Blog posts

The UK Medical Bioinformatics partnership programme (UK Med-Bio)

What is Med-Bio?

The UK MEDical BIOinformatics partnership programme (UK Med-Bio), led by Prof Paul Elliott and funded by the MRC, brings together a group of leading multidisciplinary teams in medical, chemical, metabolic, statistical and computational sciences from across Imperial College London (lead institution) and its partners.

What resources it offers

As part of the programme, dedicated infrastructure has been purchased and set up, consisting of hardware that is already integrated in HPC’s CX1 and AX4 clusters, dedicated servers with virtual machines (VMs) and a massive amount of high-performance, secure, tiered storage directly connected to such servers. (more…)

ethIC@Imperial

Please join us for the first ethIC@Imperial event of the year on Friday 24 March. EthIC@Imperial is a series of lunchtime seminars organised by Imperial’s Science Communication Unit to facilitate critical discussion about ethical issues relating to academia. Past seminars have focused on research culture and the pressure to publish, bioethics, and Big Data. Our most recent meeting was on the ethics of big data, and included panelists from the Data Science Institute, New Scientist, IBM and the Guardian newspaper. (more…)

Sharing approaches to maternity services – ICCESS update

Sharing approaches to maternity services

The ICCESS team are partway through an innovative simulation-based research project to map maternity services across North West London. The Sharing Approaches to Maternity Services project, funded by Health Education North West London, aims to identify areas of best practice, challenges in the current system, and suggest ways in which services could be improved.

The project uses Sequential Simulation (SqS) to model the maternity care pathway (see image below). The simulation compresses the nine month pathway into a 30 minute simulation that is being delivered to maternity teams at six hospitals in the NW London region. (more…)

Monthly update from the Institute of Global Health Innovation

Upcoming events

3 March 2017 18.00-20.00
Students Challenges Competition: Enter the Dragon’s Den
Venue: Imperial College Business School LG101 – LGR, South Kensington campus

Join us on Monday 13 March for our interactive Dragon’s Den style event to find the winner of our annual Student Challenges Competition. The competition provides a platform for students based in the UK to showcase their global health research idea and win up to £5000 to develop it further. Runners-up and audience choice prizes will also be awarded. (more…)

The Society for Academic Primary Care – Madingley Hall 2017

SAPC Madingley Hall 2017The GP teaching team were well represented at the SAPC Madingley conference, presenting on a range of educational innovations and research from within the department and beyond (see below for details). Following on from Dr David Hirsh’s keynote talk on longitudinal integrated clerkships, some of the Integrated Clinical Apprenticeship team from Imperial  (Dr Andy McKeown, Dr Arabella Simpkin and Dr Ravi Parekh) ran an interactive and engaging workshop to explore the evidence for this model of learning and to consider to practicalities of designing and delivering such a model. Ms Giskin Day (Centre for Languages, Culture and Communication), Dr Ros Herbert and Dr Emma Metters also ran a workshop onArts and Minds: using creative practice in the curriculum to enhance reflection, skills and knowledge’. (more…)

Brain scanning study in ex-smokers and quitting smokers – participants wanted

The Division of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London at the Hammersmith Hospital, London is studying how the brain and hormones control eating and addictive behaviours in the GHADD study.

Volunteers will have functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) brain scans, and an infusion of 2 different hormones to see how the brain responds.

The hormones have been safely administered in many previous studies.

There is a health screening visit, followed by 3 study visits.

To take part you must be aged 18 to 60 years old, have given up smoking cigarettes within the last year, or be just about to give up smoking cigarettes or vaping e-cigarettes.

You will NOT be able to take part if you:

  • are vegetarian, vegan, gluten or lactose intolerant
  • have a pacemaker, or some types of metal implants and clips
  • are claustrophobic, pregnant or breast feeding

You will be paid expenses including travel costs.

Please check our quick online screening tool on www.ghadd.co.uk to see if you may be eligible

If interested, please contact us at: 020 7594 6648 or ghadd@imperial.ac.uk

Approved by Local Ethics Research Committee (REC 15/LO/1041)

WHO Collaborating Centre for Public Health Education and Training update

Geneva trip 2017

Like every year, WHO Collaborating Centre is organising a trip for MPH students to WHO Headquarters in Geneva. The trip also includes visits to the Global Fund, the IRC, MSF and the UN.

During the intensive three days, students will attend engaging and interactive talks led by experts in major public health fields such as health systems and innovation, evidence-informed policy, or health systems financing. They will also be given an informative insight into the jobs and internships recruitment processes within the WHO. The trip includes social activities such as dinners and walks around the city. (more…)

MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences (LMS) update

We’ve changed our name

On1 January 2017 MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences (LMS) became the new name of the MRC Clinical Sciences Centre. This is the start of a new chapter of investment in the LMS. After 20 years of outstanding science, we’re building our reputation for excellence in biomedical research. With a mission to build strong links between science and medicine, the LMS will continue to work in close partnership with Imperial College London at its Hammersmith Hospital campus.

New year’s honour list for LMS director

Amanda Fisher, Director of the MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, has been made a Dame in the New Year’s Honours List for 2017. (more…)

Applications now open for MSc in Patient Safety

The NIHR Imperial Patient Safety Translational Research Centre is excited to announce that the portal is now open for all interested in applying to the MSc in Patient Safety. The Patient Safety programme is designed for healthcare professionals, both medical and managerial, to provide a basis of the fundamentals of patient safety practices. Please check our website for further information or contact our administrator at patient.safetymsc@imperial.ac.uk.

Monthly update from the Institute of Global Health Innovation

Calling all UK based students!

