College Connection
College Connection College of Medical and Dental Sciences Newsletter
Autumn Term 2013 Issue
New Pharmacy Laboratories Open
www.birmingham.ac.uk/mds
1
2
College Connection
Head of College’s introduction The College has had a very busy and exciting start to the academic year. Congratulations to Professor Kate Thomas, who has recently been appointed to the new post of Vice-Dean and MBChB Director within the College. Kate will be working closely with Professor Mike Gammage, Vice-Dean and lead for the NHS Academies, to take forward the future development of the MBChB programme. We have welcomed our first intake of MPharm students, and our new Pharmacy teaching labs were officially opened in September, the occasion being marked by the 2013 Pharmacy Lecture given by Professor Alexander Florence, Emeritus Professor and ex-Dean at the School of Pharmacy, University College London. Dr Chris Tselepis has taken over leadership of the BMedSc programme and will oversee implementation of the BMedSc review that will allow for even closer alignment of the programme to our College research strengths. In terms of capital projects, work has begun on building the new Birmingham Dental Hospital and School of Dentistry. This £50 million project will see the creation of world-class research and learning facilities for our students, and the building is expected to see its first intake of students in Autumn 2015.
College Connection newsletter Edited by Angie Gibson, Internal Communications Manager, Communications and Marketing Team, College of MDS. We are always looking for stories, articles and items from College staff for College Connection. If you would like to make a submission, please email MDS-Information@adf.bham.ac.uk. All submissions may be subject to editing. Follow the College on twitter – www.twitter.com/unibirm_MDS Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/collegemds
Due to a very generous alumni bequest, the College has been able to purchase an Anatomage table. This state-of-the art resource is a life-size virtual dissection table providing visualization of 3D anatomy in a touch screen format. A second table has been ordered and students will be using these tables in their anatomy teaching sessions. In terms of staff initiatives, the College’s second annual Health and Wellbeing Day, part of the College’s programme of Birmingham Professional events, was held in September. The event, held in Wolfson Common Room, was very well attended and feedback has been excellent. There was a very impressive total of 186 nominations from MDS in the 2014 BUAFTAs, the highest total of any College. I believe this reflects the dedication and enthusiasm of staff within MDS, and also demonstrates that individuals are keen to recognise and celebrate this commitment. We look forward to the BUAFTA Awards Ceremony in February, and all College colleagues who have received nominations will be invited to attend a Nominees Celebration in January.
2014 will bring a new set of challenges for the College, but I am confident that we will face these with our usual enthusiasm, commitment and drive.
Professor Eric Jenkinson Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Head of College
College Connection
New Pharmacy Laboratories Opened The College’s first intake of MPharm students had the chance to hear one of the most eminent pharmacy professors in the country speak when he officially opened a new suite of laboratories in September.
The BNF Birmingham Legacy
The MPharm programme may have only just started, but Birmingham has been instrumental in the development of the most important pharmacy-based publication of all time.
Professor Eric Jenkinson, Professor Sandy Florence and Professor John Marriott
The new teaching laboratories, based in the University’s Robert Aitken building, have been created exclusively for the Pharmacy students. The official opening was marked with a lecture by Professor Alexander (Sandy) Florence, Emeritus Professor and ex-Dean at the School of Pharmacy, University College London, on The Impact of Pharmaceutical Science on Patient Care. The MPharm complements the postgraduate DPharm which was set up in 2011. Professor John Marriott, Professor of Clinical Pharmacy said: ‘The new course has been developed in accordance with the requirements
of the General Pharmaceutical Council and follows the principles of the Department of Health’s Medical Education England’s, Modernising Pharmacy Careers which proposes a new approach to pharmacist undergraduate education and pre-registration training. ‘As a result the MPharm course will be more clinical and patient focused, while still retaining its scientific integrity. ‘We were delighted to welcome Professor Florence here to deliver the 2013 Pharmacy Lecture and open our new laboratories.’
