Category / student research

New CMMPH publication

NHS, open access, Publishing, student research, Women's Academic Network, writing

Congratulations to Charlotte Clayton, PhD student in the Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Perinatal Health (CMMPH) on the publication of an article based on her PhD study.  The paper ‘The public health role of case-loading midwives in advancing health equity in childbearing women and babies living in socially deprived areas in England: The Mi-CARE Study protocol’ is co-authored with her supervisors Prof. Ann Hemingway, Dr. Mel Hughes and Dr. Stella Rawnson [1].

This paper in the European Journal of Midwifery is Open Access, and hence freely available to everybody with an internet access.  Charlotte is doing the Clinical Academic Doctoral (CAD) programme at Bournemouth University. The CAD programme provides midwives with bespoke research training, which includes conducting a piece of independent research whilst also remaining in clinical practice. The CAD programme is part of the NIHR Wessex Integrated Academic Clinical Training Pathway and in her PhD study supported by BU and University Hospital Southampton (UHS), where Charlotte works as a midwife). Charlotte use the Twitter handle: @femmidwife.

 

Well done!

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

CMMPH

 

Reference:

  1. Clayton S, Hemingway A, Hughes M, Rawnson S (2022) The public health role of caseloading midwives in advancing health equity in childbearing women and babies living in socially deprived areas in England: The Mi-CARE Study protocol, Eur J Midwifery 6(April):17

Rapid Response Research: Real-time Mass Grave Open Source Documenting in Ukraine

Awarded & submitted bids, BU Challenges, Fusion, student research

Reports of mass graves in the city of Mariupol, Ukraine, are emerging. Since the casualties are alleged to be civilians unlawfully killed as a result of armed conflict, international law demands protection to facilitate an effective investigation. Documenting and cataloguing mass graves is vital for protection and investigation measures to follow.

With the help of two BU LLM Public International Law students, over the next weeks, we will be conducting real-time open source documenting of mass graves. Our aim is to catalogue reporting on mass graves found in media outlets, civil society research, official statements. This will include gathering information on the recording of mass graves; the reporting on mass graves; information on victim numbers in mass graves; the protection of mass graves; alleged disturbances of mass graves and, where applicable, the investigation of mass graves.

Through this activity we will be producing an important repository with significant utility for BU’s ongoing research portfolio in the area of mass graves and missing persons but also in response to a call by the International Criminal Court’s Prosecutor Karim Khan. In a press release he stated that he is seeking

“the support of all States Parties and the international community as a whole as my Office sets about its investigations [into the alleged commission of crimes in Ukraine].  I will be calling for additional budgetary support, for voluntary contributions to support all our situations, and for the loan of gratis personnel. The importance and urgency of our mission is too serious to be held hostage to lack of means.” [Statement of 28 February 2022]

The project is funded through the Humanities & Law Department’s QR budget, and is led by Professor Melanie Klinkner, supported by Dr Jonathan Whittle.

 

 

 

Research Skills Toolkit – On demand online modules

Research Ethics, student research, Training

There have been some updates to our Epigeum Research Skills Toolkit modules. Firstly, all modules as part of the Research Skills Toolkit are now available to all staff using your @bournemouth.ac.uk email address.

The toolkit covers topics such as Becoming a Researcher (available from 1 April), Entrepreneurship in the Research Context, Ethical Research, Research Methods, and Transferable Skills.

You will need to follow these steps to set up an account:

  1. Go to: https://courses.epigeum.com/register.
    Use token 678a512f when completing the form.
  2. An activation link will be sent to your e-mail. Please also check your JUNK mail.
  3. Once registration is complete, log in with this different link: https://courses.epigeum.com/login.

Adding the Research Ethics Modules:

  1. Once you have set up your account and logged in, click the person icon in the top right-hand corner of the screen.
  2. Select ‘Enter Token’.
    Use token 02d34ae8. 

If you already have an account:

If you already have an account set up, you will then need to follow these steps.

  1. Log into your account: https://courses.epigeum.com/login.
  2. Click the person icon in the top right-hand corner of the screen.
  3. Depending on what you are missing either add token 678a512f (for the wider Research Skills Toolkit modules) or 02d34ae8 (for the Research Ethics Modules).

Viewing your modules:

To start viewing and working through your chosen modules, click back on the person icon, and select my courses.

From 1 April the following courses will be added under a new collection named ‘Becoming a Researcher’.

  • Becoming a Researcher: Effective Management of Doctoral and Master’s Research (replacing Transferable Skills: Managing your research project).
  • Becoming a Researcher: Working with your supervisor (replacing Transferable Skills: Working with your supervisor).
  • Becoming a Researcher: Intellectual property in the research context (replacing Transferable Skills: Intellectual property in the research context).

