Latest research and knowledge exchange news at Bournemouth University
The editor of HIV Research & Clinical Practice informed us that the paper ‘Stigma in UK health care: A key barrier to reaching zero HIV transmission by 2030’ has been accepted for publication [1]. This paper is based on the PhD research currently conducted by Mr. Tom Weeks in the Faculty of Health, Environment & Medical Sciences (HEMS). Tom’s thesis focuses on the perceptions of stigmatisation of People Living with HIV in care settings in the UK and the kind of education health care staff (clinical and non-clinical) receive in relation to HIV. His long-term aim in the PhD is to help improve education to reduce such stigma. Tom is being supervised by Dr. Pramod Regmi and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen.
Both supervisors have a long experience in studying social and health promotion aspects of HIV and AIDS. Thirty years ago Prof. van Teijlingen worked in the NHS as a researcher in the Centre for HIV/AIDS and Drugs Studies based in Edinburgh. Whilst Dr. Regmi conducted his PhD research on sexual health and health promotion in young people in Nepal. Both supervisors themselves have published widely on the topic of HIV and AIDS [2-23]. The first of these many publication was a letter on community care for people living with HIV in the community which was published in the Lancet in 1993 [2].
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Dear colleagues,
We warmly invite you to the event organised by the Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Research Centre on Wednesday, the 22 of April 2026, from 13:00 h to 15:00 h at P426 (Poole House).
The exciting event will focus on the interface between clinical and social neuroscience from the standpoint of new neuroscientific and technological leaps. The schedule is:
13.00 – 13.45 Dr Jonathan Cole (Visiting Professor, Bournemouth University) book presentation and roundtable: Hard Talk – When speech is difficult.
13.35 – 14.00 Coffee break.
14.00 – 14.45 Dr Catherine Talbot (Senior Lecturer, Bournemouth University) talk: Dementia in the digital age: the promise and pitfalls of social technologies.
If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact Ellen Seiss, eseiss@bournemouth.ac.uk or Emili Balaguer-Ballester, eb-ballester@bournemouth.ac.uk.
Thank you very much; we are looking forward to debating with you there.
The 4th INRC symposium: “From Clinical Applications to Neuro-Inspired Computation”, took place last Wednesday, 16th of January 2026. Thank you very much for your interest and especially to the fantastic speakers. It was great to see you there, and we hope you enjoyed it.
Kind regards,
Ellen and Emili, on behalf of all of us.
Researchers from Bournemouth University were honoured to attend the House of Commons on 23rd February for the parliamentary launch of Recover with Pride, the UK’s first dedicated LGBTQ+ gambling harm support programme.
Speaking on behalf of Bournemouth University’s Gambling Research Group, Dr Reece Bush-Evans shared research examining the barriers LGBTQIA+ people can face when seeking support for gambling-related harm. The presentation highlighted how minority stress, stigma, discrimination, and a lack of culturally competent provision can shape both experiences of harm and pathways to recovery. The key message was clear: this is not a niche issue — it is a public health and equality issue. Reece was joined by Professor John McAlaney, Head of the Gambling Research Group.
The Parliamentary event brought together over 40 representatives from across the sector and featured contributions from more than 10 organisations, including Brighton & Hove LGBT Switchboard, Ara Recovery For All, Gamstop, Gamban, Coalition to End Gambling Ads, Betknowmore UK, Cyrenians, Reframe Coaching, University of Brighton and EPIC Restart Foundation. The day also featured powerful lived experience testimonies and a keynote address from John Slinger MP. Representatives from organisations such as Stonewall Housing, LGBT Health and Wellbeing, The Primary Care Gambling Service, Galop, Adferiad, Chapter One and Beacon Counselling Trust were also in attendance, reflecting strong cross-sector commitment.
During the presentation, Reece discussed recently published peer-reviewed research exploring gambling harm within LGBTQIA+ communities, alongside the outputs of an International Conference and National Think Tank hosted by the Gambling Research Group in Bournemouth last November. Opened by Deputy Vice Chancellor and Provost Professor Niamh Downing, the conference brought together over 20 organisations spanning lived experience leaders, frontline services, researchers and policy stakeholders, with one clear purpose: to translate evidence into action.
