Category / BU research

New BU paper: Health of Nepali migrants in India

BU research, Featured academics, international, open access, Research news, Uncategorized, writing

Today the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health accepted our paper ‘The health of Nepali migrants in India: A qualitative study of lifestyles and risks’ [1].  The research in this paper was funded through Connect India is Bournemouth University’s Hub of Practice for the Indian subcontinent.  It brought together a community of researchers, educators, practitioners and students, both at Bournemouth University and across the Indian subcontinent.

The lead author, Dr. Pramod Regmi, is lecturer in International Health in the Department of Nursing & Clinical Science.  His co-authors are based in the UK, Nepal and India.  BU authors are: Pramod Regmi, Edwin van Teijlingen, Preeti Mahato and Nirmal Aryal as well as BU Visiting Faculty Prof. Padam Simkhada.  The  International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an interdisciplinary Open Access journal, hence when published this paper will be freely available to readers across the globe, including India and Nepal.

Reference:

  1. Regmi, P., van Teijlingen, E., Mahato, P., Aryal, N., Jadhav, N., Simkhada, P., Syed Zahiruddin, Q., Gaidhane, A., (2019) The health of Nepali migrants in India: A qualitative study of lifestyles and risks Journal of Environmental Research & Public Health (forthcoming)

 

 

RKEDF – Research Ethics @ BU workshop

BU research, Research Ethics, Research Integritiy, Research Training

On Tuesday 8 October 2019, RDS are running a practical 2 hour workshop on the review and approval process at BU, so if you’re in the process of putting together an ethics application or you’d like a refresher, this workshop is for you.

The workshop is designed to assist Researchers (staff) in the process of obtaining ethical approval.

The review and approval process will be discussed, including how risk is identified. What makes a good an application and how to create and submit an online ethics checklist.

By the end of this workshop you will have an understanding about:

  • The process for gaining ethical approval
  • How to complete an online ethics checklist
  • What makes a good application

If you’re interested in attending then reserve your place via Organisational Development.

Good Clinical Practice refresher – Tuesday 8th October

BU research, Clinical Governance, data management, nhs, NHS, Research Ethics, research integrity, Research Training, Training

Are you currently undertaking research within the NHS, and your Good Clinical Practice (GCP) training is due to expire? Or has it expired recently?

GCP certification lasts for two years, so if your training is due to expire, has expired, or you want to validate your learning, then take advantage of the upcoming refresher half day session, taking place at Royal Bournemouth Hospital on Tuesday 8th October, 8:30am – 11:30am.

Spaces are still remaining, so if you’d like to enrol, get in touch with Research Ethics.

Free online course! – Improving Healthcare Through Clinical Research

BU research, Clinical Governance, nhs, NHS, Research Ethics, research integrity, Research news, Research Training, Training

Interested in clinical research and what’s involved? Are you contemplating a career in healthcare or the life sciences, or, do you want to find out more about the role of clinical research in improving healthcare?

If you’ve answered yes to any of the above questions, then why not sign up to FutureLearn’s Improving Healthcare Through Clinical Research course?

The course has been developed by the University of Leeds and will be available from 7th October, via this link.

It is completely free and all online, lasting 4 weeks – registration now open!

This course has been certified by the CPD Certification Service as conforming to continuing professional development principles. By completing the course you will have achieved 16 hours of CPD time.

Remember – support is on offer at BU if you are thinking of introducing your research ideas into the NHS – email the Research Ethics mailbox, and take a look at the Clinical Governance blog.

RDS Academic and Researcher Induction

BU research, Research Training, RKE development framework

The Research Development and Support (RDS, formerly RKEO) invite all ‘new to BU’ academics and researchers to an induction.

Signpost with the words Help, Support, Advice, Guidance and Assistance on the direction arrows, against a bright blue cloudy sky.This event provides an overview of all the practical information staff need to begin developing their research plans at BU, using both internal and external networks; to develop and disseminate research outcomes; and maximising the available funding opportunities.Objectives

  • The primary aim of this event is to raise participants’ awareness of how to get started in research at BU or, for more established staff, how to take their research to the next level
  • To provide participants with essential, practical information and orientation in key stages and processes of research and knowledge exchange at BU

Indicative content

  • An overview of research at BU and how RDS can help/support academic staff
  • The importance of horizon-scanning, signposting relevant internal and external funding opportunities and clarifying the applications process
  • How to grow a R&KE portfolio, including academic development schemes
  • How to develop internal and external research networks
  • Key points on research ethics and developing research outputs
  • Getting started with Knowledge Exchange and business engagement

For more information about the event, please see the following link.  The eleventh induction will be held on Wednesday, 3oth October 2019 in Melbury House, 5th Floor, Garden Room.

