QMUL

BATLAA e-Newsletter: November 2015

Your Alumni Ref. No:

We are delighted to announce that the BATLAA-BLSA Captains and Presidents Dinner has been scheduled for the 15 April 2016. All alumni who were involved with Clubs and Societies during their time at Barts and/or The London - as well as any other interested parties - are invited to join current members of the Barts and The London Students’ Association (BLSA) for an evening of good food and entertainment. Please register your interest.

Production of next year’s issue of the Barts and The London Chronicle (BLC) is underway and we would like to invite your input. If you have any news to share or you have been involved with organising a reunion for your contemporaries, do get in touch.

We are keen to highlight and celebrate alumni volunteers who generously give up their time to support the School of Medicine and Dentistry. If you support recruitment activities, provide careers guidance, sit on advisory boards or help in any way at all, we would be delighted to hear from you. Email us.

Finally, thank you to those of you who attended the BATLAA AGM last month. An overview of BATLAA activities to date, as well as an update on the rationalisation of the Benevolent Funds was provided to members.

With all best wishes for the festive season.
Professor Paul Wright (q BDS, The London, 1969)
President of BATLAA

School news

Professor Steve Thornton appointed as Vice Principal (Health)
We are pleased to announce the appointment of Professor Steve Thornton as Vice-Principal for Health and Executive Dean of Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry. Professor Thornton joins us from the University of Exeter and will take up post on 4 January 2016. Look out for an interview with Professor Thornton in the next issue of BLC.

£8m awarded for pancreatic research ‘dream team’
A transatlantic team, involving scientists and clinicians from Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, has been awarded £8m to fight pancreatic cancer. The three year investment from Stand up to Cancer, Cancer Research UK, the American Association of Cancer Research and Lustgarten Foundation is funding a collaborative effort between the School and researchers from the University of Cambridge, University of Pennsylvania, University of California San Diego, Princeton University and Translational Genomic Research and The Salk Institute of Biological Sciences to accelerate the pace of research in the laboratory.

East London Genes & Health celebrates 4,000th study participant
East London Genes & Health, the world’s largest community-based genetics study, has celebrated its first milestone with 4,000 participants so far. Launched in March 2015, the study aims to improve health among people of Pakistani and Bangladeshi heritage in East London by analysing the genes and health of 100,000 local people. How to volunteer.

Supporting our work

Can you add a gift to your list?
How’s your Christmas shopping going? Do you know what you’ll be giving to your family, friends, colleagues and neighbours? Are you a last-minute, 24th December person or is everything bought, wrapped and labelled already? We’d like you to think about adding one more person to your Christmas shopping list: one of our students in need of financial support.

You’ll be helping someone like Seher, who told us: “Becoming a doctor was always my dream and something I feel so passionate about. You have helped me achieve my ambition and I am so grateful for that. It is wonderful to know that there are people who want to help students in financial difficulty. I hope that I am also one day in a position to do that as it just such a great thing to be able to do.”

We need your help: you know what students here are going through as nobody else does. Your kindness will guarantee that 2016 is a happy new year for someone who is struggling. Willing to add that someone to your Christmas list? The good news is it’s easy: no trekking up and down the high street, just a quick online process here. Thank you!

The John Vane Legacy
Major contributions to medicine are exemplified by the pre-eminent pharmacologist Sir John Vane’s work by:

  • the billions of people worldwide who take aspirin to prevent heart attacks;
  • the 35-40 million people worldwide who take angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors every day to treat high blood pressure, heart failure or kidney disease;
  • the thousands of patients with pulmonary hypertension who are kept alive by prostacyclin.

The William Harvey Research Foundation aims to continue his pioneering approach and seeks to raise £2m to establish the John Vane Professorial Chair to lead a Centre for Pharmacological Innovation in the William Harvey Research Institute. Read more.

Alumni news

Alumna awarded Women in Science and Engineering prize
Amrita Ahluwalia (q PhD Pharmacology, 1993), Professor of Vascular Pharmacology and Deputy Director of the William Harvey Research Institute at QMUL, was awarded the 2015 Prize for Research by the WISE (Women in Science and Engineering) Campaign at a special ceremony on 12 November. The WISE Awards are an annual event to celebrate women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects.

Professor Jack Cuzick receives American Cancer Society Medal of Honor
Professor Jack Cuzick (Westfield, MSc Mathematics, 1971), Director of the Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine and Head of the Centre for Cancer Prevention, has been awarded the American Cancer Society’s prestigious Medal of Honor in recognition of his three decades of leadership in cancer prevention and screening. Professor Cuzick is internationally renowned for advancing the field of breast cancer chemoprevention through his early and path breaking work with tamoxifen, and more recently, the research that contributed to the introduction of aromatase inhibitors, both for the treatment of breast cancer, and as an agent for chemoprevention.

Symposium celebrates the life and work of Professor Bob Cohen
An event to celebrate the life and work of the late Professor Robert (Bob) Cohen (q The London, 1958), who passed away last year, was held on 20 November on our Whitechapel campus. Professor Cohen was Professor of Medicine and Director of the Academic Medical Unit in the School of Medicine and Dentistry from 1981-99 and Emeritus Professor of Medicine at the University of London until his death.

