I was delighted to launch my new book ‘Pedro Zamora, Sexuality, and AIDS Education: The Autobiographical Self, Activism and the Real World’ making a presentation at the GLBT Historical Society in San Francisco. This book is the product of study leave through Fusion funding, that I worked on a little while back. At the book launch, it was wonderful that despite its been over 22 years since Pedro was last in San Francisco (and he passed a away a few months later) that so many people came to the event, and were interested in his story, including some that knew Pedro personally. Also it was flattering that representatives from the AIDS Memorial Grove attended the event that have an academic scholarship in Pedro’s name, and that I was interviewed by two journalists, including Brian Bromberger who published this review in the Bay Area Reporter.
Category / Research themes
Why is Balance critical in Game Design?
We would like to invite you to a guest talk on Games research.
Title: Why is Balance critical in Game Design?
Speaker: Simon McCallum (Gjøvik University College, Norway)
Date: Friday 22nd July 2016
Time: 1:00PM-2:00PM
Room: Inspire LT, Fusion Building, Talbot Campus
Brief: In this presentation Simon will discuss the role of choice in games and how for meaningful choice to exist the options need to have carefully curated balance. Options that are too similar become meaningless, as does a single clearly better option. Creating interesting incomparables is part of the art of game design. We will also discuss other aspects of balance related to game resources, starting positions, unit power etc.
We hope to see you there.
New CMMPH paper by PhD student Sheetal Sharma
Today saw the publication in BMC Pregnancy & Childbirth of the paper ‘Dirty and 40 days in the wilderness: Eliciting childbirth and postnatal cultural practices and beliefs in Nepal’ with as lead author FHSS PhD student Sheetal Sharma [1]. This paper argues that pregnancy and childbirth are very much socio-cultural events that carry varying meanings across different societies and cultures. These are often translated into social expectations of what a particular society expects women to do (or not to do) during pregnancy, birth and/or the postnatal period. The study explored beliefs around childbirth in Nepal, a low-income country with a largely Hindu population. The paper then sets these findings in the context of the wider global literature around issues such as periods where women are viewed as polluted (or dirty even) after childbirth.
Sheetal is doing ve
ry well with her PhD publications as a few weeks ago her major quantitative findings paper was published in PLOS One [2]. Both papers are published in Open Access journals and therefore easily available to researchers, health promotors, health care providers and health policy-makers in low-income countries. Sheetal evaluated a research project funded by the London-based charity Green Tara Trust. Her PhD is supervised by Dr. Catherine Angell, Prof. Vanora Hundley and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen all nbased in CMMPH with external supervision from BU Visiting Faculty Prof. Padam Simkhada (liverpool John Moores University).
References:
- Sharma, S., van Teijlingen, E., Hundley, V., Angell, C., Simkhada, P. (2016) Dirty and 40 days in the wilderness: Eliciting childbirth and postnatal cultural practices and beliefs in Nepal BMC Pregnancy & Childbirth 16: 147 https://bmcpregnancychildbirth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12884-016-0938-4
- Sharma, S., van Teijlingen, E., Belizán, J.M., Hundley, V., Simkhada, P., Sicuri, E. (2016) Measuring What Works: An impact evaluation of women’s groups on maternal health uptake in rural Nepal, PLOS One 11(5): e0155144 http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0155144
New Harding and Pritchard paper in international health policy journal
Andrew Harding and Colin Pritchard have recently had a paper published in the International Journal of Health Policy and Management.
The paper, titled ‘UK and Twenty Comparable Countries GDP-Expenditure on-Health 1980 2013: The Historic and Continued Low Priority of UK Health Related Expenditure, uses GDPEH data to outline the low proportional commitment that the UK makes to healthcare expenditure. It is well established in the health and social policy world that the UK prioritises less of its wealth to health than almost any comparable country. However, the authors use an innovative and novel means of exploring proportional differences in commitment.
The key finding is that since 1980, in order to meet the mean average European health spend, the UK would have needed to have made an additional commitment of one-fifth. For the final period, between 2010-2013 the authors show that the UK has prioritised 12% less in proportional terms (as a % of GDP) than the European average.
The paper ends with the following quote, “Echoing others who have recently contributed to discussion in this area, if other comparable countries can make a larger proportional commitment and deem it affordable, in light of aforementioned challenges, why cannot the United Kingdom prioritise accordingly?”