Across a full day of international talks and collaborative discussion, several priorities were identified. Short-term actions included strengthening inclusive signalling across services, embedding consistent cultural competency training, and improving cross-sector collaboration and referral pathways. Longer-term goals focused on explicitly including LGBTQIA+ communities within national gambling strategies, establishing a national working group focused on marginalised communities, and developing sustainable LGBTQIA+-specific support networks.
The energy in the room was captured by a live artist, visually recording discussions and commitments to change. Feedback from the November event was overwhelmingly positive: 94% of attendees reported that it significantly increased their understanding of gambling harms experienced by LGBTQIA+ communities, 89% said they were highly likely to implement change in their work, 83% reported a shift in their views or assumptions, and 100% developed new professional connections to support future action.
Taking place during LGBT History Month, the parliamentary launch of Recover with Pride represents more than a policy milestone. It reflects progress in recognising and addressing the specific challenges faced by LGBTQIA+ communities — ensuring that conversations about equality extend into emerging areas such as gambling harm. It is a proud moment for Bournemouth University and an important step forward in advancing inclusive, evidence-informed public health policy.
We cordially invite you to the 4th Symposium of the BU Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Research Centre: From Clinical Applications to Neuro-Inspired Computation on Friday, the 16th of January 2026, 9:30-15:00 at the Lees Lecture Theatre (Talbot Campus, Poole House -outside).
This symposium encompasses a journey from clinical case studies to new, emerging experimental and computational methodologies that underpin future translational applications. It is an opportunity for informal discussions on grant proposals and to explore shared interests with our external guests from the NHS and collaborating EU universities.
The schedule is as follows:
9:30 Coffee
9:50 Opening and Welcome Address
10:00-10.50 Dr Michalis Doumas (Queen’s University Belfast): Sensory integration for postural control in healthy ageing and in people living with Parkinson’s.
10:50 Coffee break
11:00-11:50 Session I. Ageing and Neurodegenerative Disorders
Dr Ioanna Markostamou: Naming spatial relations in typical and atypical ageing: At the crossroads of language and perception.
Dr Catherine Talbot: Dementia in the digital age: exploring the promise and pitfalls of social technologies.
11:50-12.50 Lunch break (no lunch provided, but Talbot Campus facilities available)
12.50-13.40 Dr Andre Rupp (Online Talk): Auditory pitch perception and clinical applications.
13:40 Coffee break
14:00-14.50 Session II: Neuro-inspired computation
Dr Anna Metzger: Understanding haptic perception of objects’ shape and material via DNN modelling.
Dr Hongchuan Yu: Waa3D: an open-source platform to benchmark performance of algorithms for automated neuro tracing in light microscopy datasets.
Concluding Remarks + Invitation to everybody to become a member of the INRC network
If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact Ellen Seiss, eseiss@bournemouth.ac.uk or Emili Balaguer-Ballester, eb-ballester@bournemouth.ac.uk.
Thank you very much; we are looking forward to seeing you there.
Kind regards,
Ellen and Emili, on behalf of all of us.
This week saw the publication of ‘Bridging Research and Policy: Practical Tips for Writing Policy Briefs‘ co-authored by Bournemouth University’s (BU) Dr. Pramod Regmi and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen as well as former BU staff Dr. Nirmal Aryal. An effective policy brief bridges the gap between research findings and policymaking, ensuring that evidence is presented succinctly and in a way that is accessible and usable for policymakers and relevant stakeholders. It is an important step in what is called knowledge mobilisation. However, many researchers find it hard to communicate the findings of their studies to relevant policymakers, whilst policymakers note that the evidence they need is not easily accessible and is often not presented in an accessible format. Producing policy briefs is one of the approaches which academics can use to get their research noticed by policymakers.
This practical paper outlines some of the trials and tribulations of producing policy briefs, based on real-world research. It offers several recommendations to help improve the writing and dissemination of policy briefs. The paper is published in an Open Access journal hence freely available to anybody across the globe with internet access.
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Congratulations to the interdisciplinary BU team on the publication of the paper ‘Up2U: designing and validating a new evidence-based programme for perpetrators of domestic abuse who want to change’ in Frontiers in Psychology [1]. The new paper is part of the series ‘The Dynamics of Emotion Regulation and Aggressiveness in Gender-Based Violence Contexts’, and it appeared in an Open Access journal and is therefore easily accessible.
