Tagged / research

High five! New FishE papers support the evidence base for conserving threatened species and habitats

Publishing

Providing the evidence base to support conservation actions that protect species and habitats in aquatic ecosystems is a key task in the Fish Ecology and Conservation Research Cluster (FishE). This week, five articles published or accepted for publication will contribute strongly to this evidence base, with the work co-created with a number of funders and collaborating organisations.

Sotiris Meletiou’s PhD is on the conservation biology and management of the critically endangered European eel in Cyprus – which is at the eastern edge of their range and far away from their spawning grounds in the Sargasso Sea (Atlantic Ocean). Until now, an eel management plan was not required for Cyprus as any eels present were not believed to metamorphose into adult silver eels and not emigrate back to their spawning grounds. Sotiris’ new paper in the Journal of Fish Biology demonstrates that silver eels are indeed present in Cyprus and do attempt to emigrate to sea, and so should drive the formation of a management plan that should result in greater eel protection and conservation in the eastern Mediterranean.

Simone Cittadino’s research is assessing how freshwater fish respond to saline incursion events from the sea into lowland rivers. these events driven by high spring tides, exacerbated by climate change driven rising sea levels and weather events. His new paper in Hydrobiologia assesses the general movements of a key fish species in the Norfolk Broads, the common bream, highlighting the importance of high habitat connectivity for their movements across this large protected wetland. This work will provide a strong basis for the rest of his PhD research.

Phillip Haubrock, a Marie Curie Incoming postdoctoral Fellow, identified how conservation efforts across the world have been affected by research that is limited by political borders and the restricted availability of data. He and his co-authors argue in Conservation Biology that supra-national and better open-data governance should be capable of overcoming this and lead to better conservation outcomes.

Two articles just accepted for publication this week also contribute strongly to the conservation evidence base. Jonas Palder’s first publication from his PhD was accepted in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, which assessed the increased mortality risk for threatened European shads caused by human constructed barriers within rivers. Robert Britton worked with Gabby Valle, one of our School’s 2024/25 MSc Biodiversity Conservation students, to get her research project data published, which was assessing the risk of a biological invasion in Britain by the globally invasive and ecologically damaging common carp. Their manuscript has also just been accepted for publication in the Journal of Fish Biology.

Congratulations to all involved!

Seeing the fruits of your labour in Bangladesh

Awarded & submitted bids, international, writing

After several little hiccups in our Sonamoni research project we can now show some of the work.  Sonamoni is a four-year research study led by the University of Bournemouth and the Centre for Injury Prevention Research Bangladesh (CIPRB) with the University of Southampton, the University of the West of England (UWE), the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and Design Without Borders (DWB) to develop a number of interventions to prevent drowning in children under the age of 2 years in rural Bangladesh.  After several stages of well-planned research we worked with local communities and stakeholders to propose six interventions with the prospect of been taken further to a full community-based feasibility study.

These six interventions are being piloted in Bangladesh as I am writing this. This pilot phase is made more difficult at the moment as the country is in the ban of the forthcoming national elections.  These elections are particularly challenging for the people in Bangladesh and CIPRB as the local research partner.  The previous national election resulted in violent changes, and the lead up to this election has been, and still is, a difficult period.

We would like to highlight one of the six interventions in a little more detail, as the Human-Centred Design approach, resulted in a neat, simple and low-cost playpen.  The colourful pictures shows the first batch of flatpack playpens in the CIPRB office and some being delivered to rural villages.  However, getting the first sixty developed in Bangladesh turned out more difficult than expected. Our collagues in Bangladesh approached several small to medium-sized companies in the country with the production capabilities to produce a large number of playpens.  In the end only one way interested to try and this company took much longer than agreed to produce enough for our pilot stage.  The good news is that the first stage of the pilot is underway, although now we have the difficulty of forthcoming national election slowing down our research.

This interdisciplinary study is funded through the NIHR Research on Interventions for Global Health Transformation programme (Ref: NIHR203216).  The Bournemouth University team comprises staff from across the university covering all three faculties: Dr. Mavis Bengtsson, Dr. Kyungjoo Cha, Dr. Mehdi Chowdhury, Dr. Yong Hun Lim, Mr. John Powell, and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen, and Ph.D. student Mr. Md. Shafkat Hossain.  For more information about our ongoing research in Bangladesh, please visit the NIHR website.