BU academics launch EU Referendum Analysis report within ten days of the vote
We are very pleased to announce the publication of “EU Referendum Analysis 2016: Media, Voters and the Campaign”, edited by Daniel Jackson, Einar Thorsen (both BU) and Dominic Wring (Loughborough University).
Featuring 80 contributions from 100 leading UK academics, this publication captures the immediate thoughts, reflections and early research insights on the 2016 Referendum on UK Membership of the European Union from the cutting edge of media and politics research.
Published 10 days after the election, these contributions are short and accessible. Authors provide authoritative analysis of the campaign, including research findings or new theoretical insights; to bring readers original ways of understanding the referendum and its consequences. Contributions also bring a rich range of disciplinary influences, from political science to fan studies, journalism studies to advertising.
The publication is available as a downloadable PDF, as a website and as a printed report.
We are hosting an invitation only launch event at the House of Commons (18 July) and an open event on Brexit in Leicester (IAMCR pre-conference, 27 July).
You can register for the conference here:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-brexit-campaign-2016-uk-referendum-on-membership-of-european-union-tickets-24771805136
EU Referendum Analysis website:
http://www.referendumanalysis.eu
Featuring 80 contributions from 100 leading UK academics, this publication captures the immediate thoughts, reflections and early research insights on the 2016 Referendum on UK Membership of the European Union from the cutting edge of media and politics research.
Published 10 days after the election, these contributions are short and accessible. Authors provide authoritative analysis of the campaign, including research findings or new theoretical insights; to bring readers original ways of understanding the referendum and its consequences. Contributions also bring a rich range of disciplinary influences, from political science to fan studies, journalism studies to advertising.
The publication is available as a downloadable PDF, as a website and as a printed report.
We are hosting an invitation only launch event at the House of Commons (18 July) and an open event on Brexit in Leicester (IAMCR pre-conference, 27 July).
You can register for the conference here:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-brexit-campaign-2016-uk-referendum-on-membership-of-european-union-tickets-24771805136
EU Referendum Analysis website:
http://www.referendumanalysis.eu
Direct PDF download:
http://bit.ly/EUReferendumAnalysis2016_Jackson-Thorsen-and-Wring_v1
Thanks to all of our contributors and production staff who helped make the quick turnaround possible. We hope it makes for a vibrant and engaging read!
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction: the Brexit campaign (Daniel Jackson, Einar Thorsen and Dominic Wring)
Section 1: Context
1. EEC/EU campaigning in long-term perspective (Jay Blumler)
2. From Super-Market to Orwellian Super-State: the origins and growth of newspaper scepticism (Dominic Wring)
3. Understanding the role of the mass media in the EU Referendum (Mike Berry)
4. Brexit: the destruction of a collective good (Chris Gifford)
5. How the Brexit outcome has changed our understanding of referendums (John Fitzgibbon)
6. The referendum and Britain’s broken immigration politics (Andrew Geddes)
7. The great miscalculation: David Cameron’s renegotiation and the EU Referendum campaign (Andrew Glencross)
Section 2: Politics
8. Rhetoric of excess (James Martin)
9. Myth versus fact: are we living in a post-factual democracy?(Susan Banducci and Dan Stevens)
10. Destroying and building democracy, a German view(Catherine Goetze)
11. Remembrance of Referendums Past: Scotland in the campaign (Michael Higgins)
12. Public personalities in the EU debate: Elites vs. the majority and Bullingdon resurgent(Nathan Farrell)
13. Healthier ever after? The NHS as a campaign issue (Tamara Hervey)
14. Wales, immigration, news media and Brexit (Kerry Moore)
15. The referendum campaign and the public’s constitutional understanding (David Yuratich)
16. The EU referendum and the Country of Origin principle (COO) (Irini Katsirea)
17. Calming the storm: fighting falsehoods, fig leaves and fairy tales (Alan Renwick, Matthew Flinders and Will Jennings)
Section 3: News
18. The press and the Referendum campaign (David Levy, Billur Aslan and Diego Bironzo)
