Category / Research themes

World Drowning Prevention Day at BU

international, PG research, Publishing, writing

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].

References:

  1. Nash, J. (2025) Five ways to keep teenagers safe by the water, The Conversation June 20th.
  2. Nash, J. (2024) Why so many people drown at the water’s edge The Conversation July 25th.
  3. Hossain, M. S., Pant, P. R., van Teijlingen, E., Sedain, B., & Rahman, A. (2024). Drowning Prevention should be a Public Health Issue in Nepal. International Journal of Social Sciences and Management, 11(4): 83–87.

Dr. Catalin Brylla Leads Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives for the Society for Cognitive Studies of the Moving Image

Research Ethics

Dr. Catalin Brylla, Principal Lecturer in Film and TV has chaired the DEI Committee for the Society for Cognitive Studies of the Moving Image since 2022, launching several initiatives.  At this year’s conference at the University of Alberta in Canada he organised three related events:

DEI Roundtable and Workshop: Intersectionality, Bias and Positionality

This roundtable featured international scholars, including Charles Kebaya (Machakos University, Kenya), to explore how intersectionality, bias, and positionality shape our work in film and media research. The session was followed by two facilitated workshop groups: one focusing on teaching (including decolonising curricula and participatory learning methods), the other on research (including de-centralising publishing, engaging with Global South scholarship, and community-led research methods).

The workshops offered a space for critical reflection and practical strategies for fostering equity and inclusion in teaching and research, addressing the following questions.

  • How do we approach research and teaching when we acknowledge the researcher’s and teacher’s partial perspective shaped by their intersected social identities?
  • When the positionality of the researcher differs from that of the research participant, research collaborator, screen character or film viewer, how does this frame our analytic lens and the choice of research methods?
  • What happens when we study marginalised groups without their collaborative participation? Do we risk replicating epistemic hierarchies or social practices that have contributed to this marginalisation? (relates to slogan “Nothing about us, without us.” – disability rights movement)
  • In cross-cultural and cross-ability research and teaching, how do we account for not only difference, but for blind spots in acknowledging and respecting different positionalities?
  • How can we design curricula that properly balance between dominant and underrepresented academic and non-academic knowledge structures?

Mentorship Lunch: Learning from Academic Trial and Errors

This event provided an informal and supportive space where senior scholars shared candid reflections on the mistakes, challenges, and lessons that have shaped their academic journeys. We rarely speak openly about trial-and-error experiences in teaching, research, or media practice. Even more rarely do we celebrate these moments or fully recognise the valuable contributions they make to eventual positive outcomes. As a result, when we engage with the work of other scholars—whether through conversation, presentations, or publications—their research is often presented as a neatly packaged narrative of clear and successful results, with little acknowledgement of the mistakes, missteps, and failures that inevitably occurred along the way.

The session covered topics from research and publishing to teaching, grant-writing, and career development, this session invites open discussion with early career researchers about navigating the ups and downs of academic life.

Paper Presentation on Social Cognition, Bias and Audience Perception of Films

Together with Dr. Tico Romao (University of Alberta), Brylla proposed a framework for audience segmentation that focuses on the mapping of intersecting social identities across viewers and screen characters. This type of spectator segmentation offers a more granular alternative to explain divergent viewer responses and biases. This can reveal the often-overlooked gap between authorial intent and spectatorial reception. This framework is especially useful in comparing responses to structured and formalist narratives, as well as more open or ambiguous narrative forms.

Paper accepted on women and disability in Nepal

international, open access, Women's Academic Network, writing

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

 

  1. Simkhada, P., Basnet, S., Sharma, S., van Teijlingen, E., Wasti, S.P., Dahal, T., Okyere, J., Silwal, R.C., Pyakurel, M. (2025) Life-time experience of violence among women and girls living with disability in Nepal: A cross-sectional study . PLoS ONE (accepted).

Celebrating 25 years of Acquired Brain Injury Rehabilitation and Adult Neuropsychology Services in Dorset:

The Acquired Brain Injury Rehabilitation and Adult Neuropsychology Services in Dorset are having their 25 years anniversary which they are celebrating with this conference held in Bournemouth University.

We would like to invite you to this conference on 10th July 2025 which brings together professionals, researchers, and students who work with people with acquired brain injuries such as traumatic brain injury, stroke, tumour, or brain infections to discuss holistic and effective rehabilitation approaches in practice and applied research.

The Acquired Brain Injury Rehabilitation and Adult Neuropsychology Services in Dorset have always supported multidisciplinary collaborations across the field of rehabilitation and recovery. They have continued to have strong collaborations with Bournemouth University. Members have supported teaching and work placements at the MSc level for over a decade and collaborated with BU researchers from the INRC to bring together practice and research. This conference celebrates and showcases the services and these collaborations in this conference by bringing together professionals, clinical practice, and applied research.