A national institution, the British National Formulary (BNF) is the medical reference book that details advice on prescribing and dispensing drugs safely. Used by pharmacists, doctors, dentists and nurses amongst others, the BNF is seen as the gold standard for prescribers and dispensers both in book form and electronically. Impressively, three of the four Senior Medical Advisors and Chairs of the advisory group to the BNF have been Birmingham Medical School staff or alumni - Professor Martin Kendall, Professor Owen Wade, Professor Sir Charles George. Today the BNF is an essential part of modern healthcare and is available in hardcopy and online. University of Birmingham staff including Professor John Marriott, Dr Jamie Coleman, Professor Robin Ferner, as well as Professor Martin Kendall, continue to play key roles on advisory boards. Long may the Birmingham BNF legacy continue.
The Pharmacy Team
Professor Martin Kendall, Professor Owen Wade, Professor Sir Charles George at the Royal College of Physicians
3
4
College Connection
Work Begins on New Dental Hospital Work has begun on creating the new Birmingham Dental Hospital and School of Dentistry on the site of the old Pebble Mill studios. The building will be the first stand-alone Dental Hospital and School in the UK for 40 years. The £50 million project will include a four-storey building with a walk-in emergency dental care centre. There will also be oral surgery services alongside world-class research and learning facilities for more than 600 students. The building is expected to open in Autumn 2015.
Professor Phil Lumley and Lynne Reyn olds with two dental students at the turf cutting
Chief Dental Officer for England Barry Cockcroft said: ‘This demonstrates the confidence people have in the University and NHS teams in Birmingham to deliver quality education for dental students and services for patients.
Anatomage Table The College now has a state-of-the art Anatomage table, thanks to a bequest from Mr Kenneth Foster. The Anatomage table is a life-size virtual dissection table, with realistic visualization of 3D anatomy and interactivity.
teaching helping to extend teaching capacity which is currently limited by space for cadaver storage and preparation.
The table is a new additional to the College’s anatomy teaching materials and will complement our prosection and cadaver dissection-based
The College has ordered a second table, and both tables will be used in small group teaching sessions.
‘The design of the building is innovative and will provide a great opportunity to integrate dental treatment, learning and research in a state-of-the-art environment.’
World’s first point-of-care diagnostic device for multiple myeloma Serascience Limited, a specialist cancer diagnostics company established by a joint venture between Abingdon Health and the University of Birmingham, announces the receipt of European CE Mark approval for the commercial sale of Seralite, its proprietary point-of-care diagnostic device for multiple myeloma. Learn more
College Connection
Hope for premature babies at risk of brain damage Babies who suffer a bleed on their brain could be saved from debilitating brain damage after researchers at the University of Birmingham found that a new drug can prevent the swelling of the organ which causes it. The team of researchers led by Professor Ann Logan (School of CEM), found that Decorin, a drug which has been shown to have antiscarring properties, prevented hydrocephalus in juvenile rats, opening up the possibility of it as a treatment for the severe condition, which, until now, has only had surgery available as a treatment. Several hundred newborn babies each year suffer a brain haemorrhage at birth, which then usually leads to hydrocephalus. This is where cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cannot drain away from the organ due to a build up of tissue and has grave consequences. CSF is produced constantly inside the brain and normally, will drain away into the bloodstream. Premature babies are at particular risk, as there will be increased blood vessel activity in their brains, which are still being formed and are fragile to any sudden changes in pressure. Following the bleed, a clot may form, obstructing the drainage of CSF and leading to hydrocephalus.
The team showed that when Decorin was administered directly into the brain over a period of two weeks in experimental models of hydrocephalus, it stopped the development of hydrocephalus. The drug works by blocking a cytokine which is known to promote cell proliferation and fibrogenic growth – a build up of tissue which then causes the swelling of the brain seen in children with hydrocephalus – thus preventing against brain damage. Professor Logan said: ‘The discovery that this drug can prevent hydrocephalus in experimental models is hugely exciting, as it paves the way for us to develop new treatments for babies with this devastating condition.’
A ‘Raising Awareness of Rheumatoid Arthritis’ stand was in the Atrium of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, and scientists and clinicians cycled a continuous 100 mile relay.