19. The narrow agenda: how the news media covered the Referendum (David Deacon, John Downey, Emily Harmer, James Stanyer and Dominic Wring)
20. Newspapers’ editorial opinions during the referendum campaign (Julie Firmstone)
21. Brexit ‘mansplained’: news coverage of the EU Referendum (Emily Harmer)
22. Scrutinising statistical claims and constructing balance: television news coverage of the 2016 EU Referendum (Stephen Cushion and Justin Lewis)
23. Regulated equivocation: the referendum on radio (Guy Starkey)
24. Referendum night goings on (Stephen Coleman)
25. The view from across the pond: Brexit on American media (Filippo Trevisan)
26. A victory of the nation state: the EU Referendum in the Southern European press (Iñaki Garcia-Blanco)
Section 4: Journalism
27. How our mainstream media failed democracy (Steven Barnett)
28. Divided Britain? We were already divided… (Des Freedman)
29. Deliberation, distortion and dystopia: the news media and the referendum (Charlie Beckett)
30. UK newspapers and the EU Referendum: Brexit or Bremain?(Oliver Daddow)
31. X marks the spot but the Ys have it: Referendum coverage as a boys’ own story (Karen Ross)
32. Mind the gap: the language of prejudice and the press omissions that led a people to the precipice (Paul Rowinski)
33. ‘They don’t understand us’: UK journalists’ challenges of reporting the EU (Anna Wambach)
34. Bending over backwards: the BBC and the Brexit campaign (Ivor Gaber)
35. Bums gone to Iceland: England, Brexit and Euro 2016 (Roger Domeneghetti)
36. It’s the ‘primary definers’, stupid! (Chris Roberts)
37. Brexit: inequality, the media and the democratic deficit (Natalie Fenton)
Section 5: Campaign and Political Communication
38. Why facts did matter in the campaign (Christoph Meyer)
39. Less a soap opera, more a fantasy drama? (John Street)
40. The rhetoric of the EU Referendum campaign (Andrew S. Crines)
41. A (very) brief period of Habermasian bliss (Mick Temple)
42. The toxicity of discourse: reflections on UK political culture following the EU Referendum (Katy Parry)
43. Britishness and Brexit (Frances Smith)
44. Neither tackling lies nor making the case: the Remain side (Kirsty Hughes)
45. Break-point for Brexit? How UKIP’s image of ‘hate’ set race discourse reeling back decades (James Morrison)
46. Referendum campaign broadcasts on television: A generational clash? (Vincent Campbell)
47. Interaction and ‘the floor’ in the televised debates of the EU referendum campaign(Sylvia Shaw)
48. Comedy clubs offered a better quality of debate than the political stage (Sophie Quirk)
49. ‘Project Art’ versus ‘Project Fear’: the art establishment against Brexit (Matt Hills)
50. Notes for editors: what the campaign press releases tell us about Vote Leave and Britain (Paula Keaveney)
Section 6: Parties
51. The triumph and tribulations of Conservative Euroscepticism(Philip Lynch)
52. Celebrity politicians and populist media narratives: the case of Boris Johnson (Mark Wheeler)
53. ‘Tuck your shirt in!’ It’s going to be a bumpy ride: Boris Johnson’s swerve to Brexit (Candida Yates)
54. ‘Conservative party future?’ Party disunity, the media and the EU Referendum (Anthony Ridge-Newman)
55. Cameron and the Europe question: Could it have ended any other way? (Tristan Martin)
56. The Liberal Democrats: the EU Referendum’s invisible party (Andrew Russell)
57. The Durham miners’ role in Labour’s culture wars (Eunice Goes)
58. The immigration debate: Labour versus Leave in the battle to win public trust (Thom Brooks)
59. The age of Nigel: Farage, the media, and Brexit (Neil Ewen)
Section 7: Social Media
60. Leave versus Remain: the digital battle (Andrew Mullen)
61. The results are in and the UK will #Brexit: What did social media tell us about the UK’s EU referendum? (Clare Llewellyn and Laura Cram)
62. Automatic polling using Computational Linguistics: more reliable than traditional polling? (Massimo Poesio, John Bartle, Jacqueline Bechet, Fabio Celli, Carmelo Ferrante, Marc Poch, Hugo Zaragoza and Giuseppe Riccardi)
63. Impact of social media on the outcome of the EU referendum (Vyacheslav Polonski)
64. Talking past each other: the Twitter campaigns (Simon Usherwood and Katharine Wright)
65. Political memes and polemical discourse: the rise of #usepens (Mary Mitchell)
66. E-newsletters, persuasion and the referendum (Nigel Jackson)
67. United by what divides us: 38 Degrees and the EU Referendum (James Dennis)
68. Boris, Brexit or bust (Alec Charles)
Section 8: Voters
69. What explains the failure of ‘Project Fear’? (Jane Green)
70. Workers rights in the EU and out: social class and the trade unions’ contribution to the debate (Jen Birks)
