News & Information

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Honorary Senior Lecturer publishes book on trench diseases

Dr Rob Atenstaedt, Honorary Senior Lecturer at the School of Medical Sciences, has published a book with Cambridge Scholars Publishing entitled: “The Medical Response to the Trench Diseases in World War One”. The book focuses on the trench diseases – trench fever, trench nephritis and trench foot – and examines how doctors responded to them in the context of the Great War. It details the problems that they faced in tackling these conditions, “new” to military warfare.

Bangor University to host the N. Wales BEST AWARDS for Medical Education

This year Bangor University will be hosting the North Wales Competition for the BEST AWARDS for Medical Education. The winner of the North Wales Competition will go forward to the National Competition to be held in Cardiff in January, the ‘Best of the Best’. Details of the AWARDs can be found here and a nomination form downloaded here.

New Health Board for North Wales

On the 1st October, the National Health Service organisations of North Wales disappeared and a new Health Board came into force.
The new Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board is responsible for the health care of nearly 680,000 people. This will be the first time in the history of the NHS that all aspects of care - public health, GPs and other primary care services, hospitals, mental health services and community care, will all be coordinated through one organisation.

Bangor and Cardiff to Collaborate on Health

Bangor and Cardiff universities have announced plans to work together across areas of mutual interest in health-related disciplines and medicine.

The universities have established the Strategic Health Alliance for Research and Education (SHARE) project in order to improve the development of the health professions in partnership between North and South Wales whilst continuing to grow the successful collaborative research capabilities of both institutions.

BMA Medal for Michael Rees

Professor Michael Rees, the Head of the School of Medical Sciences, has been awarded an Association Medal by the Council of the British Medical Association (BMA) for outstanding and sustained national service to the Association.

The BMA is the representative body in the UK for practising medically-qualified doctors and Professor Rees has been an active member for many years, having been elected as the Chair of the BMA Academic Staff Committee for the last five years and currently the Co-Chair of that committee. In addition to being a Professor of Vascular Studies as a joint appointment with Bangor University and the North West Wales NHS Trust, Michael also sits on the Clinical Academic Careers Panel of the BMA and has acted for the lead for the introduction of clinical academic training in Wales. Past positions have included membership of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) faculty implementation committee, an assessor for the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) and a member of the General Medical Council.

Other current examples of the leadership in academic medicine which has led to the award of the medal include currently being the Vice President and president Elect of the European Society of Cardiac Radiology and being instrumental in developing that Society over the last decade. The Society sets out the education and training requirements for Cardiac Radiology in Europe.

NWCS Research Open Day, Friday 12 September 2008

This Research Open Day is planned to celebrate the success of the North Wales Clinical School, a partnership of three HEIs, three NHS Trusts, the primary care network and social care, and demonstrate its collaborative research achievements since the launch of the NWCS in 2005.

The key event will be a day-long symposium held in classic Main Arts of Bangor University with a number of world-class speakers in areas such as primary care, public health, cancer, neuroscience and arthritis research. The audience will include leaders and members of all partner organisations, researchers across the region, and key politicians and policy makers. During the lunch break there will be an opportunity for delegates to tour the Clinical School facilities in the nearby Brigantia Building and to see demonstrations of some of the research in progress in North Wales.

Further details, including a detailed programme, venue and travel details are avaialble at: http://www.nwcs.ac.uk/symposium

New University/NHS research institute in Bangor

The first formal meeting took place on Monday 23 June 2008 of a new clinical research institute in Bangor University. The Bangor Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (BICTraR) has been established in the College of Health and Behavioural Sciences (CoHaBS) at Bangor University to produce and disseminate clinically relevant research of the highest international standard by building on the research strengths of the University and developing complementary programmes of clinical and translational research in partnership with the NHS Trusts and the community.

The key activities of the Institute, from July 2008, will be:

1. Develop and maintain a database of relevant health-related research in the University and the NHS.
2. Facilitate a monthly programme of Research Workshops to identify and refine multidisciplinary research proposals from academics and clinicians.
3. Facilitate project groups comprising academic and clinical staff to develop individual programmes of translational research, identify the resources required, and submitting grant proposals for the necessary funding.
4. Provide day to day advice on project development and research governance issues.

