To keep the spirit of collaboration and learning alive between its biannual conferences, the European General Practice Research Network (EGPRN) introduced a series of online workshops. What started as a simple idea has grown into a dynamic platform for skill-building, knowledge exchange, and community support in primary care research.
We spoke with the team behind the workshops—Building Bridges Between Meetings: How EGPRN’s Online Workshops Strengthen Community and Research Capacity—about how the initiative began, what it aims to achieve, and the meaningful impact it’s had across the EGPRN network.
Looking back, how did the EGPRN online workshop series come into being? What inspired the decision to launch these sessions?
Ileana Gefaell: I think it was Michael the one who started this EGPRN workshops. He is always willing to offer education and opportunities to the EGPRN members and he thought he could give this workshops as a fresh start for people with little experience or as a reminder for experienced researchers. I joined Sara and Michael after all this started, and I thought it was a great opportunity to learn and help each other during the workshops!
Michael Harris: We also felt that there was a need for the EGPRN to provide something educations to our members in between the six-monthly meetings, and in addition to (but not replacing) the in-person pre-conference workshops.
What were your main goals when starting the series, and how do you feel they aligned with EGPRN’s broader mission to advance primary care research?
Ileana Gefaell: From my perspective, we aimed to respond to the EGPRN members' eagerness to learn more. It is a way to learn all together and adjust to the EGPRN members' needs. And of course it is a great opportunity to have fun and see each other between the EGPRN conferences.
Michael Harris: While some EGPRN members have a lot of research experience, some don’t have this, and they don’t all have access to primary care-specific teaching in their own countries. Learning about the basics of research methods is the first step in helping them to do their own high-quality primary care research.
Sara Ares Blanco: I believe it’s also important to build a community of researchers around the meetings. Not everyone can attend in person, so having opportunities to learn, reflect, and share concerns outside of the meetings is essential. It helps maintain momentum and enthusiasm for research—especially since working in primary care research can often feel isolating.
The most recent workshop focused on understanding cohort and case-control studies. Why was this topic particularly relevant to your audience?
Ileana Gefaell: We offer 3 workshops between each EGPRN meeting, 6 over the whole year. We have a mix of workshops on understanding research methods, planning and doing research, understanding medical statistics, and one on how to present in the conferences. For example, this year we started with 'How to organise international collaborative research', the next was on 'How to give an Oral Presentation’, and, before the summer, it was time for some research methods! In Primary Care research we do a lot of observational studies and sometimes we struggle when we are trying to find the best feasible option. Through this workshop we want to support those EGPRN members who want to do observational analytical studies!
Michael Harris: We’ve already run workshops on other key research methods, but in our survey 53% of members said that they wanted a workshop on ‘How to understand case-control and cohort studies’ - so that’s what we have given them.
How did you choose the workshop topics overall? Were they based on gaps in knowledge, emerging research trends, or feedback from EGPRN members?
Ileana Gefaell: Michael usually sends a survey to all EGPRN members. Members can vote for different topics, or propose new ones. Sometimes we try to help people to prepare for the EGPRN conference, for instance before the next EGPRN meeting in Bulgaria we will give a workshop on qualitative methods.
Michael Harris: We also use the survey to find out members’ preferred days and times for the workshops. Tuesdays and Thursdays are the most popular days, and most people prefer the sessions to be in the evening. But that’s not possible for everyone, so we aim to rotate the times and days.
Sara Ares Blanco: We follow the survey guidelines, but we also aim to include more methodological workshops—some of them with a practical focus—so there’s something thought-provoking and useful for all members.
Can you walk us through the format and structure of a typical workshop? How did you balance content delivery with engagement and interactivity?
Ileana Gefaell: Michael and Sara have a lot of experience in teaching, they both know that the better way to learn is through participation, we always try to make it the most interactive as possible, and we try to learn together by thinking on the research questions and how epidemiology or statistics can help us, rather than giving the longest lecture!