71. ‘I want my country back’: Emotion and Englishness at the Brexit ballotbox (Russell Foster)
72. Mixed feelings: how citizens expressed their attitudes towards the EU (Darren G. Lilleker)
73. ‘We want our country back’ – stop sneering, start listening (Michael Skey)
74. Young people in a changing Europe: British youth and Brexit 2016 (Matt Henn and Darren Sharpe)
75. Bonfires and Brexterity: what’s next for women? (Charlotte O’Brien)
76. The ‘Referendum Bubble’: what can we learn from EU campaign polling? (Louise Thompson)
77. Did the EU Referendum boost youth engagement with politics? (Stuart Fox and Sioned Pearce)
78. Campaign frames in the Brexit referendum (Sofia Vasilopoulou)
79. The emotional politics of the EU Referendum: Bregrexit and beyond (Karin Wahl-Jorgensen)
New paper FHSS Dr. Sarah Collard
Congratulations to Dr. Sarah Collard on her latest paper ‘The psychosocial impact of exercising with epilepsy: A narrative analysis’ in Epilepsy & Behavior. The paper offers valuable insight into the psychosocial benefits of and barriers to exercising with epilepsy and draw attention to the individual differences in how a person with epilepsy copes with uncontrolled seizures and their impact on his/her exercise routine. This knowledge can lead to future research in exploring how a person with epilepsy can overcome these barriers to exercise and encourage more people with epilepsy to enjoy the benefits of exercise.
Congratulations!
Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen
CMMPH
New HSS PhD paper!
HSS PhD student Andrew Harding and fellow authors Jonathan Parker, Sarah Hean and Ann Hemingway have recently had a paper accepted for publication in Social Policy & Society, the sister publication to the Journal of Social Policy and run by the Social Policy Association.
A critical yet under-researched area, the paper presents a comprehensive literature review that critiques current research on the outcome/impact of information and advice on welfare. A realist evaluation approach is then proposed as being capable to address critical weaknesses in existing research.
Among other areas that are covered, the paper provides an overview of the importance of information and advice in the context of the marketisation of UK welfare provision and a new ‘efficacy framework’ is developed which can be used to assess the scope of research.
A final draft post-refereeing version of the paper will be uploaded to BRIAN in due course.
Dr. Dinusha Mendis invited to present her research at the House of Lords and at a leading London Law Firm
In the last few months, Dr. Dinusha Mendis, Associate Professor in Law and Co-Director of the Centre for Intellectual Property Policy and Management (CIPPM) was invited to speak at the House of Lords and deliver a keynote speech at a leading London Law Firm, Herbert Smith Freehills. The invited talks involved disseminating her recent research into the intellectual property (IP) implications of 3D printing.
Earlier this year, Dr. Mendis was invited by Herbert Smith Freehills LLP, to deliver a keynote speech at their annual Intellectual Property Update Conference . The event attended by over a 100 delegates, included companies such as BBC, BT, Lloyds Banking Group, Barclays, Jaguar Land Rover, Sky Plc, Sony, PLC Thomson Reuters, Oxford University Press, Walt Disney, Warner Bros Entertainment, Wellcome Trust and Unilever to name a few.
Dr. Mendis delivered the keynote speech on ‘The Challenges and Opportunities Presented by 3D Printing’. In delivering the keynote, Dr. Mendis spoke about the research carried out for the UK Intellectual Property Office Commissioned project, which was completed in 2015, whilst also giving an insight into the research being carried out at present.
The IP Update Conference was chaired by Mark Shillito (Partner, Head of Disputes, UK and US; and Global Head of Intellectual Property).
Further information on the presentations and the speakers can be found on the Conference programme.
Herbert Smith Freehills LLP is an award-winning leading London law firm which has 24 offices spanning Europe, US, Asia, Australasia and the Middle East.
During Spring 2016, Dr. Mendis was invited to present her research on 3D printing in the context of its impact of emerging technologies copyright and software at the House of Lords, Palace of Westminster.
The event was organised by Mr. Julian Hobbins, Deputy Chairman of the Federation Against Software Theft (FAST) and hosted by Lord Tim Clement-Jones (Spokesperson for Creative Industries) of the House of Lords.
