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University of Exeter News

 

February 2018

 

Contents

Welcome to our new look edition of News in Brief! We've listened to feedback from our previous newsletters and our new look is designed to give you a better reader-friendly experience.

We hope you enjoy our new look. If you have any comments or ideas about what you'd like to see in future editions we would love to hear from you, so please get in touch!

TOP STORIES

Wellcome Centre for Cultures and Environments of Health launched

Last week saw the launch of the new Wellcome Centre for Cultures and Environments of Health. The centre, which was launched on Friday 2nd February, is based on Streatham Campus and will lead pioneering research into how to help older people stay healthy, prevent obesity and mental illness in children and the impact of social isolation on health. To read more, please click here.
 

New MSc Clinical Pharmacy course launched

Qualified post-registration community pharmacists in the South of England can now enrol in the Medical School's new Masters in Clinical Pharmacy.

The innovative and engaging MSc Clinical Pharmacy (Primary Care and Community) programme courses have been set up to enable pharmacist and pharmacy technician integration in primary care. It also aims to further develop pharmacists' clinical skills for practice, in particular for the benefit of people with long-term conditions. Read more here.

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News and Congratulations

Congratulations

Congratulations to:

Colleagues from across the Medical School, whose papers feature on the British Journal for General Practice’s top ten papers of 2017. Academics from the University co-authored four of the top ten, with one paper even topping the list. Click here to read more.


Dr David Leeder, who has been promoted to Associate Professor in Medical Education.


Postgraduate Research Successes

Congratulations to:

Thomas Ridler, PhD, supervised by Dr Jonathan Brown.
Rhiann Clissold, MD, supervised by Professor Sian Ellard.
Matthew Johnson, PhD, supervised by Dr Sarah Flanagan.
Daniel Chapman, PhD, supervised by Professor Angela Shore.
Julia Vlachaki-Walker, MPhil, supervised by Dr Craig Beall.
Abubakar Sadiq Sani, PhD, supervised by Professor Charles Abraham.
 

Staff News

Professor Rod Taylor of the Exeter Medical School's Cochrane Cardiac Rehabilitation Group, will present a report on the efficacy of rehabilitation and palliative care across cardiovascular diseases to the Danish Minister of Health on Wednesday 7th February. Professor Taylor and Dr Linda Long were awarded a grant of £150,000 to help Danish colleagues prepare the report for the Danish Heart Foundation. Follow @ExeterECG and ExeterCardiacGroup.wordpress.com for more details.


Dr Emma Taylor visited Hong Kong last month for the British Council's Study Exhibition event, highlighting the fantastic career opportunities available through our Medical Sciences programme!

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STAFF OPPORTUNITIES

Applications to speak at Soapbox Science open!

Would you like to spread word about your research whilst acting as a role model for women in science?

Soapbox Science is an outreach organisation that brings cutting-edge research to the public whilst promoting the visibility of women in science. The organisation are looking for female scientists from PhD students to Professors who are passionate about their work to speak at their event in Exeter’s Princesshay on 22nd September. Applications close on Friday 23rd February. Further information and application forms can be found on the Soapbox Science website.

Applications for QUEX Initiator Grants open

The first round of the QUEX Institute Initiator Grant Scheme is now open for applications, with a closing date of Wednesday 28th February, to enable academics to develop collaborations with colleagues at the University of Queensland. These grants are intended for building collaborative activities that will refine research or education ideas. Bids for up to £10,000 / AUD $16,000 are welcomed.

More information, along with the guidelines and application form can be found on the QUEX website.

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STAFF TRAINING

A new learning opportunity: Embracing Change in the Workplace

We live in unpredictable times, characterised by the acronym VUCA - volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. Whether through large or small events, change is a constant, and in today's world of work the rate and breadth of change, sheer flow of information and speed of decision making can cause an impact on personal and organisational well-being. This half-day course serves as an introduction to individual understanding about change and how we can adopt a positive mind-set to dealing with the VUCA world. This course is open to all staff and more details, including how to book, can be found here.