Title Date Time Location
Research Development & Support (RDS) Research Induction Wednesday 30th October 2019 9.00 – 12.00 Lansdowne Campus

9.00-9.15 – Coffee/tea and cake/fruit will be available on arrival

9.15 – RDS academic induction (with a break at 10.45)

11.25 – Organisational Development upcoming development opportunities

11.30 – Opportunity for one to one interaction with RDS staff

12.00 – Close

There will also be literature and information packs available.

If you would like to attend the induction then please book your place through Organisational Development and you can also visit their pages here.

We hope you can make it and look forward to seeing you.

Regards,

The RDS team

Photo of the week: ‘The TACIT Trial: TAi ChI for people with dementia’

BU research, Research news

Telling a story of research through photography

The ‘photo of the week’ is a weekly series featuring photographs taken by BU academics and students for our Research Photography Competition which took place earlier this year.

These provide a snapshot into some of the incredible research taking place across the BU community. 

This week’s photo of the week was taken by Samuel Nyman and is titled;

‘The TACIT Trial: TAi ChI for people with dementia’

‘This photo is taken from a Festival of Learning event in 2018 for the TACIT Trial here on BU campus. After PhD students Yolanda Barrado-Martín and Iram Bibi presented on the study, the audience got to try out Tai Chi for themselves! The class was led by senior instructor Robert Joyce, from Elemental Tai Chi. For the trial, we have been delivering Tai Chi classes all across Wessex: Dorset, Romsey, and Portsmouth. The venues ranged from leisure centres, church halls, to NHS sites. Though Tai Chi can be practised anywhere. Indeed, many have seen images of crowds of people practising Tai Chi in public parks in China! The TACIT Trial is a study investigating the benefits of Tai Chi for community-dwelling people with dementia and their informal carers.

We hope to show that it improves balance to help prevent falls and improves the quality of life of those with dementia and their carers who come to the classes with them. This project is funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) through a Career Development Fellowship awarded to Dr Samuel Nyman’

If you have any questions about the Photo of the Week series or the Research Photography Competition please email; research@bournemouth.ac.uk

RKEDF – Research Ethics @ BU workshop

BU research, Research Ethics, Research Integritiy, RKE development framework, Training

On Tuesday 8 October 2019, RDS are running a practical 2 hour workshop on the review and approval process at BU, so if you’re in the process of putting together an ethics application or you’d like a refresher, this workshop is for you.

The workshop is designed to assist Researchers (staff) in the process of obtaining ethical approval.

The review and approval process will be discussed, including how risk is identified. What makes a good an application and how to create and submit an online ethics checklist.

By the end of this workshop you will have an understanding about:

  • The process for gaining ethical approval
  • How to complete an online ethics checklist
  • What makes a good application

If you’re interested in attending then reserve your place via Organisational Development.

Getting started on applying for research funding

BU research, ECR Network, pre-award, Research Training, RKE development framework, Training, Uncategorized

This workshop will provide information on the best routes to funding based upon career stages. It will explore how to create your project budget, provide an introduction to the relevant BU processes around funding and quality assurance, in particular the approval process (using the Activity Proposal Form (APF)).

Worskhop outcomes:

  • Identify appropriate funders for different areas of research
  • Understand how best to progress your research proposals at BU
  • Understand how best to access help with your research proposals

Tuesday 8th October 12:00 – 13:30 (Talbot Campus)

If you’re not able to make this date, the workshop will be repeated on 28/04/2020.

To find out more about it and to book, please see here.

 

Improving the impact section of your funding bids

BU research, ECR Network, Events, Impact, Research Training, RKE development framework, Training, Uncategorized

Writing the impact section in a grant application can be challenging but a strong impact summary and description of the impact pathway/s can make all the difference between getting your research funded or not.

The RKEDF training session, Impact and Funding Bids, on Tuesday 1st October, 13:00-15:00, at Talbot Campus will help you understand exactly what you need to write for the best chance of success.

Facilitated by Impact Officers Matt Fancy and Amanda Edwards and Funding Development Officer Eva Papadopoulou, the session will give practical advice on completing the impact summary and pathway to impact sections of funding applications as well as best practice examples.

The session is aimed at academics at all stages of their careers, but it likely to be especially useful for ECRs preparing their first funding bids.

For further details and to register, follow the link to the OD booking page: Impact and Funding Bids.