Michael Harris: All our workshops are very interactive, with discussions and Slido questions. Usually two of us present them together, so that delegates can experience different teaching styles. While some of our workshops last an hour, the ones that involve critically appraising a paper take 100 minutes, including a short break.
Sara Ares Blanco: I believe it’s important to keep things concise, use clear examples, and share enthusiasm, especially when we're teaching content that’s meant to support everyday research. I’m also a fan of the BMJ Christmas edition—it’s a great way to capture attention with original and engaging topics. I think fun should always walk alongside research.
What was the overall reception like? Are there any success stories, highlights, or participant feedback that particularly stand out?
Ileana Gefaell: we always send a survey right after the workshop, to get feedback. It is very important to improve and to see what the EGPRN members want and enjoy about the workshops. We always learn a lot from the feedback people give us, and use that to make improvements to the next workshops. While we thought most people would participate because they want to learn about research, we find that some experts take part because they want to learn how to teach about the subject.
Sara Ares Blanco: We’re very grateful for the positive feedback we receive after each EGPRN workshop. We also appreciate the constructive criticism, as it highlights areas where we can improve. It’s encouraging to be part of an honest and supportive community—one that helps us grow while continuously improving the quality of our workshops.
How did offering these workshops online impact your reach and engagement — especially with members who may not regularly attend in-person conferences?
Ileana Gefaell: For some people is the only way to get to the EGPRN workshops, and there are people from many different countries. Online workshops give that possibility, although ideally it would be lovely to see each other in person.
Michael Harris: We usually get between 60 and 90 registering for each workshop, which indicates how much need there is for them.
Sara Ares Blanco: I think it helps me stay focused and continuously look for new ideas that are exciting and engaging—for both the listeners and myself. And I always learn something from Michael Harris and Ileana Gefaell, which truly feels like a gift.
What did you learn through the process of organizing and delivering this series? Were there any unexpected challenges or surprising outcomes?
Ileana Gefaell: I have learned a lot about MIchael and Sara, they are wonderful teachers and researchers. They have helped me grow as a researcher and helped me assess the need of other member. We have realised that many EGPRN share common research gaps and concerns related to publishing and the conferences itself, and to me it is great how this can bring us together.
Michael Harris: I’ve learnt a huge amount from both Sara and Ileana. We work well together as a team. Each of us contributes different ideas, but we’re equally enthusiastic to produce high-quality teaching that’s useful for our EGPRN colleagues.
Sara Ares Blanco: I’m in very good company with Michal and Ileana. From Michael, I’ve learned how to organize workshops, take thorough notes, and develop a structured working methodology. Ileana has brought a wealth of inspiring research examples—always delivered with great enthusiasm and joy.
Do you see the workshop series continuing in some form in the future? Are there plans to evolve the format, add new topics, or collaborate with other networks?
Ileana Gefaell: We will always try to use better techonologies, better interactions and we will always count on the opinion of the audience, therefore we are open to new topics and collaborations. However, in the near future we will maintain the same approach with new and interesting topics in the EGPRN.
Michael Harris: Yes, the format of having three workshops in between each EGPRN meeting seems to work well, so we will continue with that. We’ll soon survey the EGPRN members again to find out what they still want us to cover. It may be that some of them want to join us in teaching some of the workshops, which would be exciting.
Finally, what did you personally enjoy or find most meaningful about leading and facilitating these workshops?
Ileana Gefaell: As I said earlier, learning is a way of enjoying, spending time preparing the workshops with Sara and Michael, being able to help others and share common interests is the most meaningful part of this project.
Michael Harris: Ileana, you have said the things that I was going to say! Working with Ileana and Sara - as well as with Burak, our amazing IT expert - is a lot of fun. I feel privileged to be able to do this work.
Sara Ares Blanco: I fully agree with both of my colleagues—I respect and admire them greatly. It’s also wonderful to have Burak and Mine on the team; they make our work much easier. I truly hope we can continue working together in the future.