The conference will include presentations about the ABRIS’s holistic rehabilitation philosophy, discussions about effective brain injury rehabilitation programmes, case stories and displays about bespoke person-centred rehabilitation activities.

This conference will be of interests to occupational therapists, speech therapists, clinical and neuropsychologists, doctors and rehabilitation physicians, physiotherapists, rehabilitation assistants, nurses, and case managers.

The conference is organised in collaboration with the Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Research Centre at Bournemouth (Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Research Centre | Bournemouth University) (Leads: Drs Ellen Seiss & Emili Balaguer-Ballester) and co-sponsored by Trauma Informed Practice Services (CIC www.thetipsuk.org).

For more details of the topic, and tickets (limited availability) please see the link on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/brain-injury-rehabilitation-a-holistic-approach-that-works-tickets-1112548555679?aff=oddtdtcreator.

 

Book now – The supporting eating and drinking well with dementia at home event

Thursday 24 July 2025

10:30 AM – 3:30 PM

The Eating and Drinking Well with Dementia at Home Guide is a new resource to support people living with dementia at home, specifically designed for family carers, friends, and home care workers.

We are honoured to welcome our keynote speaker, Dr Jane Townson OBE, Chief Executive, Homecare Association, who brings extensive expertise spanning social care, health, housing, and the technology sector. We will also be joined by people with lived experience, researchers, and representatives from key stakeholder organisations.

Everyone interested in nutrition, dementia, and home care is welcome, whether you’re looking to learn more, support a family member, or are a care provider in the social care or healthcare sector!

• Keynote address

• Networking over lunch

• About TOMATO project and research findings that informed the development of the resources

• Panel and audience discussions

• Official launch of the resource (print copy available on the day).

For further information on this event, please contact HSSRKEAdministrator@bournemouth.ac.uk

Book your place now at www.bournemouth.ac.uk/dementia-at-home Please let us know of any specific dietary requirements.

Reflecting on Alzheimer’s Awareness Week: A Day of Learning, Connection and Innovation

On Monday 20th May, we were proud to host a packed day of events at Bournemouth University in support of Alzheimer’s Awareness Week — bringing together housing professionals, students, researchers, and community partners to raise awareness and share ideas around dementia-friendly practices.

Our day began with an insightful Dementia Friends session, led by the Alzheimer’s Society. Attendees learned more about what it’s like to live with dementia and how small, everyday actions can make a big difference. At the end of the session, everyone also received their Dementia Friends badge, joining a growing network of people committed to creating a more dementia-friendly society.
After lunch, we explored the Time for Dementia programme — an inspiring initiative connecting healthcare students with people living with dementia and their carers to foster deeper empathy and understanding.
The afternoon saw us dive into some thought-provoking research and innovation. Dr Aisling Flynn shared her work on how virtual reality technology can help combat social isolation for people living with dementia, while Dr Michele Board presented the SERVED project, examining the unique needs of military veterans affected by dementia.
After a short break, we rounded off the day with the exciting launch of ‘Insight Dementia: Going into Hospital’ — a brand-new resource for hospital staff, featuring immersive VR demonstrations and printed copies of the resource given to attendees and practice partners.
It was a true pleasure to welcome a mix of staff, students, practice partners attend these sessions and raise awareness for dementia. Thank you to everyone who joined us for an inspiring, informative day!

Successful academic writing, publishing and collaboration workshop at BU

PG research, Publishing, Women's Academic Network, writing

Last week’s workshop on ‘Academic Writing, Publishing & Collaborating’ held at Talbot Campus organised by Mrs. Anjana Paudyal, Ph.D. student in FHSS (Faculty of Health & Social Sciences) was very engaging and very well attended.  This event was part of the Doctoral College’s Research Culture and Community workshop series.  The workshop was opened by Anjana, who spoke about publishing her first PhD paper in the first half year of her part-time PhD journey.

Key sessions in this interactive workshop included presentations from Ms. Jillian Ireland based at UHD (University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust) and academics based at BU.  Jillian spoke about her experience of publishing in practice journals as well as publishing papers about practice in academic journals.

Whilst Dr. Pramod Regmi, Principal Academic in International Health in FHSS stressed the importance of paying attention to publishing metrics and identifiers, including h-factors, impact factors, and social media use in academic publishing.

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen, Research Culture Champion in FHSS outlined ideas for turning PhD chapters in papers and he also highlighted BU’s unique option of doing a so-called ‘Integrated thesis‘.  The integrated thesis format allows students to incorporate papers into their thesis.  These can be published papers, papers accepted for publication, papers submitted, prepared but not submitted papers and other unpublished papers or reports.

Dr. Orlanda Harvey is a senior lecturer in Social Work at BU, specialising in Developing Professional Relationships and Leadership, she presented replying to reviewers.   The Question & Answer session was lively and engaging.