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IN THE NEWS

Medical School research has made global headlines this month, including:

Drs Anne Leonard and Will Gaze were quoted internationally for their Beach Bums study on antibiotic resistant bacteria in surfers’ guts. Coverage included BBC Country File and Time Magazine.

Dr Lorna Harries and colleagues hit the news for research on how the chemical BPA is found in teenager’s blood from exposure to plastics.

Professor John Campbell had widespread coverage on research on the reasons behind GPs leaving patient care.

Professor Linda Clare hit national headlines for input on a report by Global Council on Brain Health on a research-based on brain food diet.

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EDUCATION NEWS

International journal publications

Three Medicine students have had articles published in international journals. Congratulations go to Anna Broadbent (5th year, intercalation), Kamuran Akkus (2nd year) and Aurimas Kudzinskas (3rd year).

Anna's essay "Innovation in Palliative Care: what’s next?" won second place in the George Adams award from the Royal Society of Medicine and was published in the European Journal of Palliative Care (EJPC).

Kamuran and Aurimas undertook a placement with Dr Asami Oguro-Ando this summer, where they contributed to a paper "CD38 is required for dendritic organisation in visual cortex and hippocampus", which was published in Neuroscience.


National Student Survey reminder

A reminder that the National Student Survey (NSS) for undergraduate finalists is now open. Eligible students have received an email from the Vice-Chancellor, inviting them to take part in the survey, which closes on Monday 30th April. The NSS gathers students' opinions of the quality of their courses and will help provide data that assists the University in enhancing the student experience, so we encourage you to spread the word among students.


Idealo and European Funding Guide Scholarships

Idealo and European Funding Guide are awarding 10 student scholarships with a total value of almost £80,000. For more information, please click here.

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Research News

Blue Communities

Colleagues from the European Centre for Environment and Human Health attended the kick off meeting for Blue Communities, hosted by the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur last month. The project aims to exchange knowledge and best practice between the UK and South East Asia on marine planning and sustainable resource to help improve the wellbeing and livelihoods of both communities. You can read more about the project here.

 

University of Exeter & University of South Florida Research Catalyst Fund

Global Partnerships has partnered with USF World at the University of South Florida to create a Research Catalyst fund, which aims to seed-fund initiatives that support collaborative research activity between academics at the universities. Awards will be made to support activities that enhance research capacity and impact through working together. Applications must be submitted by 19th February 2018, although rolling applications will be accepted throughout the year with the next deadline in autumn 2018. For more information and details on to apply, please click here.

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Equality and diversity

Equality and Diversity Survey

Thank you very much to all who completed this year’s Medical School Equality and Diversity Survey, we achieved a record number of responses. The results of this survey will now be reviewed by the Equality and Diversity Group and the College Executive Group, with the results and actions arising available shortly afterwards on the intranet. Equality and Diversity are core principles of the Medical School so your participation in this consultation has been greatly appreciated, as it helps us to ensure the college is an inclusive environment for staff and students.

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STAFF INFORMATION

Staff profile pictures

For anyone needing a profile picture, or wishing to have theirs redone, we are running two sessions in the EMS building on Friday 2nd March, on the mezzanine level:

- 10.00-11.00am
- 15.00-16.00pm

Please come along during this time for your photograph to be taken.  All images will be sent to you after the shoot, so you can choose your preferred picture.
 

Revised Entertainment, Hospitality and Gifts Policy

A revised Entertainment, Hospitality and Gifts Policy was published last term, due to increased scrutiny by HMRC in a range of areas. It sets out the guidance and requirements around the giving and receiving of gifts and hospitality.

In terms of receiving gifts, colleagues are reminded that trivial or low value items up to the value of £20 may be accepted without being recorded; anything over £20 should only be accepted if refusal would cause offence and if it is not in return for any expected service. Receipt of such gifts should be recorded, and guidance is provided in the policy on how they should be used.  This is a HMRC requirement and is necessary to protect the University from any suggestion that its employees can be bribed. Further guidance is provided in the policy here. If you have received any gifts in the last term, please complete a Register of Gifts Form and return it to Sarah Downing as soon as possible.