British Academy funded capacity-building training in Nepal

Awarded & submitted bids, international, Knowledge Exchange

Yesterday we reached third day of the three-day Fellowship training workshop in Dhulikhel, Nepal on evidence synthesis. This capacity-building project is led by the University of Huddersfield and takes place at Kathmandu University School of Medical Sciences (KUSMS). This new Fellowship scheme is an international collaboration led by the University of Huddersfield in the UK, in close collaboration with Kathmandu University School of Medical Sciences (in Nepal), the Nepal Health Research Council, and several UK universities: Bournemouth University, the University of Sheffield, Canterbury Christ Church University, Keele University and the University of Chester. This unique Fellowship started online in the autumn of 2025 and is part of a larger project on strengthening institutional knowledge and capacity of federal, provincial and local governments for evidence-informed health policymaking in Nepal. This important initiative is funded by The British Academy and supported in the field by Green Tara Nepal [1]. The project involved Bournemouth University’s Dr. Pramod Regmi and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen both in the Faculty of Health, Environment & Medical Sciences.

Some 28 Fellows have been selected from nearly one hundred applicants to help build capacity in the field of evidence synthesis with overall aim to promote evidence-informed policymaking in Nepal. This is longstanding aim of the researcher as highlighted in previous call for an evidence-based policy centre in Nepal [2].

References:

1. Simkhada P, Vaidyal A, Regmi P, Paudyal P, van Teijlingen E, Dhimal M, Koirala B, Shresthe A, Simkhada B (2025) Strengthening Evidence Synthesis for Health Policymaking in Nepal: A New Fellowship Initiative, Nepal J Epidemiol

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

Writing policy briefs

international, open access, Publishing, writing

This week saw the publication of ‘Bridging Research and Policy: Practical Tips for Writing Policy Briefs‘ co-authored by Bournemouth University’s (BU) Dr. Pramod Regmi and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen as well as former BU staff Dr. Nirmal Aryal.  An effective policy brief bridges the gap between research findings and policymaking, ensuring that evidence is presented succinctly and in a way that is accessible and usable for policymakers and relevant stakeholders. It is an important step in what is called knowledge mobilisation. However, many researchers find it hard to communicate the findings of their studies to relevant policymakers, whilst policymakers note that the evidence they need is not easily accessible and is often not presented in an accessible format. Producing policy briefs is one of the approaches which academics can use to get their research noticed by policymakers.

This practical paper outlines some of the trials and tribulations of producing policy briefs, based on real-world research. It offers several recommendations to help improve the writing and dissemination of policy briefs.  The paper is published in an Open Access journal hence freely available to anybody across the globe with internet access.

 

References:

  1. van Teijlingen, E., Balen, J., Regmi, P., Rushton, S., Simkhada, P., Aryal, N. (2025). Bridging Research and Policy: Practical Tips for Writing Policy Briefs. Journal of Health Promotion, 13(1),:89–96. https://doi.org/10.3126/jhp.v13i1.87170

 

Up2U: New BU academic publication

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

Congratulations to the interdisciplinary BU team on the publication of the paper ‘Up2U: designing and validating a new evidence-based programme for perpetrators of domestic abuse who want to change’ in Frontiers in Psychology [1].   The new paper is part of the series ‘The Dynamics of Emotion Regulation and Aggressiveness in Gender-Based Violence Contexts’, and it appeared in an Open Access journal and is therefore easily accessible.

Domestic abuse is a pervasive issue rooted in patterns of power and control, contributing to a significant number of high-harm offenses both in the UK and internationally. While programmes have been aiming to disrupt abusive cycles through the understanding and recognition of harm, there is widespread disagreement on what effective interventions should look like. This paper addresses this gap.

The authors of this paper include both psychologists and social workers, as well as a student co-author.  The lead author, Terri Cole, is a Principal Academic in Forensic Psychology.

 

Congratulations!

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

 

Reference:

  1. Cole, T., Oliver, L., Harvey, O., Healy, J., Sperryn, A., Barbin, A. (2025) Up2U: designing and validating a new evidence-based programme for perpetrators of domestic abuse who want to change, Frontiers in Psychology, Volume 16 – 28 Nov.2025 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1676490

CMWH researcher featured on BBC Woman’s Hour

ChloeDr Chloe Casey, lecturer in Nutrition and Behaviour, was interviewed on BBC Woman’s Hour about her collaborative research called ‘Nourish the New You’.

