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Presenting SERVED at the KCL Veterans’ Mental Health Conference

SERVED – Supporting Evidence-based Research for Veterans Experiencing Dementia

We are pleased to share that Dr Michele Board recently had the wonderful opportunity to present at the Veterans’ Mental Health Conference at King’s College London on 19th May, an event dedicated to sharing research, lived experiences, and innovations aimed at improving mental health outcomes for our veteran community.
Why dementia matters in the veteran community
Dementia is a growing public health concern, and its impact within the veteran population deserves special attention. Military service can expose individuals to unique risk factors — such as traumatic brain injury, PTSD, and heightened stress exposure — which research suggests may influence cognitive health later in life. Despite this, dementia in veterans is still a relatively under-researched and under-acknowledged issue.
Key points from the conference
We were delighted to present some of the work we have been doing with veterans as part of the SERVED project and showcase excerpts of our documentary film, highlighting the need for increased focus on tailored, veteran-specific approaches to dementia care and support.
In the session, Michele shared findings from our research, including the relevance of dementia awareness, as well as findings from the workshops we ran with veterans living with dementia and their carers. One of the striking points Michele raised is that much of the existing research in this field has been predominantly US-based. In fact, a recent literature review found no published studies on UK veterans’ experiences of dementia at the time of searching.
Stigma around dementia remains a challenge within the general public, and it may be even more pronounced in military culture. Combined with increased exposure to risk factors within the military for developing dementia, this makes awareness-raising within veteran communities especially important. Encouraging open conversations about memory concerns and dementia could make a real difference in helping veterans seek support earlier, improving outcomes and quality of life.
What’s next?
Presenting at this conference wasn’t just about sharing our research — it was about starting conversations and building connections. Conversations about how we ensure no veteran feels isolated or overlooked as they age, and how we integrate dementia support into the wider framework of support for veterans. The discussions sparked at the conference led to new interest and increased awareness within the veteran community, highlighting the need to keep pushing this important agenda forward.
Presenting at this conference wasn’t just about sharing our research — it was about starting conversations and building connections. Conversations about how we ensure no veteran feels isolated or overlooked as they age, and how we integrate dementia support into the wider framework of support for veterans. The discussions sparked at the conference led to new interest and increased awareness within the veteran community, highlighting the need to keep pushing this important agenda forward.
Final thoughts
We’re very grateful to King’s College London and the Forces in Mind Trust for providing a platform to shine a light on this important issue, and we look forward to seeing how this conversation continues to grow.

The Wessex Nutrition Research Network and the INFORmED project

Discover how we can work together to improve the lives of people living in Wessex through nutrition research.

We need you for a short meeting: 

Are you Interested in research and nutrition?

Do you want to improve nutritional outcomes across the life course?

If so, please come to one of our engagement events (online or face-to-face) to share your priorities and experiences.

Key dates:

Online: Tuesday 1st July (12.30 – 2.30 pm) or Wednesday 2nd July (9.30-11.30 am)

or

In-person: Wednesday 9th July (10 am to 2 pm, Registration from 9.30 am) Room LE30 at University Hospital Southampton, SO16 6YD

The Wessex Nutrition Research Network and the INFORmED project are a new Wessex Health Partners collaboration led by University Hospital Southampton and Bournemouth University, which aims to improve nutritional health outcomes across the life course.

The‘INFORmED’ project focuses on Improving Nutritional Outcomes for people across Wessex by Engaging Dietitians and Nutritionists in Research. Specifically, we aim to:

Connect dietitians, nutritionists, organisations, patients, the public, and the community with a shared interest in nutrition.

Collaborate to improve the lives of people living in Wessex.

Develop a sustainable, collaborative, inclusive network to tackle key nutritional challenges and priorities across the life-course to improve health and well-being in Wessex.