Photo of the week: ‘Fatherhood’

BU research, Research news

Telling a story of research through photography

The ‘photo of the week’ is a weekly series featuring photographs taken by BU academics and students for our Research Photography Competition which took place earlier this year.

These provide a snapshot into some of the incredible research taking place across the BU community. 

This week’s photo of the week was taken by Minesh Khashu and is titled;

‘Fatherhood’

The Family Initiative’s International Neonatal Fathers Working Group, chaired by Prof Minesh Khashu, has reviewed the literature on engaging fathers in neonatal units, with the aim of making recommendations for improving experience of fathers as well as health outcomes in neonatal practice. We believe that supporting the father-baby bond and supporting co-parenting between the mother and the father benefits the health of the baby. We find, however, that practice remains sub-optimal. Fathers typically describe the opportunity to bond with their babies, particularly skin-to-skin care, in glowing terms of gratitude, happiness and love.

These sensations are underpinned by hormonal and neurobiological changes that take place in fathers when they care for their babies. Fathers are subject to different social expectations from mothers and this shapes how they respond to the situation and how neonatal staff treats them. Fathers are more likely to be considered responsible for earning, they are often considered to be less competent at caring than mothers and they are expected to be “the strong one”, providing support to mothers but not expecting it in return. Our review ends with 12 practical recommendations for neonatal teams to focus on.

If you have any questions about the Photo of the Week series or the Research Photography Competition please email research@bournemouth.ac.uk

Research Council Development Scheme – applications now open

BU research, ECR Network, Funding opportunities, pre-award, Research news, Research Training, Training

BU is introducing the third round of the Research Council Development Scheme which is a coordinated, targeted set of activities designed to inspire and equip BU researchers to achieve greater success with Research Council funding.

The aim is to:

  • Increase awareness of the Research Councils opportunities
  • Equip researchers with the confidence and skills to apply for the Research Councils funding in line with their career stage
  • Fast-track the development of a portfolio of proposals by facilitating proposal writing, setting next steps and allocating support

Due to the wide range of opportunities offered by Research Councils, the RCDS will feature a range of activities which may be generic in scope or targeted to a cohort as follows.

  • E cohort – early career researchers and those new to Research Councils (learning aims: first grants, fellowships, general mind-set and approach)
  • M cohort – mid-career researchers and those with some Research Councils experience (learning aims: project leadership and moving up to larger grants/collaborations)
  • P cohort – professorial level and those with significant Research Council experience (learning aims: high value, strategic and longer-larger funding)

Members of the RCDS will have access to a mix of development activities:

  • As a group and within targeted cohorts: training, workshops, structured proposal writing sessions and opportunities to build peer-to-peer support.
  • 1:1 support for scoping/identifying funding streams and planning/starting proposals.
  • Hands-on work to develop proposals through the scheme, including bid surgeries.

The criteria for membership, expectations of membership, and the training and development timetable for the RCDS can be found in the scheme document : BU-RC-Dev.-Scheme-communications-19-20-1

Those wanting to participate in this great opportunity will need to submit an expression of interest to: RKEDF@bournemouth.ac.uk stating:

  • Why they are applying to the RCDS
  • What (if any) Research Council Bidding experience they have to date
  • Which targeted cohort they consider themselves to be in: E, M or P
  • Do they have a funding proposal in development? If so, to provide details of the proposal (this is not essential to be a member)

Please submit your expression of interest by 15th November 2019. RDS will then send a membership agreement form to potential members, where they will agree to attend the training sessions and submit proposals to the research councils. As this scheme is part of the RKEDF, potential members will need to seek approval from their Head of Department or departmental nominated approver.

Please read through the scheme document (above) and if any clarification is required then contact Lisa Andrews, Research Facilitator, RDS. This scheme is a fantastic opportunity to accelerate your research council funding track record.

ECR representative needed to join the REF Circumstances Board

BU research, ECR Network, REF Subjects, Research assessment, Research Training

The BU REF Circumstances Board has been established to oversee the individual staff circumstances process for REF 2021. This includes:

  • determining whether individual staff circumstances submitted by BU academics meet the REF eligibility requirements;
  • verifying the evidence provided;
  • calculating the reduction in outputs using the methodology set out in the REF guidance documentation and the Advance HE case studies;
  • contributing to BU’s culture of equality, diversity and inclusivity.

The Board is chaired by a HR Manager with support from the Equality and Diversity Adviser and a member of Research Development & Support. These post-holders will be selected based on their prior knowledge and expertise in individual staff circumstances and equality and diversity issues. Membership will also include two academics and an early career researcher (ECR).

