Health Magazine Issue 8

issue 8 2011

at Coventry University

Inside Palliative care, texting and literacy and neuroscience

SPECIAL ISSUE

RESEARCH FOCUS

Body and soul

How applied research is changing attitudes and improving health and wellbeing

Sound Science

Treating cancer with energy sound waves see p12

Access all areas

Improving lives for people with disabilities see p14

The special theme for this issue is research to highlight the activities undertaken by our academics, researchers and students.

conception original OIB 4 Concept & reproduction

Welcome What’s inside 3 Criminal minds

4 Health news

I am really proud of the work that colleagues are doing and the scope of the Faculty’s research agenda has gained an excellent reputation.

The University is committed to an applied research agenda that has impact and we fully support that in the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences. You can learn more about our Applied Research Groups (ARGs) and Centres (ARCs) inside this issue.

We showcase a range of projects in the Health and Lifestyles Interventions ARC, including work with the City Council into adolescent sexual health.

Read about the Biomolecular Sciences ARG, which already has an extensive portfolio of projects despite only being formed last year. It is involved in chemotherapy development and exploring the ability of the Hepatitis C virus to infect polarised cells.

Darren Awang, the lead for the Living and Working with Disability ARG, talks about the group’s involvement in Continuing Professional Development, training and the Knowledge Transfer Partnership programme.

Finally, I said in my last editorial how I endeavour to maintain the high standard of this publication. Clearly this cannot be done without the input of colleagues and the marketing team and I am appreciative for their full support.

If you believe that there is an area or subject that could be developed more please let me know.

Dr David Ashall

Associate Dean Faculty of Health & Life Sciences

2 Health Issue 8 2011

Insights into the criminal justice system The latest developments in health at Coventry

6 Putting lives back on track

Improving health with lifestyle interventions

10 Disease prevention

Improving clinical interventions and diagnosis

11 The write stuff

Insights into child development and reading

12 Sound science

How sonochemistry can support cancer treatment

13 Seven projects

Research into advance cognition, neuroscience and psychobiology

14 Access all areas

Research to help people living with disabilities

16 Noticeboard

The latest seminars and events you can attend

CONTACT US If you would like to find out more about any of the articles in this issue or to subscribe to future issues of Health, please contact: Gail Williams, Marketing Admissions and Recruitment Manager, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences.

Credits: Managing Editor: Gail Williams

Telephone: + 44 (0) 24 7679 5983 Email: gail.williams@coventry.ac.uk Website: www.coventry.ac.uk/health

This publication is available in other formats on request. Please contact Marketing and Communications on +44 (0) 24 7688 8352

Edited & designed by: Elliott House Communications Printed by: Emmersons Photos: Graham Harwood

focus

Criminal Charte graphique Graphic specifications Graphische karte 09/2005

minds Combining the expertise of Forensic Psychology and Law is helping to give unique insights into the criminal justice system

A

partnership between law and forensic psychology has created an Applied Research Group with expertise that is helping to influence national crime organisations.

The Forensic Psychology and Law Applied Research Group (ARG) provides advice through research, consultancy and training in areas including fatal, non-fatal and sexual violence, domestic violence, police decision-making and crisis negotiation.

As well as offering training courses in forensic risk assessment, the ARG is involved in a number of projects that aim to give a greater understanding in areas around crime, justice and police work.

There are consultancy projects with the police to do with sexual violence

investigations and the Ministry of Justice in relation to domestic violence interventions. PhD research is also ongoing into the processes involved in desistance from intimate-partner violence and the differences between those who desist following interventions and those who continue to offend.