Come along to a short demonstration on how to optimise the toolkit hosted by Epigeum’s Senior Learning Consultant Nick Broom. Register: Wednesday 4 May, 13:00 – 13:45, MS Teams.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to get in touch:

Natalie Stewart (PGRs &  PGR Supervisors) – nstewart@bournemouth.ac.uk. 

Sarah Bell (ECRs and other BU staff) – sarah.bell@bournemouth.ac.uk. 

Postgraduate Researchers and Supervisors | Monthly Update for Researcher Development

PG research, student research, Training

Postgraduate researchers and supervisors, hopefully you have seen your monthly update for researcher development e-newsletter sent earlier this week. If you have missed it, please check your junk email or you can view it within the Researcher Development Programme on Brightspace.

The start of the month is a great time to reflect on your upcoming postgraduate researcher development needs and explore what is being delivered this month as part of the Doctoral College Researcher Development Programme and what is available via your Faculty or Department. Remember some sessions only run once per year, so don’t miss out.

Please also subscribe to your Brightspace announcement notifications for updates when they are posted.

If you have any questions about the Researcher Development Programme, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Natalie (Research Skills & Development Officer)
pgrskillsdevelopment@bournemouth.ac.uk 

Hard to reach or hard to engage?

international, PG research, Publishing, student research, writing

Congratulations to FHSS PhD students Aniebiet Ekong and Nurudeen Adesina on the acceptance of their paper by MIDIRS Midwifery Digest [1]. This methodological paper reflects on their data collection approaches as part of their PhD involving African pregnant women in the UK.

This paper provides a snapshot of some of the challenges encountered during the recruitment of pregnant Black African women living in the UK for their research. Though there are several strategies documented to access/invite/recruit these ‘hard-to-reach population’ these recruitment strategies however were found to be unsuitable to properly engage members of this community. Furthermore, ethical guidelines around informed consent and gatekeeping seem to impede the successful engagement of the members of this community. It is believed that an insight into the experience and perceptions of ethnic minorities researchers will enhance pragmatic strategies that will increase future participation and retention of Black African women across different areas of health and social care research. This paper is co-authored with their BU PhD supervisors: Dr Jaqui-Hewitt Taylor, Dr Juliet Wood, Dr Pramod Regmi and Dr Fotini Tsofliou.

Well done !

Pramod Regmi

  1. Ekong, A., Adesina, N., Regmi, P., Tsofliou, F., Wood, J. and Taylor, J., 2022. Barriers and Facilitators to the recruitment of Black African women for research in the UK: Hard to engage and not hard to reach. MIDIRS Midwifery Digest (accepted).

Postgraduate Researchers and Supervisors | Monthly Update for Researcher Development

PG research, student research, Training

Postgraduate researchers and supervisors, hopefully you have seen your monthly update for researcher development e-newsletter sent earlier this week. If you have missed it, please check your junk email or you can view it within the Researcher Development Programme on Brightspace.

The start of the month is a great time to reflect on your upcoming postgraduate researcher development needs and explore what is being delivered this month as part of the Doctoral College Researcher Development Programme and what is available via your Faculty or Department. Remember some sessions only run once per year, so don’t miss out.

Please also subscribe to your Brightspace announcement notifications for updates when they are posted.

If you have any questions about the Researcher Development Programme, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Natalie (Research Skills & Development Officer)
pgrskillsdevelopment@bournemouth.ac.uk 

Building scams intelligence within student in the South West. Can you help Trading Standards?

student research

I am reaching out in the hope that some of you will be able to help Trading Standards, who are currently hoping to reach students (primarily 1st years) with their short survey around financial scamming.
This issue is so relevant right now and Trading Standards are looking to carry out an Educational Campaign to help protect students from scamming and it would be amazing if you were able to help kickstart this.
Their project aims to expand on a piece of work carried out by student volunteers at Plymouth Uni with Plymouth TS and Devon & Cornwall police. Trading Standards South West has been given the go ahead to roll the project out regionally to see if the results are reflective of wider scale issues about scam reporting, etc. The project is looking:
  • To coordinate with universities and further education to benchmark where scams and fraudulent activity is currently reported and explore barriers to reporting
  • To gather intelligence directly from the universities and further education centres of the scams and fraudulent activity currently being targeted at their students
  • To run an education campaign in Q4 2020/21 based on the emerging threats and intelligence gathered
  • To evaluate the project and determine which routes of intelligence work best within these establishments and determine whether a dedicated student reporting mechanism is required, which may be hosted within Trading Standards

Colleagues across the South West are therefore exploring opportunities with their local higher education providers to obtain feedback on the scams experience prevalent within the student population, emerging threats, etc.

Here is the link to the initial survey: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/N86NS8H

Thank you in advance to anyone who may be able to share this with their students.