Grow new research capability in nutrition interdisciplinary research led by underrepresented professions, and in particular, dietitians and nutritionists

‘INFORmED’ engagement events are open to anyone interested in improving nutrition across Wessex. We particularly encourage dietitians, nutritionists, and managers who are interested in getting started or developing their clinical academic journey, as well as those interested in overweight, obesity, and young people.

We are delighted to invite attendees to an event supporting dietitians and nutritionists of all grades (pre- and post-registration; ANutr and RNutr) across Wessex to engage in research and evidence-based opportunities.

Educators, managers, academics, community/council members, interested organisations/individuals, and industry representatives are also welcome.

These events are aimed at anyone interested in starting in or advancing their clinical academic ambitions in nutrition research.

If you would like to attend, please complete this ‘Eventbrite’ https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1394795052549?aff=oddtdtcreator

and a short survey (https://forms.office.com/e/j8dP8BHPey). The survey includes a short scoping survey that will be used at the engagement event.

 

Survey link:

https://forms.office.com/e/j8dP8BHPey

Congratulations to Dr Fiona Knight – UKCGE (UK Council for Graduate Education) status

We would like to congratulate Dr Fiona Knight, Head of Doctoral College, who has been awarded the UKCGE (UK Council for Graduate Education) status of Recognised Research Supervisor. Her submission was “Highly Commended” for the extensive experience, critical insights and deep personal and institutional engagements to her practice, and her application was considered to demonstrate an approach which is student-centred, ethical, and aligned with best practices.

The scheme is open to all supervisors, whether new to supervision or established within the role, to apply for national recognition of doctoral supervision from the UKCGE. Two levels of recognition are available, depending on the level of experience:

  • Recognised Supervisor (full award) — for those who have seen doctoral candidates through final examination and completion
  • Recognised Associate Supervisor – for those who have not seen doctoral candidates through final examination and completion and/​or are involved in research supervision ​‘informally’.

 

BU now has over 25 recognised research supervisors. In order to achieve this status you will be required to:

 

For further information, to register your interest or to have discuss an application, please email the Doctoral College (doctoralcollege@bournemouth.ac.uk). The Doctoral College will meet the cost of applications submitted by BU supervisors.

 

Next application deadline:

 

BU Window Closes UKCGE Window Closes Expected Outcome
 13 June 2025 20 June 2025 September 2025

 

Complete applications should be submitted to Dr Fiona Knight (fknight@bournemouth.ac.uk) by the above deadlines.

 

Best wishes,

The Doctoral College

St Deny’s Activity Group presents at Community Voices Webinar

St Deny’s Activity Group presents at Community Voices Webinar on Wednesday,11th June 12-13pm. The June community Webinar will welcome Anne Cato and Paulette Julius from St Denys Activity Group to share insight on activities they do to improve mental health and wellbeing to members of their community, as well as their involvement with cancer awareness and research activities.

Research process seminar. Culturally Responsive Focus Groups: Purposes, Practices, and Possibilities. 24th June at 2pm on Zoom

You are warmly welcomed to the next research process seminar. Hosted by the Faculty of Media and Communication but open to all.

Culturally Responsive Focus Groups: Purposes, Practices, and Possibilities

I will explore the purposes and practices of culturally responsive (CR) focus groups as a powerful qualitative research method, based on my book, Focus Groups: Culturally Responsive Approaches for Qualitative Inquiry and Program Evaluation (Hall, 2020). Culturally responsive focus groups go beyond traditional approaches by intentionally centering the cultural contexts, lived experiences, and knowledge systems of participants—especially those from historically marginalized communities.

Participants will gain insight into what makes a focus group culturally responsive and how this orientation influences decisions across the research design, from recruitment and protocol development to facilitation and analysis. I will outline when and why CR focus groups are particularly valuable, and I’ll share key considerations for their successful implementation, including attention to power dynamics, group composition, language, and cultural humility.