Dr June Jones (School of HaPS) hosted a two day visit of Maori Elders and experts from the National Museum of New Zealand repatriation centre in October, which was part of the University’s Black History Month events. The delegation was at the University to collect 4 skulls and 1 preserved Tattooed Maori head which were part of our ancient anatomy collection. They also gave a repatriation seminar and a music demonstration during their visit. Several key staff in the School and College are due thanks for their support, including Professor Eric Jenkinson, Professor Jo Wilton, Dr Jane Steele and Dr Jonathan Reinarz. There was much media attention, locally, nationally and internationally. For those who are interested in watching the ceremony, there is a short video and a longer video, which is the full 33 minute ceremony.
The work is now ready for further development by Prof Logan’s research team through the NIHR Surgical Reconstruction and Microbiology Research Centre and the Healthcare Technology Cooperative in Trauma Management at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.
National Arthritis Week Staff from across the University helped to raise over £1,500 for Arthritis Research UK through a number of activities to mark National Arthritis Week (7–13 October).
Black History Month – Maori Repatriation
The visitors extremely impressed with the campus and the warm reception they received. Dr June Jones said ‘Thanks to all who met with them and spoke to them. It was good to see colleagues at the seminars and the handover ceremony helping to make them a success.’
5
6
College Connection
New Multi-Faith Prayer and Reflection Room for the College The College now has a new Multi-Faith Prayer and Reflection Room, based in the lower ground floor of the Medical School. You can’t miss it- the surrounding walls have kindly been painted vivid aqua! The room is for staff and students of all faiths and none to have a space to use for quiet prayer and reflection. It is planned that a committee of staff and students will meet to discuss negotiating room usage between the many different user groups. For now, please feel free just to drop in and use it. There is no booking system at present, but that may change depending on these discussions. The room is functional, but you will notice it is fairly bare. However, a Tree of Life, made of ceramic clay leaves (designed and made by students and staff) is to be attached to the corridor wall of the room. Photos of the leaves can be found here For any further information about the prayer room or the Tree of Life, please contact Dr June Jones, College Lead on Religious and Cultural Diversity on j.jones.1@bham.ac.uk.
University of Birmingham launches Business Club Businesses from across the region recently visited Birmingham Research Park for an opportunity to network, be informed about funding opportunities available and learn how they can access the knowledge and expertise at the University of Birmingham. Learn more.
The Future’s Bright Our new Dean of Medicine, Professor David Adams, talks about his new role and current developments within the College. The role of the Dean of Medicine in Birmingham has changed significantly in recent years but for a clinical academic it remains one of the most challenging but exciting roles in the College. The Dean provides leadership and oversight of the MBChB programme and is also responsible for developing the translational research agenda and links to our NHS partners. The MBChB programme continues to go from strength to strength producing outstanding doctors who are widely acknowledged to be amongst the best in the UK. Since starting as Dean in August, I have been enormously impressed with the quality, energy and enthusiasm of our medical students. This was brought home to me recently when I attended a Basic Life Support Training session run by the students as part of a nationally recognised peer-to peer teaching programme. The student teachers were superb, providing high quality teaching and training in a friendly and interactive setting, which adds to the Birmingham student experience. Over the next few years we plan to build on the strengths of the course and the hard work put in by the previous Dean Paul Stewart and his superb Vice-Deans Mike Gammage and Kate Thomas. I’m delighted that Kate has accepted a new post of MBChB Director which will allow her to drive the development of the programme over the next few years working closely with Jamie Coleman and the rest of the MBChB team. Our translational research programme is developing at a pace driven by Birmingham Health Partners (BHP), a strategic alliance
between the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham Children’s Hospital and the University. BHP has provided the framework for collaborative working between the NHS and the University to deliver a shared vision to translate the excellent science going on within the College and wider campus into new treatments and improved healthcare. Within BHP the NIHR Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility is an outstanding example of a shared resource which has delivered translational medicine advances over the last 10 years. Added to this we now have nationally funded centres of translational research across the hospital and university delivering innovation in the fields of cancer, trauma, burns, liver medicine, medical devices, rheumatology, ageing and chronic inflammatory conditions. The Institute for Translational Medicine (ITM) is an exciting new initiative that will pull all of this activity together. The ITM is funded by £24million from government and BHP and will be housed within 5 floors of the North block of the old Queen Elizabeth Hospital in state-ofthe-art refurbished space. It will include patient facilities, clinical trials and bioinformatics expertise and a floor of stratified medicine that will allow us to apply state of the art technology to redefine common diseases allowing us to personalise diagnosis and treatment. Two important components of the ITM will be the involvement of industry to drive innovation and contribute to the local economy and a major education theme to train the future translational researchers. These facilities together with our superb staff mean that we are in a position to become national and international leaders in translational medicine. The next few years should be an exciting time for medical research in Birmingham.