Postgraduate Researchers and Supervisors | Monthly Update for Researcher Development

PG research, student research, Training

Postgraduate researchers and supervisors, hopefully you have seen your monthly update for researcher development e-newsletter sent earlier this week. If you have missed it, please check your junk email or you can view it within the Researcher Development Programme on Brightspace.

The start of the month is a great time to reflect on your upcoming postgraduate researcher development needs and explore what is being delivered this month as part of the Doctoral College Researcher Development Programme and what is available via your Faculty or Department. Remember some sessions only run once per year, so don’t miss out.

Please also subscribe to your Brightspace announcement notifications for updates when they are posted.

If you have any questions about the Researcher Development Programme, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Natalie (Research Skills & Development Officer)
pgrskillsdevelopment@bournemouth.ac.uk 

New BU paper on digital tools for diabetes

innovation, international, open access, Publishing, Student Engagement, student research, Women's Academic Network, writing

Congratulations to BU PhD student Nurudeen Adesina on the publication of his systematic review.  Nurudeen together with Huseyin Dogan in the Department of Computing & Informatics, Sue Green in the Nursing for Long-term Health Centre, and Fotini Tsofliou in Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Perinatal Health (CMMPH) appeared in print just before Christmas with their paper ‘Effectiveness and Usability of Digital Tools to Support Dietary Self-Management of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review‘ [1].

This new paper highlights that advice on dietary intake is an essential first line intervention for the management of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Digital tools such as web-based and smartphone apps have been suggested to provide a novel way of providing information on diet for optimal glucose regulation in women with GDM. This systematic review explored the effectiveness and usability of digital tools designed to support dietary self-management of GDM. A systematic search of Medline, Embase,
Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Cochrane Library, and Scopus using key search terms identified 1476 papers reporting research studies, of which 16 met the specified inclusion criteria. The quality of the included studies was assessed using the ErasmusAGE Quality Score or the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) version 2018. The findings show that the adoption of digital tools may be an effective approach to support self-management relating to healthy diet, health behaviour, and adherence to therapy in women with GDM as a usable intervention. However, the four authors argue that there is a lack of evidence concerning the effectiveness of tools to support the dietary management of GDM. Consideration for ethnic specific dietary advice and evidence-based frameworks in the development of effective digital tools for dietary management of GDM should be considered as these aspects have been limited in the studies reviewed.

Reference:

Adesina, N.; Dogan, H.; Green, S.; Tsofliou, F. Effectiveness and Usability of Digital Tools to Support Dietary Self-Management of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review. Nutrients 2022, 14, 10. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14010010

New publication from the Department of Psychology

BRIAN, Fusion, student research

A paper titled, ‘Individual factors in the relationship between stress and resilience in mental health psychology practitioners during the COVID-19 pandemic” is now published in Journal of Health Psychology and is available at https://doi.org/10.1177/13591053211059393.

This paper is an outcome of a QR funded project that was conducted by Dr Constantina Panourgia, Dr Agata Wezyk and Dr Ala Yankouskaya from the Department of Psychology in collaboration with academics from University of West London (Dr Annita Ventouris) and Catholic University of Lyon (Dr Amanda Comoretto) and a former BU MSc student (Miss Zoe Taylor).

This  paper explores the concurrent effects of pre-pandemic and COVID-19 stress on resilience in Mental Health Psychology Practitioners focussing on the mediation effects of specific individual factors. Optimism, burnout and secondary traumatic stress, but not coping strategies, self-efficacy, compassion satisfaction, or self-compassion, mediated both the relationship between pre-pandemic stress and resilience and COVID-19 stress and resilience. These findings may be explained by the increased workload caused by the pandemic, and the nature and duration of COVID-19. Very importantly, they address the role of training and supervision practices that allow Mental Health Psychology Practitioners to reflect on their capacity to deal with their job demands under circumstances of general and extreme stress and to identify early signs of burnout and secondary traumatic stress.

The research team plans to extend the above findings by examining the long-term effects of vicarious traumatisation on this group of professionals currently performing their duties in this complex historical moment.

Reflections on the 13th Postgraduate Research Conference

conferences, PG research, student research

The recent postgraduate research conference, organised by the Doctoral College, offered a perfect opportunity to present my albeit early work, having just completed a systematic review prior to engaging in data collection and analysis in the second year of my PhD. Any opportunity to share/talk about our work is always valuable, encouraging discussion and questions that help us to clarify our thoughts and progress our research.

The conference programme offered a wide view of research being undertaken by PGR students across all the faculties, enabling glimpses into really fascinating research interests of others. We perhaps haven’t seen this as easily as we might have in previous years, because of the restrictions on face-to-face activity due to Covid-19, that have meant less opportunities for networking with others. In addition to the option to view online presentations, the conference hosts an online exhibition of recorded presentations and posters, that further support awareness of the scope of research being undertaken across the University.

A real strength of the conference was the enabling of networking with other PGRs on campus at lunchtime and after the presentations. There was a real positive and energising buzz in the room and the opportunity really supported the further development of my PGR identity as a student within the Doctoral College.