About the speaker

Jori N. Hall is a President’s Distinguished Professor at the University of Illinois Chicago. Hall’s research is concerned with social inequalities andenhancing the robustness of social science research methodologies. Her scholarly pursuits address issues of research methodology, cultural responsiveness, and the nuanced interplay of values and privilege across evaluation, education, and health domains. Hall has published numerous peer-reviewed works in scholarly venues. She is also the author of the acclaimed book “Focus Groups: Culturally Responsive Approaches for Qualitative Inquiry and Program Evaluation.” Notably, she was honored as a Leaders of Equitable Evaluation and Diversity (LEEAD) fellow by The Annie E. Casey Foundation. She was also the Co-Editor-in-Chief for the “American Journal of Evaluation.”

About the research process seminar series:

The purpose of this research seminar series is different to your typical research seminar and conference presentation. Instead of presenting the results and outcomes of research, we want to share good practices around the process of doing research. This might often involve a focus on research methods but it also includes aspects of publishing, writing, time management, career management etc.

The idea here is that the speaker takes us through the anatomy of the project or approach focussing particularly on the process – the challenges, the successes, and the failures. For the audience, we walk away with a practical application of a method or approach we may not be familiar with or may not have applied in this way before. Our ambition is to make us all better researchers as a result.

2-3pm, Tuesday 24th June on Zoom

Register here: https://bournemouth-ac-uk.zoom.us/meeting/register/buiws7xORiCEX-RzyGvpDA

And if you want the recording but can’t make the event then please register and I will send it to you.

all the best

Dan

Postgraduate Research Summer Social – 2 weeks to go!

PG research

2 weeks to go till the Postgraduate Research Summer Social. We’re so excited to welcome you to the Branksome Dene Room for an afternoon of patio games, delicious food and sunshine by the beach! 

We’ve booked this stunning location for the exclusive use of PGRs and Supervisors for the afternoon to unwind and reconnect up with your fellow researchers and academics.

The Doctoral College PGR events at Branksome Dene Room are always a hit so we hope you can join us!

We are pleased to offer a Greek style lunch menu including a pita with your choice of filling (chicken souvlaki, vegetarian or vegan) served with chips, a salad bar, teas, coffees and soft drinks! You are also welcome to bring your own refreshments to enjoy.

Register here

Ticket: £5

Please note there are limited spaces available, so please book as soon as possible if you would like to attend. 

If you have any questions, please do get in touch: pgrskillsdevelopment@bournemouth.ac.uk

LinkedIn: Doctoral College – Bournemouth University

X: @BUDocCollege | #BUDoctoralCollege

RKEDF June Digest – development opportunities

Training


Book now for RKEDF training in June 2025 

Click on the titles to find further details and book your place 

RKEDF: Principal Investigation – Post Award for RKE 

Wednesday 4th June 13:00-14:30 – in person, Talbot Campus 

This session is aimed at any researcher who is, who plans to be, a Principal Investigator for an externally funded research or knowledge exchange project. By the end of the session, attendees will have a strong foundation of what to expect when being responsible for their awarded projects. Topics covered include:   

  • What is post award? • Roles and responsibilities • Systems
  • Key policies • Starting your awarded project • Making changes to your project and reporting • Hints and tips

Developing Policy Engagement for Impact 

Wednesday 11th June 09:00-13:30 – online 

Are you preparing an impact case study for REF 2029? Do you need expert advice on navigating the policy landscape to ensure your research reaches decision makers? If so, this online workshop is perfect for you.  Carys Davis, a public affairs and policy consultant from The Other Place Public Affairs Ltd., will lead this workshop. RDS’s Impact Team will be present to offer support and guidance.  Gain valuable insights and practical tips to effectively engage with policy makers and highlight your research. 

This workshop is primarily aimed at researchers working on impact case studies for REF 2029, who will be given priority for registration. If you’re unsure whether this is suitable for you, please consult your UOA impact champion.  This workshop will be held online via Zoom. The link will be sent out closer to the date. 