PhD research is investigating police crisis negotiation and the personality characteristics of, and training required

Partners The team has national influence through collaborations with key crime relevant organisations, such as police forces, NOMs, the Ministry of Justice, Risk Management Authority Scotland; editorial responsibilities including the Journal of Sexual Aggression, Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment; and committee positions, such as the British Psychological Society, the Division of Forensic

Psychology and NOTA. The group is lead by Dr Sarah Brown and its members are: Dr Gary Betts, Dr Erica Bowen, Dr Samantha Craven, Emma Holdsworth, Dr Steve Foster, Amy Grubb, Dr Julie Harrower, Dr Peter Hall, Prof. Barry Mitchell, Dr Shelley Price, Beverley Steventon, Kate Walker and Prof.

Graham Davies who is an Honorary Professor at the University.

for, police officers who do this role.

The ARG is also investigating the consistency levels of jurors’ decisions in relation to the new ‘person of normal tolerance and self-restraint’ legal test in murder/manslaughter cases as well as emotion recognition and empathy in non-offender and offender populations.

The ARG is researching prisoners’ free speech in light of the restriction of convicted prisoners’ memoirs and on-going developments in relation to prisoners’ voting rights.

The Group is also involved in a DAPHNE-funded European collaborative project called Changing Attitudes to Violence in Adolescents (CAVA). It aims to change attitudes and behaviours of adolescents towards dating violence using an engaging video game to appeal to young people. It includes counselling, teaching, training and advice too.

For more information visit www.coventry.ac.uk/fpl or contact Dr Sarah Brown at sarah. brown@coventry.ac.uk.

Issue 8 2011 Health 3

health news

Exposing the Iceberg The University has been awarded €75,000 to research domestic abuse as part of a European DAPHNE project that was launched in Spain in January.

A Europe-wide group will contribute to the development of community policies and more specifically those related to vulnerable women across Europe.

Staff from the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences (Diane Phimister, Maureen Brown, Andree Dignon and Sue Lees and Christine Broughan from Student Services) are coordinating the two-year project and have joined partners from Italy, Bulgaria, Belgium France, Spain and the UK to form a coalition under the title of Iceberg.

Iceberg is a metaphor used to describe the under reporting of domestic abuse across Europe.

On any typical day more than 11,000 women and 8,000 children are being supported by domestic abuse services in England. UK police receive one domestic abuse call every minute – yet it is still thought that more than half of all incidents go unreported.

The team are developing a local coalition with colleagues from student support services to identify and support female students experiencing domestic abuse. It will identify those who may be at risk of partner abuse and implement preventative strategies.

For more information contact Diane Phimister on d.phimister@coventry.ac.uk

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Weighty argument Public health nutrition should encourage healthy habits rather than concentrating on weight management, according to a new research review.

Lucy Aphramor, an NHS specialist dietitian and honorary research fellow at the Applied Research Centre in Health and Lifestyle Interventions at the University, and Linda Bacon, an associate nutritionist at the University of California, concluded that the weight-focused approach to health is unsupported by the scientific evidence and has in fact been detrimental and costly.

The review paper, published in the Nutrition Journal, suggests that

“It simply isn’t the case that each failed diet is just an experiment that didn’t work”

the current public health emphasis on weight management is in fact unproductive and damaging and supports a radical shift in focus from the conventional weight management approach to one that helps people of all shapes and sizes adopt healthy behaviours.

They conclude that fatness is highly exaggerated as a risk for disease or decreased longevity, and that money would be better spent on campaigns that help people develop a healthy relationship with food.

“It simply isn’t the case that each failed diet is just an experiment that didn’t work,” said Aphramor. “There are real health risks associated with weight fluctuation and adverse effects of reduced self esteem, eating distress and weight discrimination.”

Aphramor runs a Health at Every Size (HAES) course, called Well Now, in Coventry funded as part of Coventry’s Health Improvement Programme, an £18million partnership programme between Coventry City Council and NHS Coventry, to improve health levels of people in the city.

health news

Palliative care boost Major funding win means the University is helping to improve lives of infants, children and young people with palliative and complex care issues The University has been awarded over £1.3 million for projects to benefit the lives of infants, children and young people with palliative and complex care issues and their families.