Chloe’s innovative project supports women in recovery from disordered alcohol use through nutrition education and creative expression. The project is part funded by Wessex Health Partners, the Arts University Bournemouth (AUB) and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council.

Working with The Friendly Food Club, the team explored how nutrition education can be meaningfully integrated into community recovery services. They introduced cookery and nutrition classes delivered by The Friendly Food Club alongside creative workshops led by Pauline Ferrick-Squibb from AUB. These sessions provided women with opportunities to explore and express what it means to nourish themselves in recovery.

BU PhD student attending HIV conference on scholarship

conferences, PG research, student research

Congratulations to Tom Weeks, PhD student in the Faculty of Health, Environment & Medical Sciences at Bournemouth University, who has been awarded a scholarship from Gilead Sciences to attend the 2025 British HIV Association (BHIVA) Conference. His PhD research focuses on HIV stigma in the UK.  Tom is supervised by Dr. Pramod Regmi (Principal Academic in International Health) and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen. The BHIVA conference features key sessions including:

  • What’s happening in HIV in 2025: New guidelines, new data, and new plans
  • Towards zero HIV transmission by 2030: Where are we now and where do we go next?

 Tom is eager to engage with the latest developments in HIV care and contribute to the ongoing dialogue around stigma reduction and equitable access to treatment.

Well done!

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen & Dr. Pramod Regmi

 

CMWH well represented at International Labour and Birth Conference

The Centre for Midwifery and Women’s Health was well represented at last week’s International Labour and Birth Conference with presentations from Sara Stride, Dominique Mylod, and Vanora Hundley.

Sara StrideSara was presenting her doctoral work where she has used appreciative inquiry to explore midwives’ experience and processing following the occurrence of Obstetric Anal Sphincter injury (OASI) during spontaneous vaginal birth. Sara said that she found the conference and networking opportunities “inspiring and helpful for her PhD.”

Dominique and Vanora brought their prototype app, which has been designed to support women in the early phase of labour. This was well received by attendees and the next step is to evaluate its implementation into practice.Dom and Vanora

Dominique’s attendance at ILB Conference 2025 was supported by an award from the Science of Birth Research Cluster, University of British Columbia.

Megan Perkin’s work exploring breastfeeding experiences of women with visual impairment was presented as a poster. Unfortunately Megan was not able  to attend due to her clinical commitments, but Vanora was on hand to answer any questions.

 

Reflections on My Social Work Summer Internship

student research

For six weeks of my summer between the 2nd and 3rd year of my Social Work degree I completed an internship with the aim of improving my skills relating to the facilitation of PPI (Patient and Public Involvement) workshops and working with people, as well as expanding my knowledge of the issues women of ethnic minority/migrant communities face.

Week 1: I spent this first week getting to know the professionals I would be working with throughout the six weeks and forming positive and trusting relationships with them. I also worked on getting to grips with what the project was, what my role as the intern was, and how the world of PPI works.

Week 2: The majority of this week I read information/research on the various methods we could use for the workshops and general project. I also met with more professionals and learnt about the PPI process and benefits. To prepare further for the workshops I, along with two experienced colleagues (including my internship supervisor), selected the participants we would talk with in the workshops.

All the above information then started to be drafted into the report document to explain the method, reasoning and research behind the project.

Whilst we originally aimed for one (maybe two) workshop groups where we would use the methods I researched within the week, to engage the participants in a productive conversation, we ended the workshop week with an entirely different plan, two workshop groups, a few one-to-one conversations and email responses for those unable to attend.

Week 3: This week saw me preparing for the workshops by talking to other professionals more experienced in the field, amending the questions we aimed to use to engage the participants in a really positive and productive conversation and ensuring that the workshop space would be as equal, fair and safe as we could make it. I learnt this week, the importance of not guaranteeing a safe space as this removes all space for human error. This can make others uncomfortable as they fear making a mistake (and their apology not being accepted).

Week 4: Week four was workshop week. During this week two large group workshops were and four, one-to-one workshops were conducted. I learnt to co-facilitate workshops with both people I do and do not know, and how to engage participants in difficult conversations. I learnt the importance of ensuring participants felt validated and accepted in the space. Each of these workshops were transcribed and written up into a large document collectively.

