP – SNP MP for Linlithgow and East Falkirk
David Duguid MP – Conservative and Unionist MP for Banff and Buchan
Colm Gildernew MLA – Sinn Féin MLA for Fermanagh South Tyrone
Lord Bethell – Conservative politician in the House of Lords
As ever, participation and enthusiasm was high on social media, as the IBMS encouraged members to use the hashtags #BiomedicalScienceDay2022 and #AtTheHeartOfHealthcare.
On Twitter, #BiomedicalScienceDay2022 was trending for most of the day and was used in posts 4212 times, with a total of 1467 accounts sharing the posts.
Some of the top accounts that posted and used the hashtag included the UKHSA, Lord Bethall and the best-selling author Dr Amir Khan.
On the day, more than 65,000 people viewed the IBMS Facebook gallery, where pictures were posted from labs around the UK, while on Instagram and TikTok members and NHS trusts shared creative photos and videos of their celebrations, hosted live streams explaining their roles and held virtual tours of their labs.
Members who tagged @IBMScience were included in the IBMS Instagram and Facebook story, chronicling the highlights of the day. These posts can still be viewed on the IBMS Instagram account under “highlights”.
Communications teams in hospitals, trusts and university laboratories once again handed their social media accounts over to their pathology staff and allowed them to celebrate and inform their followers about the skills and expertise involved in biomedical science.
The IBMS had over 700 entries to its competitions – with members sharing photo and video submissions, including hundreds for the popular “Biomedical Bake” and “Biomedical Meme” contests.
Members also set up their own public engagement events, with 264 event packs distributed for members’ events across the UK and 32 members’ activities were given IBMS funding, totalling over £14,000 in grants.
IBMS Council member and Lecturer in Biomedical Science Tahmina Hussain hosted a popular “Here to Help” webinar, providing career advice and tips for students on the day, with the webinar receiving very positive feedback from attendees.
Fast facts: Social media
4212 Biomedical Science Day tweets
4m potential audience reached on Twitter
65,000 people viewed the IBMS Facebook gallery of images on the day