BRIAN drop in surgery 

Tuesday 17th June 13:00-15:00 – in person, BG-315, Lansdowne Campus 

This is an in person, 2 hour drop in surgery for questions or issues relating to BRIAN.  No question is a stupid question so pop in and ask.  No booking required. 

RSA: Getting Started, Securing Funding, and Advancing Your Career 

Thursday 19th June – 10:00 – 14:30 – in person, Talbot Campus 

This in-person event will take place over lunch and is dedicated to providing support, inspiration, and encouraging meaningful connections among research staff across all faculties.  There will be expert advice on getting started and securing funding, along with practical tips from peers who will share case study examples of successful grants and lessons learned. By the end of the session, you’ll have valuable tools to navigate funding opportunities and plan your next steps—whether in academia or beyond. It is also a great opportunity to connect with colleagues and be part of a supportive research community.  Open to all BU research staff, no matter where you are in your research journey. 

Getting your REF impact case study off the ground 

Thursday 26th June – 09:30 – 12:30, in person, Tabot Campus 

This practical workshop gives you the opportunity to plan your impact case study. Starting this process early can help to gain much-needed clarity, both about your impact project(s) and about expectations for the final product for REF2029. In this workshop, Bella Reichard will guide you through creating (1) a narrative arc for your impact case study, and (2) an action plan to progress and evidence your impacts.   

This workshop is for anyone who is considering preparing an impact case study for submission to REF2029. You may have submitted drafts to internal REF mock exercises in 2023 or 2024. You may be new to the process, in which case please let your relevant BU Impact Champion know that you’re interested in preparing a case study.  This workshop is not limited to a single person per potential case study. If several academics are collaborating on a project it can be very useful to attend together. 

Epigeum Research Skills Toolkit 

Do you want to refresh your researcher skills? Have a look at the Epigeum Research Skills Toolkit (on demand online modules).  Further information on how to access Epigeum courses can be found here.
 

Links for further RKE information and support are below: 

RKE SharePoint page: RKE – Home 

RKEDF SharePoint for development opportunities: Research and Knowledge Exchange Development Framework RKEDF – Home 

RKEDF Brightspace: Homepage – Research & Knowledge Exchange Development Framework  

Please help us in avoiding any waste of resources; make sure you can attend or cancel your booking prior to the session. For any further information, please contact RKEDF@bournemouth.ac.uk   

RSA: Getting Started, Securing Funding, and Advancing Your Career

Join the BU Research Staff Association (RSA) for the 2025 Away Day on Thursday 19th June, Talbot Campus 10:00 – 14:30

This in-person event will take place over lunch and is dedicated to providing support, inspiration, and encouraging meaningful connections among research staff across all faculties.

There will be expert advice on getting started and securing funding, along with practical tips from peers who will share case study examples of successful grants and lessons learned. By the end of the session, you’ll have valuable tools to navigate funding opportunities and plan your next steps—whether in academia or beyond. It is also a great opportunity to connect with colleagues and be part of a supportive research community.

Open to all BU ‘research only’ staff, no matter where you are in your research journey.

For further information on this event please contact Pooja Shah shahp@bournemouth.ac.uk or Gladys Yinusa, yinusagg@bournemouth.ac.uk

BOOK YOUR PLACE HERE

Research process seminar. 3rd June on Zoom. Thinking about epistemology – where do we start as researchers and how to make that word more exciting than it sounds?

You are warmly welcomed to this week’s research process seminar.

Thinking about epistemology – where do we start as researchers and how to make that word more exciting than it sounds?

When we approach research, do we have an overarching structure of objectives that keeps us on topic and helps us to keep our work focused and efficient ? Instinctively, we know what we are trying to do, but so often there will be forks or bumps in the road, and some wider structural architecture is useful to help us negotiate those. We have a number of traditional choices as researchers, and while these are well suited to some types of research, they are lacking for some others. So this talk suggests a pragmatic option for media research, and one that adds value and the dimension of explanation for our work.