Dr. Mendis’s presentation titled ‘3D Printing, Copyright and Software: What is the Mischief’? explored the intellectual property implications surrounding Computer-Aided Design (CAD) files needed for 3D printing and the legal position from a UK and European perspective.
Other speakers on the day included Mr. Richard Bach, Assistant Director of the Cyber Security Digital Economy Unit DCMS and Mr. Richard Pharro, CEO at APMG – Cyber Essentials.
Taking Tear Gas on Tour
Our French samples of CS gas would leave our audience feeling sick, so for now we stick to power points when our tear gas research hits the road. Since the new year, members of Bournemouth University’s Civic Media team have had the opportunity to travel all around the country giving talks and workshops at UK Universities. Our Tear Gas project brings together academics, NGOs and digital designers to respond to the need for more publicly accessible information regarding tear gases’ effects on human life, animals and environments. We also consult and advise with organisation’s like Amnesty International on the policies and practices associated with the tear gas trade to help support human rights work around the world.
In February project lead Dr. Feigenbaum was invited to talk at the University of York as part of their Social and Political Sciences speaker series. Then it was over to the University of Sussex in early March, sharing two of our Fusion Funded BU Datalabs projects on Mapping Tear Gas and RiotIDs. Later in March, Dr. Feigenbaum headed into London for an invited talk on ‘Tear Gas and Other Media‘ at the University of Westminster. Then the whole team went up North in April for a RiotID workshop hosted by the University of Sheffield‘s Crick Centre as part of an ESRC Seminar Series. Postgraduate students and Senior Research Assistants Oz Demirkol and Daniel Weissmann, as well as URA Laura McKenna helped deliver a co-creation workshop alongside industry graphic design partner Minute Works and our NGO partner Omega Research Foundation.
To explore the innovative methodology our project employs, combining investigative and data journalism practices, in early May we teamed up with Kings College London‘s new Centre for Digital Culture to host a two-day investigative research workshop, bringing together academics, NGOs and journalist from around Europe. The event was co-sponsored by both MeCCSA Social Movement Network and the Political Science Association, as well as by our research groups at BU. Later that month we were back on the train headed for Keele University’s Media Environments workshop in May. Dr. Feigenbaum and Minute Works co-designed an interactive workshop using our Fusion model for how to turn research into information visualisations for making impact.
Then it was back to London in June for a double header of events on security and arms control at the University College London. First up was a paper presentation on the Wellcome Trust funded part of our research lookin
g at the Communication of Medical Knowledge in Tear Gas History. This two day interdisciplinary and international event was hosted aat UCL’s Global Governance Institute. A symposium directly followed on History, Security and Arms Control that marked the end of Professor Brian Balmer’s AHRC project on the Biological Weapons Convention. Speaking to an audience of 50 academics, policy-makers and NGOs, Dr. Feigenbaum presented on ‘Communication Approaches to the History of Tear Gas’, highlighting how policy-based research can engage with new digital technologies, information design and digital storytelling to make meaningful interventions in arms control.
Up next, in July Dr. Feigenbaum and summer URA Lauren Weeks are heading to the International Association of Media and Communication‘s annual conference to present their paper on the project’s use of social media in addressing issues of policing and human rights. Then it’s time for a holiday!
Our Tear Gas project has brought Bournemouth University’s Fusion vision to universities around the country. This work grew out of two fusion-funded grant projects. It has benefited from Fusion’s cross-faculty collaborations, partner networking opportunities, and working with four URA students over the course of its three years. The fruits of this collaborative labour can be seen in the steady stream of invitations we receive to take our cross-partner, co-creation project on tour–sharing and inspiring about issues that matter.
Why editorials?
BU academics are editors on a wide range of scientific journals. As editors we often write editorials for academic journals which have a number of specific functions. It is a key means of communication between the editor(s) and the journal’s readership. It is also vehicle to highlight topical academic and political issues related to the journal and the discipline(s) it represents. 
