Charvy Narain
Communications and Public Engagement Manager
Radcliffe Department of Medicine (RDM)
Tell us a bit about your role
My job is to tell everybody about the amazing work happening in our department, whether it’s through press releases, website news stories, or on Twitter. I also keep all staff and students abreast of what they need to do.
I got to where I am in an extremely roundabout way: I did a DPhil at Oxford, followed by nearly ten years as a journal editor, and I then decided to switch careers and did an internship at the Oxford University News Office, handling press releases on all sorts of subjects. I enjoyed this immensely, and after a few other positions where I worked in research communications, I came to work in my current role.
I work closely with communications colleagues across the Division, as well as the central team.
What is the most meaningful aspect of your work?
Taking a piece of scientific work that at first sight seems completely impenetrable to a non-specialist, and writing about it so that it’s interest and excitement is apparent to the lay person.
Can you tell us about something you've done, contributed to that you're most proud of?
Supporting our staff and students through this really turbulent year: our core departmental team quickly put together resources to support everybody, and it was a big job to get this information out to, while making sure that people felt supported.
What changes would you most like to see in the Medical Sciences in the next 100 years?
More collaborative working – working in a decentralised University has many advantages, but it can also mean that people can sometimes be siloed and duplicate efforts.