Week 5: I, along with my internship supervisor, conducted a thematic analysis during this week (putting all the participants contributions and ideas from the workshops into different themes to make the report easier to write and read as it flows easier). A few last minute workshops were held in this week (one-to-one) and I also started writing up our findings in the report.

Week 6: In week six, I, along with my internship supervisor, wrote the majority of the report draft to be sent to the project leads. I also created a PowerPoint presentation to present the findings from this project to the project leads and outline my learning experiences and how they will aid in my final year of university and future career.

Lessons I learnt:

  • Flexibility (I learnt to be flexible BEFORE the workshops began but also DURING (where our method did not fit with the participants we were talking to, especially during one-to-one conversations)
  • Time management
  • Working with others
  • Co-facilitating workshops with people I do and do not know and ensuring the participants feel accepted in the space and their feelings/experiences validated
  • Presenting my ideas to professionals I do not know
  • Professional report writing
  • Ensuring the space is as safe as possible without guaranteeing a safe space for all

This project has taught me a significant amount about working with Women from ethnic minority/migrant communities and the challenges they face both in research but also in daily life. I am sure this understanding as well as the knowledge I gained about working with other professionals and presenting my ideas to them effectively, will stand me in good stead for my final university year and future career in social work.

Megan Jukes, Social Work Student

A note from Dr Orlanda Harvey:
‘It was a joy to support Megan in developing her research skills, and work alongside her on this project. She was very committed to understanding what was required and her confidence grew in leaps and bounds over the course of the project. I am very grateful to the many colleagues at BU who  gave up their time to help support her learning and development, and I am particularly grateful for the help of Kate Jupp as without her the PPI sessions would not have happened. The report that has been drafted will be very helpful to anyone seeking to understand how to engage participants in research in a meaningful way.‘

New Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health (CMHW) paper on Nepal

international, open access, Publishing, writing

Last week the international Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development emailed to tell that our paper ‘Exploring handwashing knowledge and practice among lactating mothers in Kathmandu’s slum communities’ [1] had been accepted for publication.

It is widely known that poor access to good quality water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) lead to high morbidity in young children. The paper reports on a cross-sectional study conducted with 127 breastfeeding mothers in two slum settlements in Nepal’s capital.  It found that most had a good knowledge of WASH and appropriate washing of hands. However, the prevalence of illness among children whose mothers had only basic education was 26% higher than those whose mothers had completed secondary education. Family income and hand-washing practice were also significantly associated with child health (p < 0.01). Nearly three in four (73.2%) of children had experienced health issues, particularly diarrhoea, in the past half year.

The authors concluded that strengthening maternal hand-hygiene education programmes, particularly for lactating mothers, and improving WASH infrastructure are necessary, as well as promoting affordable hand-washing solutions in urban slums.

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

 

Reference:

  1. Devkota, G.P., Sharma, M.K., Sherpa, S., Khanal, T.R., Devkota, B., van Teijlingen, E. (2025) Exploring handwashing knowledge and practice among lactating mothers in Kathmandu’s slum communities, Nepal, Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development, 15:1-10. doi: 10.2166/washdev.2025.084

Bournemouth University psychologists publish new book

Publishing, Women's Academic Network, writing

The international publisher Routledge published earlier this month a new book with the title: The Psychology of Stress [1].  The three authors of this excellent book are: Drs. Charlotte Mottram, Alison Woodward and Shanti Farrington.  The latter two academics are based in Bournemouth University’s Psychology Department.

Well done and congratulations!

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

Reference:

  1. Mottram, C., Woodward, A. & Farrington, S. (2025). The Psychology of Stress London: Routledge.

BU’s Dr. Iannuzzi editing special issue HEALTHCARE

international, Publishing, Women's Academic Network, writing

Dr. Laura Iannuzzi, based in the Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health, is acting as one of the two guest editors of a Special Issue for the international journal Healthcare.  This Special Issue called ‘Advancing Midwifery and Nursing Practice: Equity, Inclusion and Integrated Care’ currently has a call out for contributions. Details can be found by clicking here!