Professor Jane Coad, Professor in Children and Family Nursing, is leading the project which is part of a £30 million work programme from the Department of Health.

The University is working on seven different high profile projects including the development of an innovative e-learning programme, a West Midlands evaluation study and a national training needs analysis of children with long term ventilation needs.

Professor Jane Coad, Natalie Mills and the team have been working closely with Acorns Hospice, Birmingham and a number of key stakeholders including nurses; doctors; children and families to ensure that the development these projects is grounded in strong local and national partnerships.

Professor Coad said: “The Faculty of

Health and Life Sciences is very excited at the potential of this work, not only for the University, for the region but also the potential impact of making a difference for this group of babies, children, young people and their families and the staff who deliver that care.”

THE TEAM: (L-R) Natalie Mills, Prof Jane Coad, Adam Moore, Marie Krumins and Nicky Ashley For more information about the projects, please visit the dedicated website - www.coventry.ac.uk/ yppalliativecare

Three new professors at HLS The Faculty of Health and Life Sciences has 10 professors in post following two new appointments and a conferment.

Gill Furze has been appointed Professor of Adult Nursing and Health. Before moving into research in 1996, Professor Furze was a cardiac nurse. She has a psychology PhD and her research interests are around self-management in chronic illness and the effect of peoples’ beliefs about illness on coping and outcome.

Jane Coad’s 25-year nursing career has been in a variety of clinical and academic settings with children and their families specifically around complex and life limiting conditions.

In her research, Professor Coad has used arts-based participatory methods to involve children and young people of all ages and their families in a range of community and hospital settings. Professor Coad has also worked in Ireland, USA, and Canada and most

NEW: (L-R) Professors Gill Furze, Jane Coad and Clare Wood recently in orphanages in Sri Lanka following the Tsunami.

Clare Wood has been conferred as Professor of Psychology in Education.

Based in the Psychology Department, Professor Wood has been at the University since September 2005.

Her promotion recognises her research work in both reading development and educational technology.

She is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Research in Reading, and Associate Editor of the British Journal of Educational Psychology.

Issue 8 2011 Health 5

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Putting lives back on track Work in the Health and Lifestyle Interventions Applied Research Centre improves wellbeing and health services, explains its Director Professor Louise Wallace

E

ffective intervention is the key to tackling many of society’s health problems. Whether through encouraging behaviour change in individuals, or making improvements in health services management, the Applied Research Centre in Health and Lifestyle Interventions uses health psychology as the basis for its work in identifying areas where change needs to happen and developing techniques to implement it.

The Centre, which has 40 staff, postgraduate students and Visiting Fellows, uses systematic methods to develop and evaluate health behaviour and organisational interventions to improve health and health services.

Research spans evidence reviews, intervention development via quantitative and qualitative primary research, intervention testing, for example by RCTs, implementation and evaluation, quality improvement, consultancy and knowledge transfer.

But organisations and individuals do not necessarily have to be treated separately. The centre has many projects in which the two programmes are combined since interventions may be targeted at the level of individual peoples’ health behaviour and the clinical and communication practices of healthcare staff and their services.

6 Health Issue 8 2011

Studies in Adolescent Sexual Health (SASH) The Studies in Adolescent Sexual Health (SASH) group led by Dr Katherine Brown, develops and evaluates interventions to enhance sexual health and wellbeing, particularly of young people. Projects include the development of a ‘serious game’ and other online resources to help parents in Coventry and Warwickshire communicate with their children about relationships and sex (www.besavvy.org. uk). In North Warwickshire, there is an online planning intervention designed to enhance contraceptive use in motivated adolescents attending sexual health

drop-in clinics (visit the website www.healthinterventions.co.uk) The Health Protection Agency is funding a teaching resource for schoolchildren about the risk of Chlamydia (visit http://e-bug.eu).