Last, but not least, Anjana Paudyal, the organiser, and presenters would like to thank the Doctoral College for supporting this important event!

Leadership in disaster nursing

PG research, student research

On Wednesday (04/06) the Centre for Wellbeing and Long-Term Health (CWLTH) and the Department of Nursing Science welcomed Kelsie Fletcher back to Bournemouth University to talk about her doctoral research – ‘Becoming leaders of change: adaptive moral navigation and the challenges of international disaster nursing‘. Kelsie, currently a Lecturer in Nursing at the University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, is supervised by Professor Steve Ersser and Dr Linda Agyemang.

Kelsie presented some of her initial findings from her qualitative research in which she has interviewed nurses currently involved in teams engaged in disaster management around the world. In the coming week, Kelsie will be presenting her research again, this time to a much larger audience at the International Council of Nurses (ICN) Congress in Helsinki. If you would like to know more about Kelsie’s research, please email fletcherk@bournemouth.ac.uk.

We all wish Kelsie well as she moves towards submission of her thesis for examination later this year.

The CWLTH’s next and final research seminar for this academic year will be on Tuesday 17/06 when Jess Correia will be speaking about her research on ‘Understanding the decision-making process for women with common mental disorders around prescribed psychiatric medication use during pregnancy‘. All are welcome to attend and for more information please contact CWLTH@Bournemouth.ac.uk.

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.

Academic Writing, Publishing & Collaborating event sold out!

international, PG research, Publishing, student research, Women's Academic Network, writing

Bournemouth University’s (BU) Doctoral College aims to create a stimulating and motivating Research Culture and Community at the university.  As part of this goal, the Doctoral College has funded a proposal by Anjana Paudyal, Ph.D. student in the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences (FHSS) to organise a half-day workshop on ‘Academic Writing, Publishing & Collaborating’ on 28th May.

This event is part of BU’s Research Culture and Community workshop series.  The interactive workshop, facilitated by experienced BU with as guest contributor Jillian Ireland, Professional Midwifery Advocate at University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust.  Of all midwives working in the NHS (i.e. not in academic posts), Jillian is the most widely published midwife in the South of England; Jillian is also Visiting Faculty in FHSS.

Wednesday morning’s sessions will cover  academic writing, collaboration in writing, writing for practitioners’ journals, publishing identifiers and metrics, and responding to journal editors and reviewers. There will also be opportunities for Q&A and networking.

The event at Talbot Campus is now fully booked, but if you are a postgraduate student and you would like to be put on the waiting list: please email Anjana Paudyal at: apaudyal@bournemouth.ac.uk.

 

We would like to thank the Doctoral College for supporting this important event!

Dr. Orlanda Harvey & Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

(Anjana’s Ph.D. supervisors)

Inaugural research meeting for British Academy grant

international, Publishing, writing

Today we had the introductory meeting of our recently funded ‘British Academy Project on Evidence-Informed Policymaking in Nepal’, the project is coordinated by the University of Huddersfield by Prof. Padam Simkhada, who is also Visiting Professor in Bournemouth University’s (BU) Faculty of Health & Social Sciences.  The co-investigator at BU is Dr. Pramod Regmi (Principal Academic in International Health), with other co-applicants based at the Keele University, Canterbury Christ Church University, the University of Sheffield, the University of Chester, the Nepal Health Research Council (NHRC), Kathmandu University and the research-based charity Green Tara Nepal.

This one year grant is officially starting next month (1st June).  The plans for this project were laid some time ago, and expressed in our 2022 paper ‘Nepal urgently needs a National Evidence Synthesis Centre‘ [1].   Our funded project will focus on the activities of: (1) formative research; (b)  capacity building including evidence synthesis; (c) the establishment of a National Evidence Synthesis Centre; and (d) the evaluation of sustainability planning.  The British Academy see this award also as providing a developmental opportunity, enabling award holders to build connections within the cohort and critically beyond that as well.

 

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health

Reference:

  1. Simkhada, P., Dhimal, M., van Teijlingen, E., Gyanwali, P. (2022) Nepal Urgently Needs a National Evidence Synthesis Centre, Journal of Nepal Health Research Council, 20 (3): i-ii.

 

Congratulations to Dr. Shanti Farrington & colleagues

international, open access, writing

Today ResearchGate announced that the paper ‘The Interdisciplinary Research Team not the Interdisciplinarist’ [1] has been read 3,000 times.  The paper, with psychologist Dr. Shanti Farrington (previously Shanker) as lead author, was written with colleagues from (a) the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences, namely Dr. Pramod Regmi and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen; (b) the NHS, Ms. Jillian Ireland, Professional Midwifery Advocate in University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust; (c) the University of Huddersfield, namely Prof. Padam Simkhada, who is also Visiting Professor at BU; and (d) the University of Greenwich, in the person of Dr. Sharada P. Wasti (previously based at the University of Huddersfield).