We are now seeking expressions of interest from academics who are interested in joining the Circs Board. Successful applicants will be required to attend meetings of the BU REF Circumstances Board (schedule tbc, but likely to be one or two meetings per year), ensure they are aware of the REF guidance and regulations, undertake equality and diversity training, and promote a positive culture of equality and diversity at BU. We therefore ask for your commitment, active contribution and, most importantly, confidentiality due to the sensitive work of the Board. In return you will be involved in an important cross-University committee, gain an insight into the REF and equality and diversity (both highly topical issues in the sector), and be engaged in academic citizenship.

Nomination procedure:

The vacant roles on the BU REF Circumstances Board are:

  • 2 x academic representatives
  • 1 x early career researcher (ECR) representative

Anyone interested should submit an expression of interest stating your interest in equality and diversity, why you think equality and diversity is important for the REF and why your involvement would strengthen the BU REF Circumstances Board (max 300 words). You must also state whether you are applying to be an academic member or an ECR. Your nomination should state your name, job title and Faculty.

The deadline for expressions of interest is Friday 20th September. Nominations should be emailed to ref@bournemouth.ac.uk. Note – There is training and development scheduled on the 26th September which it is hoped successful members will be able to attend.

Expressions of interest will be reviewed by a panel of reviewers who are responsible for agreeing on which applicants to invite to serve on the BU REF Circumstances Board.

Eligibility:

Applications are invited from any BU staff member on an academic contract, however, you must be independent from REF preparations (for example, applicants cannot be UOA Leaders, impact champions or output champions).

ECRs in this context are defined as members of staff who started their careers as independent researchers on or after 1 August 2016. In line with the REF guidance, an individual is deemed to have started their career as an independent researcher from the point at which:

  1. They held a contract of employment (0.2 FTE or higher) which included a primary employment function of undertaking ‘research’ or ‘teaching and research’, with any HEI or other organisation, whether in the UK or overseas, and
  2. They undertook independent research, for example, leading or acting as principal investigator or equivalent on a research grant or significant piece of research work.

If you have any queries, please speak with Shelly Anne Stringer in the first instance.

Courage PGR Wellbeing Festival

BU research

Chloe Casey is a PhD student from the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences who is researching postgraduate researchers’ (PGR) mental health and wellbeing. She was invited along with PGRs and academic staff from around the UK to attend the Courage Festival hosted by the University of East Anglia’s (UEA) on 11 September 2019.

The Courage Wellbeing Project is researching and piloting approaches to support the mental health and wellbeing of PGRs at the UEA, Norwich. The project is running many initiatives from a PGR blog facilitated by PhD candidate Bryony Porter, ‘PGRunners’ running club, ‘Walk and Talk’ PGR walking group, ‘PhDiggers’ gardening club and a bullet journaling group to name a few. Attendees had opportunities to trial all of these experiences (and yoga!) and attend practical workshops discussing (debating) the current issues underpinning wellbeing in PGRs.

Some highlights of the day included an engaging workshop from Dr Ben Marshall, UEA Student Support: Psychological Responses to Perceived Failure. The workshop included an overview of the psychological biases involved in how we process failure and provided practical ways to reframe our thinking (including a guided mindfulness meditation session). “PGR students tend to be highly self-critical and possess perfectionist traits” Dr Marshall explained, so receiving critical feedback (situation-based failure) can lead them to incorrectly think that they are a failure (person-based failure). Dr Marshall teaches how to de-personalise failure and to contextualise it as a normal part of academic life reminding us that these feelings of failure are time-bound: will this matter in a months’ time? Probably not!

Another memorable workshop was delivered by a UEA PGR, Laura Haag, named #IamRemarkable. Laura facilitated this initiative that was designed by Google to address the challenges in the perception of self-promotion, designed to empower women and underrepresented groups to promote themselves in their careers. The initiative can be applied to any workplace but has worked well for PGRs, encouraging them to share what makes them remarkable personally and professionally. Sharing their successes with a room full of people felt uncomfortable to most but the attendees left with the tools to practise this skill and feeling more confident disseminating their successes. (For more information or to become a facilitator visit: https://iamremarkable.withgoogle.com/)

The concepts and ideas discussed throughout the day were then visually captured and communicated by the amazing Debbie Roberts from Engage Visually (@engagevisualart). This provided a great summary of a thought-provoking, energetic and positive event.

Thank you to UEA student’s union (@ueasu_pg), Bryony Porter (@BryonySPorter) and Dr John Turnpenny, Courage Project Lead for their hospitality and for sharing your research and initiatives. It is great to see so many are passionate about leading change in promoting mental health and wellbeing for PGRs.