Earlier this week the latest issue of the Journal of Asian Midwives came out with an editorial which is an illustration of the first point giving information to the readers [1]. The topics addressed in this editorial included the announcement that this new journal was now indexed in the CINAHL Database, a recent major international conference in the field and a call for the forthcoming 2017 ICM (Internation Confederation of Midwives) tri-annual conference. Today saw the publication of an editorial on the Zika virus and its potential impact in Nepal in the journal Medical Science [2]. This guest editorial co-written by BU’s Visiting Faculties Dr. Brijesh Sathian and Prof. Padam Simkhada with Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen (Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Perinatal Health) calls for action in Nepal. A country where malaria is endemic. The Zika virus uses mosquitoes like the ones spreading Dengue fever and malaria. Zika is a virus we do not wish to see spreading in countries where malaria is already rife. The editorial warns that precautionary measures are needed to prevent a Zika outbreak as the spread of the virus to the country seems inevitable, the only uncertainty is when it will be arriving.
Both journals are Open Access which means these editorials can be read by anybody with internet access free of charge.
References:
- Jan, R., van Teijlingen, E. (2016) Editorial JAM June 2016, Journal of Asian Midwives 3(1):1. http://ecommons.aku.edu/jam/vol3/iss1/1/
- van Teijlingen, E., Sathian, B., & Simkhada, P. (2016). Zika & Nepal: a far greater risk for its population than to individuals. Medical Science 4(2): 312-313. http://www.pubmedhouse.com/journals/ms/articles/1064/PMHID1064.pdf
Research and Impact in Active Ageing Symposia (University of Cumbria) – A URA Experience
Louise Burgess, Undergraduate Research Assistant (URA)
When first applying to become an URA, I was unsure about what to expect. Initially, I thought my summer would be spent holding a clipboard and collecting endless lists of data for someone else to analyse. In reality, the role has been much more exciting than I could have imagined, even prompting me to investigate future careers within research. The research I am assisting with aims to examine the most effective acute recovery routine for individuals who have undergone hip arthroplasty, a reconstructive procedure which involves the replacement of the femoral head and acetabulum with an artificial prosthesis. I felt immediately welcomed by James Gavin (Lead Researcher) and the Orthopaedic Research Institute (ORI) team: Tom Wainwright, (Deputy Head), Tikki Immins (Research Fellow) Shay Bahadori (Medical Device Engineer), in my URA role.
Since starting 2 weeks ago, I have been involved in:
- Designing and implementing a testing protocol
- Recruitment through designing posters and contacting volunteers
- Advancing skills technical: electromyography (EMG), isometric strength testing, clinical recovery exercises
- Developing my subject knowledge and understanding
- Training on the PrimusRS Multimodal Dynamometer
- Developing data collection spreadsheets
- Data collection: anthropometric, handgrip strength, walk speed, muscle activity and isometric strength.
- Data analysis (using Biometrics Datalog EMG software)
- Conference presentation:Research and Impact in Active Ageing Symposia (University of Cumbria)
Attending the Research and Impact in Active Ageing Symposia (University of Cumbria) proved to be a valuable experience for me as both a student, and as a researcher. The morning began with a talk from Prof Tim Donovan, who covered the role of vision and eye movement in motor control. This was followed by Prof Giuseppe de Vito (University College Dublin), focussing on how old muscle responds to training and nutritional interventions. Finally, Prof Andrea Macaluso (University of Rome Foro Italico) discussed his work on physical activity levels and physiological factors underlying mobility in ageing.
The morning was followed by a poster presentation session, where I presented the findings of my dissertation project. My dissertation entitled, ‘The Incidence of Injuries and the Epidemiology of Osteoarthritis in Retired, Amateur, Rugby Union Males’ was a project I thoroughly enjoyed and despite being incredibly nervous, I really liked sharing it with others. I presented my work to other students, academics, researchers, and members of the NHS. The feedback I received during the question and answer session after my presentation was positive, with ideas how the research could be expanded in the future. Having the opportunity to take part within the symposia increased my confidence within my own research, improved my presentation skills and developed my knowledge of research in active ageing. I even won the prize for best poster presentation, a £100 Human Kinetics book voucher!
I’m not even half way through my time as a URA, but I would still highly recommend other students to apply for similar positions at Bournemouth University.
For more information on ORI please visit:
- bournemouth.ac.uk/ori
- Twitter: @BU_Orthopaedic
Or to get involved with the current research please email me on:
- Lburgess@bournemouth.ac.uk
BUDI presents at the 2016 BU Festival of Learning
On Wednesday 29th June, BUDI hosted an event ‘(Re) consider Dementia’ as part of the annual BU Festival of Learning. It was a packed day and showcased a number of research projects as well as entertainment from the BUDI Orchestra.