POINT

The Physical activity and Obesity INTerventions (POINT) group, is led by Professor David French and develops and evaluates interventions to promote physical activity (for example walking) and to prevent or reduce maternal obesity. A Medical Research Council funded study has developed and evaluated an intervention to promote walking, to be delivered by nurses in primary care. The study addresses the lack of evidence identified by NICE and the group is working with Coventry City Council to develop an evidence base for its walking group programme, including developing training materials for walk leaders.

POINT’s work has been presented as keynote presentations at national health psychology conferences, including the British Psychological Society (BPS) Division of Health Psychology and the BPS Scottish Division of Health Psychology, and as invited presentations at multidisciplinary scientific conferences, such as the UK Society of Behavioural Medicine, Heart UK and the German Centre of Gerontology.

Issue 8 2011 Health 7

Feature

“In partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support the group has designed several self-management interventions for cancer survivors addressing the National Cancer Survivorship Initiative policy”

8 Health Issue 8 2011

Health Services

Health Services management research is led by Professor Wallace, Professor Brian Toft and Dr Louise Moody.

It aims to improve the safety and effectiveness of services. Research has improved the methods of organisational learning from patient safety incidents. Professor Toft has developed an evaluated online Diploma in Root Cause Analysis aimed at those who undertake investigations into serious adverse incidents.

Organisational research by Christine Grant has developed psychometric scales and a consultancy tool to improve e-working and wellbeing.

Cancer Consultations Another group, Decision Navigation in Cancer Consultations, is based in the Edinburgh Cancer Centre working with Macmillan Cancer Care, and is trialling decision-navigation interventions to

improve cancer consultations. This is led by Dr Belinda Hacking and Professor Wallace.

Breastfeeding

The Breastfeeding group, led by Professor Wallace and Susan Law, has developed the Coventry University Breastfeeding Assessment (CUBA), Breastfeeding Workbook and Essential Skills DVD which are sold to health service practitioners via the Centre’s commercial arm Health Behaviour Research Limited (www. healthbehaviourresearch.co.uk).

The products provide an integrated evidence-based system for hospitals, community services and children’s centres to train their staff in breastfeeding support skills consistent with UNICEF’s Baby Friendly Initiative accreditation. The system has been trialled in the West Midlands, Canada and the USA and there are plans to test the system in China.

Health Psychology

Long Term Conditions

The Long Term Conditions Group, led by Dr Andy Turner, develops interventions to promote selfmanagement for people living with a wide range of long-term conditions and their carers. The development of self-management interventions for people living with early stage dementia addresses the National Dementia Strategy objectives around earlier provision of care and interventions to support independence.

In partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support, the group has designed several self-management interventions for cancer survivors, addressing the National Cancer Survivorship Initiative policy.

MUMS & MS (www.mumsandms. org.uk) is a web-based intervention for women with MS and their partners with a source of information about various aspects of their condition in relation to childbearing, pregnancy and post partum.

In association with the Long Term Conditions Group, Professor Wallace has evaluated the Health Foundation’s Co-creating Health initiative, which spans individual, practitioner and service support for self management of long-term conditions.

For more information visit www.coventry.ac.uk/hli or www.healthinterventions.co.uk or on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ARC_HLI

Engaging students in the research agenda is an important part of the learning experience at Coventry. One example of how this works successfully is the MSc in Health Psychology which has a strong relationship with the Health & Lifestyle Interventions ARC. Since the MSc started in 1997 students have been engaged in real-world research projects through the ARC forming their dissertations.

This has culminated in a range of successful research outputs from MSc graduates including many conference presentations and peerreviewed journal publications.

Recently a graduate was published in peer-reviewed publication, the Journal of Advanced Nursing (Galbraith & Brown, 2011) reviewing the evidence for interventions designed to reduce stress among student nurses.

The success of this approach has led to the recent development of a dedicated work experience component of the MSc programme which allows students to choose to engage with research centre programmes and benefit from topic-specific expertise through a second route.