Data security

Electronic files should be saved to secure network locations and accessed via VPN or Office 365 when working remotely. There may be times when you need to keep information on a USB stick, for example when delivering a presentation at an off-site meeting or when access to the internet may be uncertain. However, USB sticks should not be used for long-term data storage for valuable information which is not held anywhere else, due to the risk of data loss. If you need to use one, the UEMS Infrastructure Team can provide you with an encrypted USB stick, to ensure that you are storing your information securely.  To request one, please email the Infrastructure Team by Wednesday 21st February.


New Team Brief summary video

As of this month, colleagues will be able to watch a short video summary of Team Brief, which will be provided by a member of the Vice-Chancellor’s Executive Group (VCEG).

This month you can watch our Registrar and Secretary, Mike Shore-Nye, giving a round-up of this month’s topics, which include the launch of the National Student Survey (NSS), proposed changes to the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS), as well as the growth of our research output and impact, and what this may indicate about our future performance in this area. Colleagues can also read Team Brief online.
 

The Market

The Market will be back at St Luke's Campus on Friday 23rd February, with stalls from Flapjackery, Polly Nostimo's and The Guildable Manor. For more information and dates, please click here.

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INFRASTRUCTURE

Data protection

Last month the University marked national Data Privacy Day, which shines a spotlight on the importance of everybody being careful and secure with the information and data we use.

Find out how you can make sure you’re handling data in a secure way, and get ready for the General Data Protection Regulation (GPDR) which comes into effect on 25 May 2018, by visiting the GDPR webpages. Business leads have been appointed in each area of our institution to assess our readiness for this introduction, and ensure we are making the appropriate changes. If you have any queries, please contact them in the first instance.

Project Exceptional

Project Exceptional aims to create a new £80m building, acting as a catalyst for new ways of teaching and research on the Streatham Campus. It is part of our wider University Capital Strategy.

The new building will be built on Car Park D and is dependent on us making changes to other car parks in order to do this. We will ensure these changes happen with minimal impact on colleagues and local residents, and that no parking spaces are lost.

On 9 February we will hold a Briefing Session about the car park changes, in Peter Chalk 1.5, 9-11am. A 10-minute presentation will be at 9am and 10am, followed by a chance to ask questions from 9.15 – 10am and then 10.15-11am. You can see the proposed timetable of the car park changes online.

Exeter's electric bike hire scheme launches at St Luke's

Exeter’s electric bike hire scheme, Co-bikes, is continuing to expand and we are pleased to now have one of the docking stations on St Luke’s Campus, as well as another on University land at St David’s railway station. The bikes can be hired and returned to any docking station on the Co-bikes network, on either a pay-as-you-ride or membership basis. Staff from Co-bikes will be on hand to discuss the scheme and offer free trials of the bikes at both of this week’s sustainability events.

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EVENTS

Creative Communication: Creating Engaging Oral Communications
Tue 27 February, 11.00-13.00
Room 3.06, South Cloisters, St Luke's Campus

Annual Research Event
28 Feb - 1 March
The Imperial Hotel, Parkhill Road, Torquay, TQ1 2DG

CTU Seminar: The effect of MElatonin on Depressive symptoms and Anxiety in patients after acute coronary syndrome: the MEDACIS Trial
Thu 15 March, 11.00-12.00
Room G25, EMS Building, St Luke's Campus

Conciousness, Interconnectedness and Hope: The Future is 'We' and 'Me'
Tue 20 March, 12.00-14.00
Room 3.06, South Cloisters, St Luke's Campus

UEMS All Staff Meeting with Pro-Vice Chancellor
Wed 28 March, 11:15
BC114, St Luke’s & F08, Knowledge Spa

Exeter Sports Medicine Conference
Wed 9 - Thu 10 May
Sandy Park, Sandy Park Way, Exeter, EX2 7NN

Multimorbidity research at the crossroads: developing the evidence for clinical practice and health policy
Mon 21 May, 8.30-16.30
Nobel Forum, Campus Solna, Karolinska Institue, Stockholm

Looking Ahead in Progress Testing Conference
Fri 22 June, 9.00-17.00
Xfi Building, Streatham Campus

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