Domestic abuse is a pervasive issue rooted in patterns of power and control, contributing to a significant number of high-harm offenses both in the UK and internationally. While programmes have been aiming to disrupt abusive cycles through the understanding and recognition of harm, there is widespread disagreement on what effective interventions should look like. This paper addresses this gap.
The authors of this paper include both psychologists and social workers, as well as a student co-author. The lead author, Terri Cole, is a Principal Academic in Forensic Psychology.
Congratulations!
Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen
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LGBTQIA+ Experiences of Gambling-Related Harms: Conference and Think-Tank Event
It’s Safer Gambling Week – and what better way to deepen our understanding and drive change than by joining an event focused on a group too often overlooked in this conversation.
Academics across the university are warmly invited to a special one-day conference exploring gambling-related harm within LGBTQIA+ communities, taking place Monday 24th November 2025 (9:30am–4.00pm) at the Bournemouth Highcliff Marriott Hotel.
Hosted by Bournemouth University’s Gambling Research Group, this free event brings together researchers, lived experience experts, support organisations, and policymakers to deepen understanding of how gambling harm affects LGBTQIA+ individuals in the UK and globally. The day features new findings from BU, powerful lived experience narratives, international insights, and a collaborative think-tank designed to co-create practical, inclusive solutions.
Highlights include:
This event forms part of a Bristol Hub for Gambling Harms-funded project led by Dr Reece Bush-Evans, and offers a unique opportunity for academic colleagues to contribute expertise, connect across disciplines, and support impactful, community-informed research.
Register for free:
Eventbrite link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lgbtqia-experiences-of-gambling-related-harms-tickets-1795320133849?aff=oddtdtcreator
Registration closes 5.00pm on Friday 21 November.
We cordially invite you to the 4th Symposium of the BU Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Research Centre: From Clinical Applications to Neuro-Inspired Computation on Friday, the 16th of January 2026, 9:30-15:00 at the Lees Lecture Theatre (Talbot Campus, Poole House -outside).
The symposium consists of a journey from clinical case studies to new, emerging experimental and computational methodologies underpinning future translational applications. It is an opportunity for informal discussions on grant proposals and to explore shared interests with our external guests from the NHS and collaborating EU universities. The provisional schedule is:
9:30. Coffee.
9:50. Welcome Address and Keynote talk: Dr Mihalis Doumas, Queen’s University Belfast.
10.45-11:00. Coffee Break and Networking.
11:00-11:50. Session I. Clinical Neuroscience.
11.50 -12.50. Lunch and Grants Discussion.
12.50-13:45. Keynote talk: Dr Andre Rupp, University of Heidelberg.
13:45-14:00 Coffee Break and Networking.
14:00-14:50. Session II. Neuro-Inspired Computation.
14:50-15:00. Concluding Remarks and Invitation to become a member of the INRC network.
If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact Ellen Seiss, eseiss@bournemouth.ac.uk or Emili Balaguer-Ballester, eb-ballester@bournemouth.ac.uk.
Thank you very much, and we are looking forward to seeing you there.
Kind regards,
Ellen and Emili, on behalf of all of us.
“Fast cash, hidden costs” – Reflections from an ESRC Festival of Social Science Event
The Gambling Research Group at Bournemouth University recently hosted Fast cash, hidden costs: The matched betting dilemma as part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science—drawing an impressive 235 attendees to The Dolphin Centre in Poole. Delivered in partnership with Ara Recovery For All, the event opened up vital conversations about the realities of matched betting, challenging the notion of “risk-free” gambling and highlighting the hidden harms that often go unnoticed.
The day brought together researchers, practitioners, and members of the public in an energetic, open, and welcoming space. Ara Recovery For All played a key role in engaging younger audiences and facilitating meaningful discussions, including several personal stories of gambling-related harm. These insights underscored the importance of accessible research engagement in raising awareness and empowering communities.
Feedback from the event was overwhelmingly positive:
This event formed part of a Bristol Hub for Gambling Harms-funded research project led by Dr Reece Bush-Evans. It also continues the Gambling Research Group’s commitment to supporting public understanding of gambling harms and promoting safer, more informed decision-making.
LGBTQIA+ Experiences of Gambling-Related Harms: Conference and Think-Tank Event
Academics across the university are warmly invited to a special one-day conference exploring gambling-related harm within LGBTQIA+ communities, taking place Monday 24th November 2025 (9:30am–4.00pm) at the Bournemouth Highcliff Marriott Hotel.