Healthcare is looking for authors to submit papers exploring strategic directions for midwifery and nursing in advancing inclusion, equity, and health.  This Special Issue is open to topics such as integrated care strategies and long-term care models, professional nursing roles, evidence-based interventions, and community-engaged approaches. The proposed theme aligns with Healthcare’s focus on multidisciplinary research and practical solutions that improve health outcomes across populations.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Strategic frameworks and global policy implications for midwifery and nursing;
  • Educational innovations to promote equity and development;
  • Evidence-based clinical practices focused on underserved populations;
  • Community health initiatives and participatory care models;
  • Coordinated interprofessional models and organizational frameworks that promote inclusive and equitable care;
  • Impacts of global crises (e.g., pandemics, conflict) on midwifery and nursing practices.

The Guest Editors are Dr. Simona Fumagalli and Dr. Laura Iannuzzi

Second paper for CMWH MRes student

PG research

Congratulations to Maryam Malekian, a MRes student in CMWH, who has just published her second paper as part of her integrated thesis in the highly respected journal Midwifery. Maryam’s paper reports her recently completed scoping review looking at knowledge and attitudes of nulliparous women regarding breastfeeding.

Malekian M, Irving M, Hundley V (2025) Factors associated with breastfeeding knowledge and attitudes among non-pregnant, nulliparous women of reproductive age: A Scoping review. Midwifery, vol 148, September, 104511

The protocol was published earlier this year in MIDIRS Midwifery Digest. She has also presented this work at the Maternal, Parental and Infant Nutrition and Nurture Unit (MAINN) Conference in April.

Malekian M, Hundley V, Irving M. (2025) A scoping review protocol of factors influencing breastfeeding knowledge and attitudes among non-pregnant, nulliparous women of reproductive age. MIDIRS Midwifery Digest, vol 35, no 2, June, pp 179-182.

New paper published on disability in women & girls

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

Yesterday (25 June) the online journal PLoS One published ‘Life-time experience of violence among women and girls living with disability in Nepal‘ our latest study on disability in Nepal [1].  This cross-sectional study was conducted in 28 municipalities representing all seven provinces as well as all three ecological regions of Nepal. A total of 1,294 women and girls with disability aged 15–59 years participated in  2021. We trained local enumerators using the KoBo application on smartphones or tablets. Both written and oral informed consent was sought from all participants. Cross-tabulations were performed in STATA 18 to determine the distribution of the prevalence of violence. Also, bivariable and multivariable logistic regression models were fitted to establish association between the participants’ characteristics and odds of experiencing violence.

Overall, 457 (35.32%) women living with disabilities had ever experienced violence at a point in their lifetime. Psychological/emotional violence was the most prevalent violence (74.40%) followed by physical violence (31.07%) and denial of services (28.67%). Age was positively associated with the likelihood of experiencing violence. Women belonging to the Brahman/Chhetri ethnic group had reduced odds of violence [AOR = 0.56; 95%CI: 0.37–0.85] compared to Hill Dalits. Divorced or separated women showed a markedly higher likelihood of experiencing violence [AOR = 6.69; 95%CI: 2.31–19.40] compared to currently married women. Participants who had not witnessed violence against other women exhibited significantly higher odds of experiencing violence [AOR = 1.86; 95%CI: 1.20–2.89]. Women living in the Koshi province [AOR = 4.04; 95%CI: 2.54–6.42], Madhesh province [AOR = 2.16; 95%CI: 1.15–4.08] and Bagmati province [AOR = 2.21; 95%CI: 1.41–3.46] reported significantly higher odds of experiencing violence compared to those in Karnali.

The paper concludes oncludes that age, ethnicity, marital status, and provincial residence are significant predictors of violence among women and girls living with disability in Nepal. Interventions aimed at addressing violence against women living with disability in Nepal must prioritize older women and those who were previously married. Also, policy-makers may want to consider giving priority must be given to those provinces where the prevalence and risk of experiencing violence is highest.

The study was funded The United Nations Women Trust Fund,  and the paper is freely available in the Open Access journal.  We previously published on research into disability in Nepal in 2023 [2].

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health

Visiting Faculty, Centre for Disability Studies, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala, India.


References:

  1. Simkhada P, Basnet S, Sharma S, van Teijlingen E, Wasti SP, Dahal T, et al. (2025) Life-time experience of violence among women and girls living with disability in Nepal. PLoS One 20(6): e0326659. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0326659.
  2. Simkhada, P, Shyangdan, D, van Teijlingen E, Kadel, S, Stephen, J., Gurung, T. (2013) Women’s Knowledge & Attitude towards Disability in Rural Nepal. Disability & Rehabilitation 35(7): 606-13. http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.3109/09638288.2012.702847