Academic honour awarded to Professor Gregory Lip Professor Gregory Lip has been given a Visiting Professorship at the University of Belgrade for his research into atrial fibrillation. Professor Lip, Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine in the School of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, received the honour in recognition of his continuing research into atrial fibrillation as a global and common condition,
after being part of the Belgrade Atrial Fibrillation Project, in collaboration with the University of Belgrade’s Assistant Professor of Cardiology, Professor Tatjana Potpara. The honour follows on from Professor Lip being ranked amongst the Science Watch® ‘Hottest Researchers of 2012’ earlier this year.
College Connection
College unveils latest MOOCs The College is introducing two free, open, online course offering a taste of higher education to learners worldwide. Universally known as MOOCs (Massive Online Open Courses), the College is launching the University’s first MOOC in Dental Photography, which begins in December, and a two-part MOOC, Good Brain, Bad Brain will firstly cover the basics of the human brain (beginning in January 2014) followed by an exploration into Parkinson’s Disease (beginning in February 2014). The University is also offering MOOCs on Shakespeare’s Hamlet – A Short Introduction and the First World War Wings of Modernity course, jointly developed with the BBC. Delivered by world-class academics from the University of Birmingham, in partnership with
FutureLearn, the courses enable learners to sample high-quality academic content via an interactive web-based platform. The courses have been developed by senior academic staff and the content is qualityassured in line with the University’s other programmes. There are no entry requirements for students enrolling on the MOOCs. The courses do not offer credits towards admission to the University. You can sign up with FutureLearn to receive information about course registration.
Saving Mothers’ Lives at the GLOW Conference 2013
On 1 November, the GLOW Conference 2013 brought together over 140 professionals from around the world to share their experiences and to guide the future development of research and clinical policy in the field of global women’s and newborn health. A symposium busy with presentations and posters from committed specialists disseminated astute and exciting insights to make a difference in saving mothers’ and babies’ lives, especially in low and middle income countries. Speakers drew attention to priorities for working beyond Millennium Development
Goals, the importance of respectful patient care and appreciation of the persistent socio-economic challenges facing many women, their families and healthcare providers in developing countries. During the afternoon, practical discussions and tailored workshops enabled participants to examine key themes around working abroad, health partnerships, maternal mortality and maternal morbidity. The event was hosted by Ammalife and the University of Birmingham in the Great Hall. Professor Arri Coomarasamy (School of CEM), Conference Chair, said: ‘Using research to find what works and what doesn’t is a fundamental need, as it allows everyone to make wise decisions about where to invest to have the maximum benefit.’ The next event will be held in London in 2014.