Hosted by Bournemouth University’s Gambling Research Group, this free event brings together researchers, lived experience experts, support organisations, and policymakers to deepen understanding of how gambling harm affects LGBTQIA+ individuals in the UK and globally. The day features new findings from BU, powerful lived experience narratives, international insights, and a collaborative think-tank designed to co-create practical, inclusive solutions.
Highlights include:
This event forms part of a Bristol Hub for Gambling Harms-funded project led by Dr Reece Bush-Evans, and offers a unique opportunity for academic colleagues to contribute expertise, connect across disciplines, and support impactful, community-informed research.
Register for free:
Eventbrite link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lgbtqia-experiences-of-gambling-related-harms-tickets-1795320133849?aff=oddtdtcreator
Registration closes 5.00pm on Wednesday 19 November.
The annual ESRC Festival of Social Science is a free celebration of the contribution of the social sciences to the wider society. The 2025 festival consists of over a hundred events, each delivered by one of the ESRC’s ‘festival partners’, which are mainly UK universities including Bournemouth University (BU). 
This year BU is proud to be involved in six contributions this year. With BU events ranging from ‘Work in a Changing World‘ to gambling in the ‘Fast Cash, Hidden Costs: The Matched Betting Dilemma‘, with two events closely collaborating with the University of Southampton: ‘Neurodiverse Youth: Bridging Minds and Workplaces‘ and ‘Through a Child’s Eyes: Understanding Childhood Drowning in Bangladesh’. Two further events are specifically designed for professionals such as ‘Deepfake Deep Dive: Perspectives from law, policy, technology and practice’ and ‘Digital Futures for All’.
The international publisher Routledge published earlier this month a new book with the title: The Psychology of Stress [1]. The three authors of this excellent book are: Drs. Charlotte Mottram, Alison Woodward and Shanti Farrington. The latter two academics are based in Bournemouth University’s Psychology Department.
Well done and congratulations!
Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen
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This morning ResearchGate informed us that our paper ‘Understanding health education, health promotion and public health‘ [1] which was published in 2021 has been read 8,000 times. This thinking piece delves into the differences between the concepts of: (a) health education; (b) health promotion; and (c) public health. This confusion does not limit itself to the individual terms,
but also to how these terms relate to each other. Some use terms such as health education and health promotion interchangeably; others see them clearly as different concepts. The paper starts by outlining the authors’ understanding of these individual terms.
They suggest how the five principles of health promotion as outlined by the World Health Organization (WHO, 1984) fit into Tannahill’s (2009) model of three overlapping areas: (a) health education; (b) prevention of ill health; and (c) health protection. Such schematic overview places health education within health promotion and health promotion itself in the centre of the overarching disciplines of education and public health. The authors hope their article helps reduce confusion among all those interested in our discipline, including students, educators, journalists, practitioners, policymakers, politicians, and researchers.
Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen
CMWH
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Yesterday the online newspaper Online Khabar in Nepal published an opinion piece in English written by three Bournemouth University academics working with a colleague in Kathmandu. This interdisciplinary piece ‘Resilient through experiences: Unlocking the entrepreneurial prowess of Nepal’s left-behind women‘ brings together ideas gained from many different studies and disciplines. The three authors from Bournemouth University are: Dr. Sukanya Ayatakshi-Endow, Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen, and Dr. Pramod Regmi, and they collaborated with Dr. Rashmee Rajkarnikar who is based at Nepal’s oldest and largest university, Tribhuvan University. The four authors brings insights from economics, business studies, sociology, women’s studies, migration studies and health.
Next month on July 25th Bournemouth University will join in with the world-wide celebrations of World Drowning Prevention Day 2025. The first achievement to highlight is Dr. Jill Nash interesting piece recently published in The Conversation, in which she highlights Five ways to keep teenagers safe by the water [1]. It is also worthwhile to read last year’s contribution to World Drowning Prevention Day by Jill on the dangers of being near water and the role emotions play in making safer decisions [2].
The second major piece of research related to drowning prevention at Bournemouth University is the Sonamoni Project. The Sonamoni Project is working with communities in rural Bangladesh utilizing human-centered design (HCD) techniques. The research project is identifying solutions to reduce the number of drowning deaths in newly mobile children (6-24 months), developing prototype, and assessing the acceptability and usability of potential interventions. 