Have you moved?
Make sure you receive your copy of BLC, due for publication next spring, by updating your address. You can do so by registering with our Alumni Portal.

Do your bit for the environment!
Save paper by signing up to receive BLC by email. You can request to do so via the Alumni Portal or by email to batlaa@qmul.ac.uk.

BATLAA Alumni, Staff and Former Staff Remembered
A list of members of the Barts and The London community who have recently passed away can be found in BATLAA Alumni Remembered on our website. Obituaries can be emailed to batlaa@qmul.ac.uk.

Forthcoming events

Mile End Institute events are open to all!
The Mile End Institute runs a topical programme of events around the themes of the state, the economy and the city. Alumni from all disciplines are welcome. Join the mailing list.

2 December, 6.30pm
Re-imagining the BBC - Charters Past and Present

The debate around the review of the BBC Charter is in full swing. As the broadcaster and the government start the process of defining its future role, what can be learned from previous rounds of negotiations? Lord (Peter) Hennessy will chair the first of two events organised in partnership with the BBC. Tessa Jowell, Norman Fowler and David Levy will reflect on the lessons of the past Charter reviews. This event will take place at the House of Lords. Places are extremely limited; please email if you wish to attend.

26 - 27 February 2016
London Hospital Dental Club Annual Clinical Meeting

The programme for this two-day CPD-accredited event, held in the Dental School on our Whitechapel campus, has been finalised and we are delighted to announce that Friday will be held in partnership with the British Society of Prosthodontics (BSSPD). Your President, Dr Phil Taylor, Clinical Director for Dentistry in the Institute of Dentistry, looks forward to welcoming you. Register interest.

15 April 2016
BATLAA-BLSA Captains and Presidents Dinner

All current and former Captains and Presidents of clubs and societies, as well as any other interested individuals, are warmly invited to this event, which is being jointly organised between BATLAA and the Barts and The London Students’ Association (BLSA). Full details will be confirmed shortly but please register your interest if you would like to receive more information. Please let us know which club or society you were involved with, in what capacity and in what years.

Bespoke Reunions

4 December 2015
40th Anniversary Reunion of The London Hospital Dental School - 1971 Starters/1975 Graduates

Organised by Dr Peter Williams. More information.

Please contact us if you would like help with organising your own bespoke reunion. Click here for a list of forthcoming reunions.

Noticeboard

Are you an Alumni Volunteer?
Have you helped the School of Medicine and Dentistry with student recruitment or advice on careers or specialisms? Perhaps you have organised a reunion for your year group? If you have volunteered your time to support the School or BATLAA in any way, we would like hear from you. Our Alumni Volunteers are a valuable part of our fabric and we want to celebrate and share your volunteering stories. Please get in touch.

If you would like to join us an Alumni Volunteer, we would also be delighted to hear from you. Find out more about how you can get involved.

Could you help with psychiatry teaching material?
The Centre for Psychiatry is looking for alumni with a background in psychiatry who would be interested in acting out clinical scenarios in teaching material for medical students to practice. If you fit the bill and would be willing to help, please contact us.

Barts Cancer Institute PG Alumni Profiles
Barts Cancer Institute are looking for alumni who undertook postgraduate taught and research courses in cancer to complete profiles. Contact us if you would be interested in helping.

MSc Dental Public Health Alumni Profiles
If you completed the MSc in Dental Public Health, please let us know which stage you are in of your career path. The Institute of Dentistry would like to create alumni profiles for graduates of the course. Contact us.

Barts Cancer Institute’s annual Christmas Auction is back!
Running out of present ideas? Eyeing up mysterious kitchen gadgets that your loved ones will never use? Don’t worry, Barts Cancer Institute’s (BCI) annual Christmas Auction is coming up! From 1-7 December, bid online for a range of exciting and one-off gifts: theatre tickets, restaurant vouchers, and rare experiences are all up for grabs. All money raised goes towards our cancer research. Find out more or if you have something you’d like to donate, contact Katrin Hood.

Social media

Like BATLAA on Facebook
Become a part of our Facebook community for regular updates about the School and fellow alumni, as well as information about upcoming events. Share your photos and tell us about your time at Barts and The London.

Follow BATLAA on Twitter
Share your tweets with us @BartsTheLonAlum and you may get a retweet!

Join BATLAA on LinkedIn
Part of the wider Queen Mary Alumni Network group, our BATLAA sub-group is a platform for you to network professionally with fellow graduates from Barts and The London, read about the latest news at the School of Medicine and Dentistry and wider university, and the achievements of your fellow alumni.

Keep in touch with Barts and The London via the Alumni Portal
If you haven't logged in yet, we encourage you to register with our Alumni Portal. Here you can update your contact details, get in touch with friends (provided they are also registered users), book on to events, manage your communication preferences and make a gift.

BATLAA online
Browse our website for previous issues of the BATLAA e-Newsletter.

Noticeboard online
Visit the Noticeboard area of our website to keep up-to-date with opportunities and ways in which you can get involved in the life of Barts and The London.

Help us to continue growing our online communities by encouraging your Barts and The London contacts to update their details and like, follow and join our pages. You can even share the BATLAA e-Newsletter by clicking “forward” in the top right-hand corner.

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