During the morning, Dr Samuel Nyman introduced the TACIT Trial. Funded by the National Institute for Health Research, this project will teach Tai Chi to people living with dementia in the Bournemouth and Southampton areas, with the aim to see whether it leads to improvements in postural balance, health and wellbeing for them and their carer. Some of the Tai Chi exercises were then taught to the participating audience by Robert Joyce of Elemental Tai Chi, who is part of the team working on this project. You can obtain further information by visiting http://blogs.bournemouth.ac.uk/dementia-institute/2016/02/18/4170/.
Over the lunch hour, attendees were entertained by the BUDI Orchestra as they held their concert in the Student Hall. This performance was the first of three that will be held over the next 12 months following funding from the Arts Council won earlier this year by Andy Baker, the lead musician. The orchestra is made up of those living with dementia, their carer partners, BU staff (in the picture you can see BU’s Sarah Cronin singing “Danny Boy”) along with 5 talented musicians. Everyone was joyous and in good spirits especially as the BBC were filming the orchestra for their Inside Out programme to be featured in September. Bournemouth Echo as well as BU’s PR team were also taking photos, video clips and quotes from both the orchestra and the audience. You may have seen the Echo’s article already.
May we take this opportunity to ask that should you know of anyone living with dementia that would like to join the orchestra, or if you have any unwanted string or percussion instruments that you no longer have use for then please do contact budi@bournemouth.ac.uk as the orchestra will give them a good home.
The afternoon continued with three interesting presentations focusing on current BUDI research. Dr Michelle Heward started by introducing team posters and presenting Cage Cricket, a pilot project being carried out by Dr Rick Fisher and Ben Hicks who are working in partnership with Dementia Hampshire and Cage4All. To find our more visit http://blogs.bournemouth.ac.uk/dementia-institute/2016/06/02/cage-cricket-with-people-with-dementia-and-their-care-partners/
After a short interval, Michelle continued with her own informative project on “Fire safety in the home”. This was funded by the Inspired by 2012 Health & Wellbeing Legacy Fund. Michelle and Dr Fiona Kelly worked closely with Dorset Fire & Rescue in producing training of some staff and literature. Michelle then answered several interesting questions. To find out more visit http://blogs.bournemouth.ac.uk/dementia-institute/2016/03/23/fire-safety-innovations-for-people-affected-by-dementia-2/
Finally, Mary Duah-Owusu White presented for the first time on her PhD “Improving care for people in acute hospital wards”. The audience listened with interest and look forward to hearing the outcomes at a future BUDI event.
To find out more about our work please visit our website: http://blogs.bournemouth.ac.uk/dementia-institute/
Report by Michelle O’Brien, BUDI Administrator
New paper on Birthing Centres in Nepal
Congratulations to Preeti Mahato in the Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Perinatal Health (CMMPH) on the publication of a paper based on her Ph.D. research. Her paper ‘Birthing centres in Nepal: Recent developments, obstacles and opportunities’ can be found in the June 2016 edition of the Journal of Asian Midwives (JAM) [1]. All articles in JAM are Open Access to ensure midwives and researchers in the poorest parts of Asia can freely access the scientific articles in the journal.
This literature review was appraised the relevant literature on birthing centres in Nepal, South Asia, and other similar settings. Preeti and her co-authors concluded that birthing centres in Nepal have the potential to improve both (a) the institutional delivery rate; and (b) the proportion of births that benefit from the presence of a skilled birth attendant (SBA). However, accessibility, socio-demographic characteristics, and cultural factors act as barriers to pregnant women attending birthing centres and hospital facilities.
Preeti’s Ph.D. is supervised by Dr. Catherine Angell and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen in CMMPH and Prof. Padam Simkhada at Liverpool John Moores University. Padam is also Visiting Faculty at the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences (FHSS).
Reference:
- Mahato, P., van Teijlingen, E., Simkhada, P., Angell, C. (2016) Birthing centres in Nepal: Recent developments, obstacles and opportunities, Journal of Asian Midwives 3(1): 17-30.