Currently students are working with staff on projects about increasing exercise and addressing obesity, addressing the cultural practice of Female Genital Mutilation and its elimination, the management

of long-term conditions and enhancing sexual health.

MSc student Liz Cooper is evaluating current opportunistic Chlamydia screening practices with the aim of enhancing staff training and screening uptake among 16-24 year-olds.

“Working with the research centre staff and making use of their knowledge and experience in this field is really helping me to apply rigorous research methodologies and the theory and evidence base to a real world issue that’s of interest to me,” said Liz. MSc graduates have also secured employment or PhDs at the Centre. This means the relationship continues to provide important research evidence and practical intervention solutions for enhancing health beyond the remit of postgraduate study.

Senior Researcher Katie Newby (pictured above left) conducted her dissertation with staff at the centre in 2003 and started work there after graduation. Katie has gone on to successfully win a range of funding tenders, and produce many publications.

She said: “My work is very varied and I find the strong links we have developed with local Government and NHS colleagues means our research has genuine impact on practice.

“The experience I now have has meant I’ve recently achieved registered Health Psychologist status through the Health Professions Council,” said Katie.

For more information about the MSc Health Psychology visit www.coventry.ac.uk/postgrad

Issue 8 2011 Health 9

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Disease prevention The Biomolecular Sciences Applied Research Group is improving clinical interventions and diagnosis explains Dr Helen Maddock

I

t was only established last year, but the Biomolecular Sciences Applied Research Group (BMS ARG) is already gaining an international reputation.

The group translates basic scientific research to benefit human health.

Researchers undertake pre-clinical and clinical-based projects investigating the suitability, safety and effectiveness of existing and conceptual clinical interventions, diagnostics and therapies.

Research areas include infectious diseases, for example HIV, malaria, hepatitis C and microbial and other major health concerns including cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, albinism and obesity Current interdisciplinary applied, pedagogical and commercial research combines diverse efforts — for example aligned to the environment, society and health, population genetics and molecular medical sciences — to achieve the overall objective of health improvement and disease prevention.

Individuals within the BMS ARG collaborate with a number of UK and international research partners and funding bodies to further their work.

The projects the ARG is involved with are varied and include: l The use of soluble transferring receptors as a suitable bio-marker

TESTING: The ARG is investigating infectious diseases and major diseases

to indicate iron deficiency. l Strategies to reduce and assess anthracycline induced myocardial injury during leukaemia treatment. l Chemotherapy and anti-microbial therapeutic effects of natural products. l Identification and evaluation of novel chemotherapeutic agents. l Phenotypic and genotypic analysis of microbial populations within intervertebral discs after discectomy. l Investigation into the role of cell

Collaborative working The BMS ARG works with a number of universities and organisations to support its research.

Universities include UCL, King’s College London, The University of Agriculture in Pakistan, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences in Iran University Charities include The British Heart

10 Health Issue 8 2011

Foundation and Heart Research UK Hospitals includes Birmingham Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Birmingham Children’s Hospital Private companies include Novartis, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson; and institutions such as the Royal Society and the Wellcome Trust.

polarity and tight junction protein trafficking in hepatocytes and the ability of the Hepatitis C virus to infect polarized cells. l Assessment of family orientated genetic counselling in the UK and the provision of case studies to influence practice of genetic counselling and the genetics education of non-genetic healthcare professionals. l External influences such as Human Machine Interface involvement in immunopsychological activity.

This is a really exciting time for the new BMS ARG with a host of new discoveries emerging in the areas of health improvement and disease prevention.

With an ageing population, increasing life expectancy and a concomitant concern for ‘quality of life,’ the ARG stands to deliver a significant contribution towards these key themes.

For more information contact Dr Helen Maddock on +44 (0) 24 7688 8175 or h.maddock@coventry.ac.uk.