This methods paper addresses some of the pitfalls and barriers to being an interdisciplinary researcher. Being involved in interdisciplinary research is not an easy option for an individual discipline expert. It requires individual skills, ability to see beyond one’s discipline and perhaps personality characteristics such as a great team player. Interdisciplinary research may involve a mixed-methods approach underpinned by conflicting, and according to some, incommensurable research philosophies.

This paper on working interdisciplinary is part of a suit of academic papers on the topic written by some of the same authors [2-3].  All papers are fully open access and hence freely accessible across the globe to anyone with an internet connection.

 

References:

  1. Shanker, S., Wasti, S.P., Ireland, J., Regmi, P., Simkhada, P., van Teijlingen, E. (2021) The Interdisciplinary Team Not the Interdisciplinarist: Reflections on Interdisciplinary Research, Europasian Journal of Medical Sciences 3(2): 1-5. https://doi.org/10.46405/ejms.v3i2.317
  2. van Teijlingen, E., Regmi, P., Adhikary, P., Aryal, N., Simkhada, P. (2019). Interdisciplinary Research in Public Health: Not quite straightforward. Health Prospect, 18(1), 4-7. https://doi.org/10.3126/hprospect.v18i1.19337
  3. Wasti, S. P., van Teijlingen, E., Simkhada, P. (2020) Public Health is truly interdisciplinary. Journal of Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences, 6(1):21-22.

 

 

 

 

 

Bournemouth University Recognised at IEEE Artificial Intelligence Conference for Work in Human-Centred AI

Professor Huseyin Dogan was honoured with both the Best Service Award and the Best Paper Award at the 2025 IEEE International Conference on Artificial Intelligence held in Silicon Valley, USA. This recognition highlights the importance of Human-Centred AI and Professor Dogan’s valuable contributions to the area.

Professor Dogan travelled to Silicon Valley in May 2025, supported by funding from Google, USA, to lead a special track focused on Human-Centred AI. The track included 24 paper presentations and addressed the crucial need for ethical considerations in the development and application of both autonomous and collaborative Human Centred AI systems.

The conference organisers stated that “these honours are a testament to Prof Dogan’s outstanding contributions and dedication to the field.”

IEEE International Conference on Artificial Intelligence

Bournemouth University’s commitment to shaping the future of User Experience (UX) and Human-Centred AI extends beyond this prestigious conference. Professor Dogan also recently led a highly anticipated workshop at CHI 2025 in Yokohama, Japan, on “Defining a User Experience Research Point of View” also funded by Google. The ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI) is globally recognised as the premier international forum for research in human-computer interaction.

This influential CHI workshop was a collaborative effort, organised alongside leading experts in the field: Stephen Giff (Google, USA), Renée Barsoum (Admiral, UK), Elizabeth Churchill (MBZUAI, formerly of Google and the ACM), and Alan Dix (Swansea University, Wales, UK). The participation of such prominent figures highlights the significance of the topic and BU’s contribution to the international research community.

CHI Conference Photo

These recent successes highlight Bournemouth University’s growing influence in the critical field of Human-Centred AI and User Experience research. Through international collaborations and impactful engagement at leading conferences like IEEE AI and CHI, the university is actively contributing to the discussion around developing AI systems that are both effective and aligned with human values.

 

Alzheimer’s Awareness Week – join us in BGB tomorrow

Join us in learning more about Alzheimer’s and Dementia!

As part of Alzheimer’s Awareness Week, we are excited to invite you to our event on Tuesday 20th May at Bournemouth Gateway Building (BG115/116), hosted by the ADRC, including a variety of sessions open to public, staff and students all around dementia awareness and current research.
We will be holding various dementia-related sessions and talks between 11:00-14:00 open to all, including research on VR and dementia, working with the veteran community and the Time for Dementia programme.
Following this, we are delighted to host our Insight Dementia resource launch event at 15:00-16:30 (further information available via calendar invite). This resource has been designed as an educational tool for hospital staff and can be used alongside our Insight Dementia virtual reality film to maximise learning opportunities. We will also be demonstrating the Insight Dementia virtual reality film in this session, so we warmly welcome you to come and view via the VR headset for a fully immersive experience.
Please do feel free to share details of this event or forward to any relevant contacts you have and let us know if you are available to join us!
Date: Tuesday 20th May 2025
Time: 11-2pm and 15:00-16:30
Location: Bournemouth Gateway Building, Room BG115/116
This free event is open to staff and students to attend. If you are planning to attend the Insight Dementia session later in the afternoon, please book a free ticket on our Eventbrite page: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1355078198369
For more information, please contact Becky Dew rdew@bournemouth.ac.uk