A great day enjoying Life by the River
Yesterday the Life by the River Team welcomed over 130 guests to their Festival of Learning Event at the Kingfisher Barn next to the River Stour near Throop. The event was development by Holly Crossen-White and Angela Turner-Wilson from the Public Health Cluster in partnership with Tom Clarke from the RSPB and staff from Bournemouth Borough Council Parks. The aim of the event was to encourage the public to consider the health and wellbeing benefits that can be gained by spending time enjoying the natural environment. Of those who completed an evaluation form 63 % of visitors had never been to this stretch of the River Stour before and all said they planned to return. The Team received lots of positive feedback about the event with visitors saying ‘there was a brilliant atmosphere’ , ‘really relaxing’ and ‘lots of fun for everyone’.
Best paper award!
Best Paper for 2015 Award in the international journal Heart. A paper published by Bournemouth University PhD student, Edward Carlton, and his supervisors, Prof. Ahmed Khattab (FHSS) and Prof. Kim Greaves from the University of the Sunshine Coast in Australia in collaboration with world-renowned hospitals: John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford; Royal Brisbane & Women’s Hospital in Australia; and Christchurch Hospital in New Zealand has been announced as the Winner of the “Heart Best Paper 2015 Award” [1]. This award is in recognition of the high quality and clinical impact of the paper. The winner for this award were chosen by the Editorial Team from the top 10 papers in each of the following three categories: downloads, citations and Altmetrics Score.
Dr. Edward Carlton has just finished his PhD at BU and he is now working as an Emergency Medicine Consultant in Bristol.
Congratulations!
Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen
CMMPH
Reference:
Carlton EW, Cullen L, Than M, Gamble J, Khattab A, Greaves K. A novel diagnostic protocol to identify patients suitable for discharge after a single high-sensitivity troponin. Heart. 2015 Jul;101(13):1041-6. doi: 10.1136/heartjnl-2014-307288. Epub 2015 Feb 17.
The Sun IS going to shine……
….so why not spend this Sunday enjoying
Life by the River
Members of the Public Health Cluster have been working in partnership with Tom Clarke from the RSPB over the last two years to to promote to the public the many health and wellbeing benefits there are from spending time outside enjoying the natural environment. The Team has also been working with Bournemouth Borough Council, Parks staff and supporting the development of a project based on a stretch of the River Stour. Heritage Lottery funding had enabled the creation of the Kingfisher Barn, a new visitor’s centre alongside the River Stour, near Throop. To showcase the work the project team Holly and Angela (BU), Tom (RSPB) and Bournemouth Parks staff have developed a Festival of Learning Event at the Kingfisher Barn with lots of outdoor activities for visitors of all ages. There will be an opportunity to discover how previous generations have lived their life by the river and there will be some lovely family photos showing how life was that have been generously provided by local families who have also shared their memories and helped Holly bring together the exhibition. There will be some messy things to do too so maybe pack some wellies if you would like to help create a cobb structure with Heidi a local artist who has been working with the Team. The event is this Sunday – 26th June at the Kingfisher Barn between 11am and 3pm. 
Eating and drinking well: Supporting people living with dementia – impact at national events
Dr Jane Murphy and Joanne Holmes have continued their impact work of their project ‘Eating and drinking well: Supporting people living with dementia’ at a number of national events recently. They spoke alongside other leading dementia experts at Dementia 2020 in Manchester, the Alzheimer’s Show at Olympia in London and the AGE UK /LSE/NHS England interactive workshops on dignity and nutrition for older people in hospital Age UK/NHS England in London and Leeds. For more information: click here
Taken together with other work, it has resulted in a significant amount of interest from the health and social care sectors leading to the successful dissemination and evaluation of the training material developed through the research. Quote from a registered care home manager who completed the training:
” …we have now revolutionised our meal times and this has proven to be of great success, in the few short weeks of implementing this we have observed and recorded an increase in weight with the majority of our residents and a more sociable and interactive feel that surrounds our mealtimes.”
For more details please visit our website here
Please click here to The Alzheimer’s Show
The various forms of terrorist violence
Sadly, the topic of the third BU ‘Dialogue in the Social Sciences’ now has added urgency. To be held at 5.15 on Wednesday 22 June, in the EBC, the title of this public event is ‘Radicalisation: what is it and what threat does it pose?’ Professor Matthew Feldman of Teesside University is an expert on the Far Right; he will be joined by Emma el-Badawy of the University of Exeter and Dr Usama Hasan of the counter-radicalisation organisation the Quilliam Foundation, both experts on violent Islamism. Professor Barry Richards will be in the chair.
To register for a free ticket: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/dialogues-in-the-contemporary-social-sciences-22-june-tickets-25949415400
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