Student Society Provides Mental Health Education to Local Pupils MDS Students have set up a society to educate secondary school pupils in the Birmingham area about mental health issues. Birmingham OpenMinds is a society aiming to reduce stigma surrounding mental health and to enable pupils to recognise symptoms and seek appropriate help, either for themselves or for friends. Medical students will deliver a series of topical workshops on mental health within schools in the local area. OpenMinds first started at University College London (UCL) in 2009 as a student selected component, and following its success, Birmingham students decided to set up its own branch of the society at the beginning of this academic year. To date, over 200 medical students have signed up as members of Birmingham OpenMinds. The society has invited six clinical lecturers to give an hour-long ‘crash course’ on a range of mental health topics relevant to adolescents, and following their talks, the attendees will then plan ways in which to effectively deliver an informative, fun and interactive session to school pupils. Students will begin going into local schools to deliver their lessons in January. Dr Chinwe Obinawa delivered the first talk on ‘Psychosis’ and feedback from the session was very positive. For more information, email birminghamopenminds@gmail.com
Humphrey’s Lecture – Sir Paul Nurse This year’s Humphreys Lecture was delivered by Nobel Prize Winner Sir Paul Nurse on Wednesday 4 September 2013. The Leonard Deacon Lecture Theatre was full to capacity (with people standing!) to hear Sir Paul’s lecture on Controlling the Cell Cycle.
Photos courtesy of Waqas Malik.
The lecture can be viewed here.
7
8
College Connection
Forthcoming Birmingham Professional Events Presentation Skills Training Monday 16 December 2013 (9.00am–12.00noon or 1.00pm–4.00pm) Thursday 3 July 2014 (9.00am–12.00noon or 1.00pm–4.00pm) This half day event, to be facilitated by POD, will not only look at how to deliver a presentation to a larger audience in a formal presentation setting but also will focus on presenting papers, ideas or opinions in a smaller group setting such as a team briefing or board meeting. To book a place on the December event, please use the online booking form.
2014 events
What is a Birmingham Professional? If you are not a member of academic staff then the Birmingham Professional includes YOU. All staff that are not academic staff members are defined as being members of professional services and therefore ‘Birmingham Professionals’. This includes support staff, academic-related staff, technical staff, administrative staff, catering staff, estates and ground staff, nursery staff and security officers at ALL levels of the University. There are around 3000 staff working in Professional Services in a huge variety of specialist, generalist, managerial, technical, manual and administrative roles.
All Birmingham Professional events and activities are open to all members of nonacademic staff but some may be more suitable for different types and levels of staff. The target audience and learning outcomes are defined for each event or activity so you can see if the activity will be relevant to you in your current role or in any plans for future development.
n Mini-Conference:
Tuesday 1 April 2014 (9.00am–2.00pm) Action-centered learning workshops: Tuesday 22 April 2014 (10.00am–12noon) Tuesday 3 June 2014 (2.00pm–4.00pm) n Senior Manager workshop: Friday 27 June 2014 (9.00am–2.00pm) For more details, visit the Birmingham Professional intranet site.
BUAFTAs 2014 Thank you to everyone who made a nomination in the 2014 BUAFTAs. A total of 186 nominations were made in the College, and a record number of 909 nominations were made across the Campus. Thank you to the College’s BUAFTA Champions who worked hard to promote the initiative across the College and encourage people to make nominations. All College nominees will be invited to a Celebration event
in January, hosted by Professor Eric Jenkinson and Dr Emma Robinson. The winners will be announced during the Gala Awards Ceremony on 28 February 2014.
College Connection
Health and Wellbeing Day The College’s second annual Health and Wellbeing Day took place on 18 September in the Wolfson Common Room. Over 25 different stands and activities were available to staff, offering an opportunity to ‘have a go’ at something new and access information regarding health and wellbeing. A mobile optician conducted DSE eye screening onsite, staff took part in a Mindfulness Meditation session and the Careers Network offered staff a 60 Second CV Makeover. Stands included Birmingham Voluntary Services Council, Birmingham Arthritis Resource Centre, Green Impact Stationery Recycle Exchange, POD, Birmingham Professional and Selly Oak Community Choir. The College’s research teams in Liver and Neurotrauma and Neurodegeneration provided interactive stands and MDS students also ran short sessions on Basic Life Support.