The result of these activities is expected to result in:

1. An overall increase in grant capture for multidisciplinary health-related research.
2. An increased proportion of grants with full economic costs.
3. Increased capture of MRC grants.
4. Increased numbers of PhD students.

The Director and Deputy Director of BICTraR are Prof. Peter Maddison and Prof. David Linden and they will be responsible for the day-to-day running of the Institute which has its base in the Brigantia Building. Governance will be provided by an Advisory Group which includes representatives of the relevant schools and colleges of the University and from the NHS Trusts and Labs in North Wales. Administrative support will be provided by the Deputy College Manager (Research) of CoHaBS and from the School of Medical Sciences. Research governance support will be provided by the R&D Officer and administrative assistant made available by the North West Wales NHS Trust.

Further details of Institute's activities will be released soon but researchers wanting to know about the Institute or to become involved can contact Professor Peter Maddison.

Peter Maddison leads NW Wales Rheumatology Team to award

On Thursday, 23 November the North West Wales Rheumatology Team, led by Professor Peter Maddison, was named "Rheumatology Team of the Year" for 2006 and were presented with their award at a ceremony at the Park Lane Hilton.

The award, sponsored by Pfizer and run by Hospital Doctor, was won in competition with units throughout the UK and recognised innovation, clinical excellence and teamwork.

The citation spoke of the fact that the department had come from nowhere just a few years ago to reach the present point of excellence. It emphasised the fact that they have introduced innovative methods of providing healthcare so that the resulting service was of high quality, patient-centred and community-based, rather than hospital focused. The judge also spoke highly of the important collaboration with the School of Sport, Health and Exercise Sciences leading to research that is now being applied to improving clinical care.

Peter is quoted as saying that they were “delighted to have won this award and have worked hard to encourage all the clinicians to fulfil their potential as individuals, while being part of a close-knit team”.

North Wales Clinical School to impact on health care

The new Minister for Health & Social Services, Dr Brian Gibbons found time during his first week in office to visit north Wales to officially launch the North Wales Clinical School recently, (Thursday 13 January 2005).

A major joint initiative between Cardiff University Wales College of Medicine, the University of Wales, Bangor, the North East Wales Institute (Newi), the three regional Health Trusts and 6 health boards, the North Wales School represents a step forward for both the health service and higher education in north Wales and has won the financial support from the Welsh Assembly Government.

The existence of the North Wales Clinical School will contribute to doubling the number of graduating medical professionals in Wales and more importantly, will triple the number undertaking clinical training in north Wales. This is seen as beneficial to the region as many health professionals gravitate to work in the area where they trained. It is also hoped that more student from the area will be recruited as a result.

Speaking on the bilingual aspect of the development at the official opening, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Wales, Bangor, Professor Merfyn Jones said that the University was delighted to be a part of this innovative collaboration, as the health and medical agenda were central to the University's own research mission. As well as building on opportunities for research co-operation, the presence of the North Wales Medical School would extend bilingual education and the opportunity to undertake professional placements in a bilingual setting.

"This is probably the single most important contribution we can make to the bilingual and Welsh medium education. It is the one that will have the greatest impact on the local population," he said.

• The NWCS is a 'virtual' school encompassing the region as a whole and without a single focus. In practical terms;

• one wing of the new Brigantia Building on Penrallt (opposite the New Arts Library), has been funded via the NWCS to accommodate academics and facilitate research.

• There will also be greater integration and opportunities for joint research with colleagues in the NHS Trusts (UWB already has huge strengths in medical and social care related research in its: Institute for Social and Medical Care Research, School of Psychology, School of Sport, Health & Exercise Science, School of Biological Sciences, North West Cancer Research Institute, Institute of Food and Active Living etc).

• UWB also offers an Intercalated year for medical students (a year-out option to learn research). Medical degrees are made up of 70% core curriculum and 30% student selected components. Many of these options could be based on specialisms available at Bangor and Brigantia would be the base for research study.

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