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The write stuff Research at Coventry is offering new insights into all areas of child development and reading difficulties explains Professor Clare Wood

P

arents often despair when their children resort to txt speak and worry that it will have a detrimental effect on their literacy. However, research by the Reading and Child Development Applied Research Group (ARG) has shown that there are positive associations between textism use and standard spelling performance in school age children.

This research is one area where our work in the ARG is advancing our understanding of child development.

Alongside the work which has looked at textism use and spelling (funded by the British Academy), we are conducting a two year project for the Nuffield Foundation which is exploring the connections between spelling, grammatical understanding and phone use in both children and young adults.

Recently the United Kingdom Literacy Association (UKLA) has also awarded the ARG funding to investigate the impact of dialogic reading techniques on pre-school children’s literacy skills.

We have also just completed a

project for the British Academy into the use of a speech rhythm sensitivity assessment for screening for early reading difficulties.

Reading is not the only area of research that the ARG is involved in.

We are also interested in the sociocognitive and emotional development of children.

Particular areas of interest are the theory of mind, the impact of domestic violence and child maltreatment on child outcomes, and the developmental antecedents of childhood antisocial behaviour and socio-cognitive abilities, such as the ability to recognise facially expressed emotion.

We are currently exploring the connections between cyberbullying and relationship violence in adolescents.

We enjoy good working relationships with local schools and are keen to engage in dialogue with practitioners and parents about their needs and how research can best support them.

For more information visit www. coventry.ac.uk/readingdevelopment

Group aims l Understand the developmental antecedents of social, emotional and cognitive behaviours in childhood l Understand how children’s internal representations of the world may impact on their psychological development l Identify and understand internal and external influences on reading acquisition l Contribute to the knowledge about why some children struggle to achieve literacy l Develop and evaluate resources and educational approaches that have potential to foster successful reading development and school attainment.

The group is led by Prof. Clare Wood, and includes Dr Janet Vousden, Dr Laura Taylor, Dr Andrew Holliman, Dr Erica Bowen, PhD students Roy Bhakta, Luisa TarczynskiBowles and Lisa Hopkins and research assistants Sam Waldron and Lucy Hart.

Issue 8 2011 Health 11

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Sound science

Energy from sound waves can have applications as diverse as cancer treatment, biofuels and bonding explains Professor Tim Mason – Director of the Sonochemistry Centre

W

e normally associate sound with music and communication but seldom think of it as an energy source.

So it is a surprise to find that sound can do diverse things such as sterilise water, improve electroplating, produce better face creams and treat cancer.

These remarkable effects come from the energy released by cavitation bubbles generated in a liquid by sound waves.

Cavitation bubbles are very different from soap bubbles blown by children, foam on the surface of coffee or the bubbles fizzing in a glass of champagne.

The University began studying the energy from cavitation bubbles in 1975 and looked at effects on chemistry in a subject that became known as sonochemistry. Today the applications of ultrasound have expanded well beyond chemistry and we follow five main areas of research – environmental protection, electrochemistry, material science, food processing and therapeutic ultrasound.

Ultrasound is most simply defined as sound with a frequency that is too high for the human ear to detect – generally considered to be above 20 kHz (20,000 Hertz; one Hertz is one cycle per second).

The ultrasound frequency range can then be divided into ultrasound for sonochemistry (between 20kHz and 1MHz) capable of generating cavitation bubbles in liquids and very high frequency (around 5MHz) which does not have enough power to produce cavitation and is used in diagnostic ultrasound, such as in foetal scans.

For more information visit www.coventry. ac.uk/sonochemistry or email sonochemistry@hotmail.com

12 Health Issue 8 2011

Current projects Environmental Eadaoin Joyce works on environmental applications, including decontamination of water supplies from both chemical and biological pollutants, the production of biofuels from algae, the manufacture of biocidal bandages impregnated with nanoparticles for use against hospital acquired infections and improved germination and growth of seeds.

Electrochemistry Fakhradin Mirkhalaf is looking at new processes for nanoparticle synthesis for use in two main applications: advanced electrocatalysts, which are most important in improving the efficiency of fuel cells for the production of green energy, and improved surface coatings for electrodes that are used as sensors.