Thank you to the Doctoral College for organising the conference. I would highly recommend attendance at the conference, if not applying to be a presenter, or submitting a poster.

Tanya Andrewes.

PGR. Department of Nursing Science. FHSS

PGR Recorded Presentation | Hina Tariq

conferences, Knowledge Exchange, PG research, student research

The 13th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference, hosted by the Doctoral College.

Hina Tariq (PhD, FHSS) with this presentation entitled: Development and content validation of contracture assessment screening tool.

Click the image below to watch.

You can view the full poster exhibition and pre-recorded presentations on the conference webpage.

If this research has inspired you and you’d like to explore applying for a research degree please visit the postgraduate research web pages or contact the Doctoral College dedicated admissions team.

PGR Recorded Presentation | Dennis Seaman

conferences, Knowledge Exchange, PG research, student research

The 13th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference, hosted by the Doctoral College.

Dennis Seaman (PhD, BUBS) with this presentation entitled: The corporate governance effects of the audit committee informal process: Investigating practice in an emerging economy. 

Click the image below to watch.

You can view the full poster exhibition and pre-recorded presentations on the conference webpage.

If this research has inspired you and you’d like to explore applying for a research degree please visit the postgraduate research web pages or contact the Doctoral College dedicated admissions team.

PGR Recorded Presentations | Anna Marsh

Knowledge Exchange, PG research, student research

The 13th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference, hosted by the Doctoral College.

Anna Marsh (MRes, FHSS) with this presentation entitled: Midwives and social media: friend request declined?

Click the image below to watch.

You can view the full poster exhibition and pre-recorded presentations on the conference webpage.

If this research has inspired you and you’d like to explore applying for a research degree please visit the postgraduate research web pages or contact the Doctoral College dedicated admissions team.

PGR Recorded Presentation | Rushan Arshad

conferences, Knowledge Exchange, PG research, student research

The 13th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference, hosted by the Doctoral College.

Rushan Arshad (PhD, FST) with this presentation entitled: Towards the development of a simulation framework for collaborative process in context of industry 4.0.

Click the image below to watch.

You can view the full poster exhibition and pre-recorded presentations on the conference webpage.

If this research has inspired you and you’d like to explore applying for a research degree please visit the postgraduate research web pages or contact the Doctoral College dedicated admissions team.

PGR Virtual Poster Exhibition | Joseph McMullen

conferences, Knowledge Exchange, PG research, student research

The 13th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference, hosted by the Doctoral College.

Joseph McMullen (PhD, FMC) with this poster entitled: Particulate matter: Regulating an invisible killer.

Click the poster below to enlarge.

Research indicates that exposure to atmospheric pollutants diminishes immune responses and increases viral penetration and replication. Specifically, particulate matter – microscopic solids and liquids suspended in air – represents an unseen and unregulated threat to global human life and welfare. There is no evidence of a safe level of exposure, and particulate matter is linked to respiratory, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, neurological, and paediatric developmental issues. In spite of this, domestic ambient particulate concentrations are unregulated. This work utilises particulate sampling in order to suggest the creation of a proactive regulatory framework informed by science and integrating post-hoc monitoring. Punitive action is suggested for non-compliance with the proposed legal obligations in addition to punitive measures beyond financial penalties.

You can view the full poster exhibition and pre-recorded presentations on the conference webpage.

If this research has inspired you and you’d like to explore applying for a research degree please visit the postgraduate research web pages or contact the Doctoral College dedicated admissions team.

PGR Virtual Poster Exhibition | Nurudeen Adesina

conferences, Knowledge Exchange, PG research, student research

The 13th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference, hosted by the Doctoral College.

Nurudeen Adesina (PhD, FHSS) with this poster entitled: Effectiveness and Usability of Digital Tools to Support Dietary Self-management of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review.

Click the poster below to enlarge.

A systematic search of Medline, Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane library and Web of Science using key search terms identified 1476 papers reporting research studies, of which 16 met specified inclusion criteria. The quality of the included studies was assessed using the ErasmusAGE Quality Score or the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool version 2018. Meta-analysis was not conducted due to the presence of substantial heterogeneity of data across the included studies. Our findings show that adoption of digital tools to support lifestyle improvement relating to healthy diet, health behaviour and adherence to therapy in women with GDM is a usable intervention. However, there was a lack of evidence concerning the effectiveness of the tools to support dietary management of GDM. Our systematic review suggests consideration for ethnic specific dietary advice and evidence-based framework in the development of effective digital tool for dietary management of GDM.

You can view the full poster exhibition and pre-recorded presentations on the conference webpage.

If this research has inspired you and you’d like to explore applying for a research degree please visit the postgraduate research web pages or contact the Doctoral College dedicated admissions team.