Feedback from this year’s event was very positive: ‘The range of stands and activities was very diverse and all were interesting. I particularly enjoyed the visiting optician, as this is something that I find difficult to fit into busy weekends.’ ‘I visited a number of stands and gained a lot of useful information. The interaction from the people on each of the stands was excellent and nothing was too much trouble, with the gentleman from the Arthritis stand not having a leaflet to hand on a particular request but had one in the car and promptly went and got it for me. The lunch provided was excellent and the sorbets were to die for and knowing it was a healthy option was even better.’ ‘Thank you very much it was really well thought out and organised.’
An exciting new beginning for People and Organisational Development (POD) On 1 July, POD launched an enhanced learning programme, which provides even better support to you, your team and the University. You’ll still find our classic offerings, and we’ve added new things such as creativity and innovation workshops, and our extended coaching and mentoring provision. One big change is that we’ve gathered together for you development options from around the University in one place, including offerings from CLAD, Workplace Wellbeing, the Project Office and HAS. Go to the POD website (intranet.birmingham. ac.uk/staff/development/index.aspx) and you’ll find our PDFs and new ‘page-turning’ booklets for each staff group, and you can also follow us now on Twitter and Facebook
Most of you will already know your POD Business Partner for MDS, Kate Crane who is continuing her ongoing aim to work with you through your Managers on the development opportunities that will benefit MDS and the wider University. POD, through Kate and Dr Sapna Patel, is also supporting MDS with the Athena Swan initiative, and more information can be found here. For any queries around your development or to see how POD can help you, please email us at pod@contacts.bham.ac.uk Conor McGoldrick Operations Manager, People and Organisational Development
9
College life Singing for Charity Not many people know this but Dale Taylor, (School of Immunity and Infection) is a talented singer/musician and performs both as an individual artist and as part of a group.
Crocus Planting for End Polio Now Crocus bulbs were planted in the grounds of the Medical School in support of the Rotary’s End Polio Now campaign This was organised under the aegis of Birmingham Rotary who’ve been fundraising for this campaign since 1988.
This singing techie has made a CHARITY CD in aid of CLIC Sargent which helps support children suffering with cancer.
Ground staff from Estates, 20 Rotarians, one Lord Mayor and 300 first year MBChB students were involved in planting 223 m2 of bulbs to plant.
The CDs are just £5 each and feature cover versions of songs from the Rolling Stones (Angie), Bob Dylan (Don’t Think Twice it’s Alright) and more. CDs are available from Dale on d.r.taylor.imm@bham.ac.uk.
Environment Day
Knitting Circle A dedicated group of knitters from across the College have been busy! Over the last 2 years, the group has made a range of egg cosies, blanket squares, hand puppets and premature baby hats and cardigans for a range of organisations and charities, including the Neo-Natal Unit at Birmingham Women’s Hospital. If you are a knitter and would like to be part of the group, please contact Angie on a.w.gibson@bham.ac.uk.
The College took part again in the University’s annual Environment Day held in October. College staff had a stand in the Great Hall with a Swapshop and advice on IT and Lab practice. Other stands included Centro, car2go and the Green Bike Project.
Cake Sales Thanks to everyone who took part in the Bake Sale for the DEC Philippines Appeal on 22 November. An amazing total of £253 was raised. The Primary Care 1st Floor admin office raised £151.96 for Children In Need with a bake sale.
Wear It Pink On Friday 25 October, Helen Stone (Cancer Sciences) and colleagues organised a ‘Wear it Pink’ day to raise funds for Breast Cancer Campaign. Bake sales were held in the IBR common room and the Cancer Sciences Common Room. An amazing £710 was raised.
Hair-Raising! Amy Barnes from the School of Immunity and Infection has donated her hair to charity! The Little Princess Trust uses donated hair to make wigs for children who have lost their own hair following cancer treatment or alopecia.
College of Medical and Dental Sciences Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, United Kingdom
www.birmingham.ac.uk/mds
8845 © University of Birmingham 2013.
They combine hair from a few donors to make a wig, and Amy donated 8 inches! Amy said ‘a friend of a friend lost their life to cancer at the age of 16 – I was thinking about having it cut short anyway, so it was a great opportunity to donate the bulk of it to the Little Princess Trust.’