Health Tim Mason is working on projects around High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) for cancer treatment (such as the instrument below), microcapsules for targeted drug delivery systems and improved surface decontamination.

Materials Science Andy Cobley works in materials

science and is investigating the surface treatment of materials to achieve better bonding characteristics, the replacement of hazardous chemicals in printed circuit board manufacture (above) and new methodologies for the plating of electronic components.

Food Larysa Paniwnyk, Associate Director of the Centre, is researching the extraction of natural medicines from herbs and plants, enhanced marination processes and sterilization/pasteurization of foods at lower temperatures to provide better flavour retention.

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Seven

projects to advance cognition, neuroscience and psychobiology The Cognition, Neuroscience, and Psychobiology (CNaP) Applied Research Group (ARG) unites researchers in Cognitive and Biological Psychology. The ARG currently has seven projects that combine sport, nutrition, emotion, memory, motivation, and paranormal activity.

1

Modularity in Short-Term Memory

Future projects

A series of studies examining evidence for different patterns of memory performance across a range of stimulus types. Is there evidence for separate modal-specific short-term memory systems/processes?

2

Emotion Regulation and Hemispheric Asymmetry

A series of studies examining how individual differences in personality measures (such as aggression and anxiety) affect performance on tasks known to reflect unconscious mechanisms of emotion regulation. The studies involve both behavioural and neurological measures.

3

Positional Biases in Voting

Exploring the effect of ballot position in voting behaviours.

4 5 6 7

Chewing Gum and Mood

A series of studies examining the moderating effect of chewing gum on mood and stress.

Motivation and Achievement Goal Theory

A study exploring the effects of motivational climate on attentional maintenance and task enjoyment.

EEG and Extra-Sensory Perception in a Ganzfeld Environment

Examining neural activity while participants perform an extra-sensory perception task.

Cognitive Enhancement via Herbal and Essential Oil Exposure

Examining whether mood and cognition can be altered by herbal ingestion and essential oil inhalation.

l Short-term memory and forgetting, an examination of different predictors of forgetting across a range of stimuli to see if different factors that induce forgetting across stimulus types might suggest different memory systems l Context-dependent memory and stress, which asks if recalling information helps memory if the original learning of that material was also in a stressful situation l Sexual promiscuity and attention bias – are sexually promiscuous individuals more susceptible/ responsive to sexual stimuli and do they have a cognitive bias to sexualised imagery?

CNaP ARG Members: Academics within CNaP are currently collaborating with researchers at the Institute of Medical Psychology, Goethe-University, Frankfurt; the National Institute of Education, Singapore; Birmingham University; and Cardiff University.

Academics: Dr. Rebecca Jenks (ARG leader), Dr. Nigel Wilson, Dr. John Williams, Dr. Luke Sage, Dr. Ian Hume, Dr. Tony Lawrence, Dr. Andy Johnson PhD Students: Ben Robert, Fran Walsh, Wayne Dancer Associate Members: Dr. Shelley Price, Dr. Martin Cox For further details on the CNaP ARG contact Dr. Andy Johnson at andrew. johnson@coventry.ac.uk or visit wwwm. coventry.ac.uk/researchnet/CNaP.

Issue 8 2011 Health 13

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Access

all areas

Groundbreaking research into new technologies and support for people living with disabilities is improving lives

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I

n a world that has been built around the needs of able-bodied people, improving accessibility for those with disabilities can have powerful effects in improving participation and a more diverse society.

Development of Assistive Technology to support people living with disabilities is a major part of the Living and Working with Disability Applied Research Group’s (ARG) work. Together with support from the Health Design & Technology Institute (HDTI) and other research centres and groups across the Faculty and University, the group has a number of developmental strands.

As well as Assistive Technology, the

group, which was set up in 2006, is focused on education, ageing society, wellbeing and resilience and creative methodologies.