About the speaker:

Professor Richard Thomas is the Head of the School of Culture and Communication at Swansea University. In this role, he oversees the operations of the subject areas of English Literature, Applied Linguistics, Modern Languages, Welsh, History, Classics and Media. His research concerns the quantifying and qualifying of the trends and patterns in the coverage of economics, business, finance, politics and conflict by a range of news outlets ranging from TV and radio to online blogging and social media. He is the co-author of “Reporting Elections: Rethinking the Logic of Campaign Coverage” and has published many other journal articles and book chapters. He was the CO-Investigator in a joint Cardiff University/Swansea University project examining Alternative Political Online News. He has also been engaged in other research commissioned by and working with, media regulators. He is the Global Chair of the Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters Degree Advisory Board, working with journalists from across the world.

Tuesday 3rd June at 2pm

Please register in advance here: https://bournemouth-ac-uk.zoom.us/meeting/register/AjyvCtXkS2q5XClHiqBMOQ

And if you cannot make it but want the recording then please register.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://bournemouth-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/82472410837?pwd=Q2jFktKc9a80cka4ytnQ5QQEA8fzaz.1

Meeting ID: 824 7241 0837
Passcode: 8a7?!k5R

New systematic review published by PhD student

PG research, Publishing

PhD student Barbara Pope, supervised by Dr Leslie Gelling, Dr Chantel Cox and Dr Sharon Holland, has published a new systematic review in the Journal of Clinical Nursing. This review seeks to explore current evidence on the experiences of spouses when their partner with dementia moves into a care home. Analysis of the eight research studies included in this review identified three broad themes: (a) loss of a shared life, (b) visiting their partner in a care home and (c) grief, depression and ‘unable to move on’. The full paper can be viewed HERE. For more information about the review, please contact Barbara (bpope@bournemouth.ac.uk).

Enterprise and Innovation sessions for BU researchers

PG research

We are pleased to announce that Matt Desmier [Business Engagement and Knowledge Exchange Manager] will deliver two insightful sessions on Enterprise and Innovation. While these sessions have been specially arranged for the PGR community, all BU researchers are warmly invited to attend.

Communicating with Business and Personal Branding – REGISTER HERE

Tuesday 10 June 9.30-11.30 (Create LT, Fusion Building)

Whether you are planning an academic career, or a career in industry, you will be interacting with businesses and third sector organisations regularly. To do this successfully, it is vitally important to be able to communicate effectively and to build a personal brand. This session will teach you the crucial steps you need to communicate successfully with business: how to understand what their motivations are and align yours with theirs; recognise how you can add value; and know what language to use and when.

Alongside this, it’s vitally important to build credibility and relationships with business, to be visible in the spaces where they are. Predominately this means – but is by no way limited to – having an active presence on LinkedIn. Whilst the algorithm that powers this platform remains a closely guarded secret, this session will show you tried and tested ways to ensure it works in your favour and to create your personal brand.

Developing a Business Idea and Pitching – REGISTER HERE

Wednesday 11 June 9.30-11.30 (Create LT, Fusion Building)

The goal of the most of your interactions with industry will be to get them to do something for you. Whether that’s engage with your research, fund your new product idea, buy some of your consultancy or drop by to speak to your students.  Each ‘ask’ is a pitch and this needs careful crafting to get a positive response. Understanding how and when to pitch is a skill in and of itself. Thankfully it’s not as scary as it sounds. This session will give you the skills you need to pitch successfully.

To enable you to develop a business idea we’ll deliver training based on the two recognised frameworks: the Business Model Canvas and the Innovation Canvas. Both frameworks have been designed to enable individuals and teams to describe their ideas, identify areas that need more development, and understand what value will be delivered and to whom.

 

Best wishes,

The Doctoral College

Supervisory Lunchbite | ESRC South West Doctoral Training Partnership

PG research

ESRC South West Doctoral Training Partnership (SWDTP) Information Session

Are you involved in social science research?