Sonamoni is coordinated by Bournemouth University in collaboration with the University of the West of England (Bristol), the University of Southampton, and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), Design Without Border (DWB) in Uganda and Centre for Injury Prevention and Research, Bangladesh (CIPRB). The interdisciplinary team at Bournemouth University covers three faculties and six academics: Dr. Mavis Bengtsson, Dr. Kyungjoo Cha, Dr. Mehdi Chowdhury, Dr. Yong Hun Lim, Mr. John Powell, and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen.
This international project funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) through its Research and Innovation for Global Health Transformation programme, also includes a BU-based PhD student, Mr. Md. Shafkat Hossein. He recently published the first article related to drowning prevention in Nepal [3].
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Centre for Wellbeing & Long-term Health, Rehabilitation & Prevention workstream Networking and Development Event – Wed 25th June! In BG-212.
Does your research broadly fit the category of “rehabilitation and prevention”? Then join us for this first event of the Rehabilitation & Prevention workstream of the Centre for Wellbeing and Long-term Health!
Whatever the focus of your research is or your professional background, whether it be at population or individual level, public health or rehabilitation of a particular condition in a particular demographic of people, whether you are a PGR or a senior academic, we would like this to be your research home. Come and share the highlights of what you do in a 5-minute Lightning talk, and hear from the highlights of others.
We want this to be a stimulating event and you might just find your next collaborator(s). Dr Jonny Branney and Dr Katie Collins, the workstream leads, will be taking notes with a view to creating a quick reference guide of what the workstream members are working on to make it easier for you to find the expertise you need for your next project. We want the workstream to be a place to talk about the sort of research enquiry that gets you out of bed in the morning, that puts the joy into your working life. A place to share and celebrate in your project successes, and to get a welcome lift when your latest research bid or journal submissions are rejected. A place to learn from those more experienced, from those with alternative expertise, identify a mentor or a coach, and for others to learn from you and benefit from your coaching and mentorship. A place to test out your ideas and get feedback from critical friends. A place to identify collaborators for your next research project. Is your research broadly “rehabilitation and prevention”? Then this is your place. Register here!!
Lightning Talks
Attendees are required to prepare a 5 minute lightning talk – 5 PowerPoint slides maximum to summarise your background as a researcher, what you’ve done, are doing, and plan to do. Nice and concise so we quickly get to know what everyone is about. There will be a timer!
Rough Itinerary
12:30pm Lunch – provided
1pm Welcome from workstream leads
1.05pm 5-minute Lightning talks
2.50pm – 3pm Closing remarks from workstream leads
See you there! Room BG-212.
For further information on this event please contact theme leads, Dr Jonny Branney (jbranney@bournemouth.ac.uk) or Dr Katey Collins (kcollins@bournemouth.ac.uk).
The academic editor of PLOS ONE informed us yesterday that our latest paper ‘Life-time experience of violence among women and girls living with disability in Nepal: A cross-sectional study’ [1] has been accepted for publication. The paper is based on research conducted as part of the Inclusive Partnership Against Violence (INPAV) project in Nepal. 
Working with our long-term research paper Green Tara Nepal (GTN) and funded by The United Nations Trust Fund (UNTF) through Nepal Disabled Women Association (NDWA), we have been involved in InPAV. This project included a situation analysis of the existing government setup One-stop Crisis Management Center (OCMC) to understand the inclusiveness of the OCMC services for girls and women with disabilities. The paper just accepted was part of this research.
Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen
Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health
BU staff can login below:
Opportunities to support our REF preparations
SPROUT Returns: Designing Sustainability in Research Practice – Wednesday 20 May 12-2pm
Innovative Approaches to Doctoral Supervision: Selected Case Studies
3C Event: Research Culture, Community & Canapés-Tuesday 19 May 1-2pm
New chapters published in maternity book on risk
Apply now to take part in the 2026 ESRC Festival of Social Science
Reminder: Register for the ESRC Festival of Social Science 2026 Information Session
ECR Funding Open Call: Research Culture & Community Grant – Apply now
ECR Funding Open Call: Research Culture & Community Grant – Application Deadline Friday 12 December ECR Funding Open Call: Research Culture & Community Grant – Apply Now
MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2025 Call
ERC Advanced Grant 2025 Webinar MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2025
Update on UKRO services
European research project exploring use of ‘virtual twins’ to better manage metabolic associated fatty liver disease
Research Information Network