Darren Awang, the ARG’s Lead explained the group’s portfolio of activity is wide-ranging. “Academic staff can contribute to applied research in a variety of ways through funded research projects, continuing professional development, training, accreditation activities, development of student research placements and more recently Knowledge Transfer Partnerships,” explained Darren. “This means they can fulfil dual roles as academics that teach while being applied research active. One

Research sponsors:

This partnership received financial support from the Knowledge Transfer Partnerships programme (KTP). KTP aims to help businesses to improve their competitiveness and productivity through the better use of knowledge, technology and skills that reside within the UK Knowledge Base. KTP is funded by the Technology Strategy Board along with other government funding organisations.

of the strengths of our approach enables our members to share their expertise thereby supporting collaborations with other ARGs and ARCs across the Faculty and University to maximise the chances of successful bids.”

The ARG has worked closely with charities including the Thomas Pocklington Trust, which provides services for people with visual impairment. A number of research and consultancy projects have been completed including a project to explore the training and CPD needs of occupational therapists in relation to sight loss; consultancy work around the skills and knowledge needed for occupational

therapists to identify Assistive Technology solutions for people with sight loss; and an evaluation by final year Occupational Therapy students of the Trust’s pilot ‘home support service.’

Darren said: “We have found that by really listening to what customers want we are able to deliver very good quality outputs which make people more likely to want to come back to us to do further work with them.”

ARG member Dr Gill Ward is currently involved in the CO-MODAL project, which is led by HDTI and received £750,000 of funding from the Technology Strategy Board. The project aims to support the development of a consumer market for assisted living technologies for ‘young’ older people. It is anticipated that CO-MODAL will give an in-depth understanding of the barriers to market development.

Another project to carry out an evaluation of the use of fall detectors within the West Midlands Region has been funded by NHS West Midlands.

This is being led by HDTI in partnership with the West Midlands Region Telehealthcare Network and Warwickshire Primary Care Trust.

Other work in partnership with HDTI includes a Small Business Research Initiative grant to extend the MyAmego residential activity monitoring system to support individuals with dementia and their carers in their own homes.

“The work we are doing around Assistive Technology (AT) highlights the growing impact of new technologies to support health, wellbeing and education,” explained Darren. “This feeds into the accredited courses we run in AT at both Masters and Foundation Degree level.”

Last summer Mike Morgan launched a highly innovative online Assistive Technology Learning Tool (ATLT) which was endorsed by the College of Occupational Therapists. It offers a valuable and flexible Continuing Professional Development learning opportunity. Wolverhampton City Council has already trained over 35 members of its support staff using the ATLT.

“The work we are doing around Assistive Technology highlights the growing impact of new technologies to support health, wellbeing and education” More recently links with external organisations through the student placement team has enabled the ARG to extend its partnerships.

Following a contemporary student placement at Orbit Care and Repair (a local housing association) the ARG has developed a two-year Knowledge Transfer Partnership, funded by the Technology Strategy Board and ERDF, to develop interventions with compulsive hoarders. This venture will meet Orbit’s objective to find effective ways of managing its resources whilst meeting the needs of these individuals.

For more information visit www.coventry.ac.uk/researchnet/ disability

Issue 8 2011 Health 15

Get back in touc h

If you have studie d a course at Co ventry University you join Friends make sure of Coventry Unive rsity (FOCUS).

Membership is fre e and you get: l Discounts on national com panies’ produc ts l Free bi-ann ual magazine wi th gr aduate update competitions s and l Optional fre e monthly news letters l Access to an exclusive mem bers only area alumni website on the l Invites to re unions and even ts l A find-a-fri end service to help track down lost friends l And lots m ore!

If you have lost tou ch with Coventry, the alumni office to hear from you would love soon.

Sign up online at www.coventry.ac.u k/alumni or email alumni@coventry.a c.uk or call +44 (0) 24 7688 8589 .

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