Would you like to supervise of PhD student?

Are you interested in collaborating with the other universities, sharing best practice, resources and academic knowledge?

Would you like to find more?

 

We are pleased to announce a ‘lunchbite’ session oriented toward academic colleagues who are interested in future calls for the ESRC South West Doctoral Training Partnership (SWDTP).

This session is designed to provide more information about the SWDTP, the pathways which Bournemouth University belong to, the timelines for 2026 cohort applications, and aid supervisors with supporting potential applicants.

The SWDTP offers funding for research in eighteen different disciplinary and interdisciplinary pathways, spanning across the social sciences. BU is linked to 3 of those pathways:

To find out more, please join us at the following session:

  • Monday 2 June 2025 | 12-00 – 13:00 | Talbot Campus: Room F306

Register here

Best wishes,

The Doctoral College

MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2025 Call

Funding opportunities

The MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2025 Call is now open for applications. The submission deadline is 10 September 2025.

Documents and further information are available on the EU Portal.

For your convenience, here are links to specific documents:

I would like to remind you that the internal deadline for submission of ItB forms for this call is 7 July 2025 and we expect all proposals to be ready for submission at least two days before the call deadline. We strongly recommend that you submit an ItB as soon as you have decided to apply for this year’s call. Please note that any ItB forms submitted after 7 July will not be accepted.

If you have any questions related to EU funding, please feel free to contact me, Research Facilitator International Ainar Blaudums. For general pre-award or non-EU queries, kindly email the Pre-award Enquiries mailbox or get in touch with my colleagues who support applications to UK funders.

 

EU Project FoodMAPP secondment to Gent University

Awarded & submitted bids, innovation, international, Knowledge Exchange

The EU Project FoodMAPP won by BU as coordinator has reached an exciting mid-point, with prototype solutions providing localised food supply transparency entering the stakeholder testing phase.

As a Staff Exchange (MSCA SE) project, the BU team led by Jeff Bray undertake 30 day secondments with our interdisciplinary industry and academic partners across Europe.

Jeff has today returned from a period of secondment to the Department of Agricultural Economics at Gent University (Belgium) to collaborate with Prof Hans De Steur and his research team. The secondment provided a rich opportunity for interdisciplinary exchange and discussion around Food Security Challenges and potential solutions across and beyond Europe. Future proposals, including the next Staff Exchange project, were scoped and progressed to continue successful and productive interdisciplinary research visits in the future.

Two new midwifery papers from CMWH

The latest issue of MIDIRS Midwifery Digest features two papers from CMWH members.

Laura SLaura Stedman reports on the global variance in screening approaches and diagnostic criteria for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). She explores the impact of these differences on policy recommendations and practice. Without a universally accepted screening criterion, the variance in approaches makes accurately calculating the prevalence of GDM difficult. Untreated GDM results in women being more likely to experience pre-eclampsia, caesarean birth or stillbirth, while babies are more likely to be born prematurely, macrosomic or large for gestational age.

Also in this issue, Maryam Malekian, a MRes student in CMWH, has had her scoping review protocol published. Maryam has recently completed the review looking at knowledge and attitudes of nulliparous women regarding breastfeeding. She presented this work at the Maternal, Parental and Infant Nutrition and Nurture Unit (MAINN) Conference in April and has submitted the findings for publication.

 

Congratulations to both authors.

References:

Stedman L, Angell C, Hundley VA. Gestational diabetes mellitus: evaluating the implications of applying international research into national policy and practice. MIDIRS Midwifery Digest, vol 35, no 2, June 2025, pp 141–147.

Malekian M, Hundley V, Irving M. A scoping review protocol of factors influencing breastfeeding knowledge and attitudes among non-pregnant, nulliparous women of reproductive age. MIDIRS Midwifery Digest, vol 35, no 2, June 2025, pp 179-182.