Do you have an innovative idea for global health? Enter our Student Challenges Competition to win up to £5,000 to make that idea reality. Competition closes on 20 January at 11.59pm. Find out more by visiting the website.

Upcoming events

19 January, 15.30-17.30

Global Health Forum: Seasonality and health

Venue: Anthony de Rothschild Lecture Theatre, St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington

Seasonal patterns have a significant impact on our health. Many health problems are directly related to climate change. Infectious diseases, respiratory illnesses including asthma, and allergies continue to affect the day-to-day lives of individuals. This month’s Global Health Forum highlights the importance of seasons on our health. Register here. (more…)

Hands-on LC-MS for Metabolic Phenotyping course

Date: 13 – 17 March 2017

Location: Imperial College London, South Kensington, London, UK

Description:

This week long course aims to cover how to perform a metabolic profiling experiment, from start to finish. It covers study design, sample preparation, the use of mass spectrometry for global profiling and targeted methodologies and data analysis.

It combines lectures and tutorial sessions to ensure a thorough understanding of the theory and practical applications. Topics covered include:

  • Targeted and untargeted sample preparation
  • Targeted and untargeted data analysis
  • Statistics and OPLS

http://www.imperial.ac.uk/imperial-international-phenome-training-centre/courses/hands-on-lc-ms-for-metabolic-profiling/

or contact Dr Liz Want (iptc@imperial.ac.uk) for further information.

Imperial College Centre for Engagement and Simulation Science (ICCESS) update

Asia Haptics 2016

The SiMMS group within the Centre for Engagement and Simulation Science (ICCESS) presented a paper at Asia Haptics 2016 relating to their haptic Digital Rectal Examination (DRE) Trainer.   Asia Haptics features a new format that consists of interactive demonstrations presented over the two day duration of the conference, with a brief explanation of the work projected live on to the main viewing screen.

The SiMMS team presented a paper entitled ‘Relax and Tighten – a Haptics-based Approach to Simulate Sphincter Tone Assessment’. The haptic DRE Trainer uses metal wires, controlled by motors, to tighten and relax a silicone sphincter around the user’s finger. (more…)

Coding for Medics short course


Applications are now open for the Coding for Medics Short Course, a two-day course which will run on Saturday 4 March and Sunday 5 March 2017.

This course is aimed at medical students and professionals who see the value in developing their understanding of computer programming. There is no need for any previous experience in this area, so all you will need is a laptop and an eagerness to learn!

For more information, please see the website.

(more…)

Department of Primary Care and Public Health update

Awards for Teaching Excellence for NHS Teachers

This event took place on Wednesday 16 November at the Drewe Lecture Theatre and was a chance for all our valued NHS teachers to be recognised for all the hard work they put into teaching our medical students. Primary Care was represented by Dr Beena Gohil, who won a Teaching Excellence Award.

Also featured was the inaugural lecture of Professor Mark Nelson, Lead of HIV services at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital – “Patient Zero to PrEP: HIV past, present and future”. (more…)

Identifying priorities and filling the gaps: What’s next for NTDs research?

Timed to celebrate the 5th anniversary of the London Declaration on NTDs, this event will provide a broad overview of the latest scientific research for NTD control and elimination.

Through a series of rapid fire presentations it aims to provide a short sharp introduction to a wide range of new and cutting-edge research covering different diseases, specialities, countries, institutions, etc.

Alongside the rapid fire session, presentations will also be made by Sir Michael Dixon (Director of NHM) and  Prof Sir Roy Anderson (Director of LCNTDR) .

The evening event will be followed by a drinks reception.
(more…)

Monthly update from the Institute of Global Health Innovation


Recent activities

The first Global Health Forum of the year took place on 20 October on Big Data Decision Support. The event discussed big data in medicine and healthcare and the best ways we can use what is available. Watch the full event here.

On 17 November we had our second Global Health Forum focusing on ‘Water and health’. Speakers included Dr Alexander Webb, Simon De Stercke, Dr Pauline Scheelbeek and Dr Michael Templeton covering a range in issues related to water such as salinity in drinking water and sanitation.

Latest IGHI Blog articles

Practitioner and patient-targeted interventions to address excessive antibiotic use

By Dr Olga Kostopoulou, Reader in Medical Decision Making and Professor Brendan Delaney, Chair in Medical Informatics and Decision Making at Imperial College London

Introducing ‘Exosonic’, a new device to combat pancreatic cancer

By Student Challenges Competition 2015/16 Audience Choice Award winners, Antonios Chronopoulos and Tyler Lieberthal

What is the role of social media in health policy?

By Sabine Vuik, Policy Fellow and Head of Analytics, Centre for Health Policy, Institute of Global Health Innovation

The State of Diabetes in 2016

By Professor Desmond Johnston, Vice Dean (Education) for the Faculty of Medicine atImperial College London

BIOTOPE (BIOmarkers TO diagnose PnEumonia)

By Dr John O’Donoghue, Senior Lecturer in eHealth & Deputy Director of Imperial’s Global eHealth Unit

Putting TB to the test: My journey so far

By Harriet Gliddon, winner of the IGHI Student Challenges Competition 2015-16

THET Annual Conference – Rethinking International Health Partnerships

By Hamdi Issa, PhD Candidate, Institute of Global Health Innovation

Director for the BDAU interviews the founder of the Open Data Science Conference in London

By Joshua Symons, Policy Fellow, Big Data & Analyitcal Unit, Centre for Health Policy


Write for us

We are always on the lookout for new bloggers.  If you would like to write for our blog, please get in touch with the IGHI Communications Manager, Jo, at j.seed@imperial.ac.uk

Nikita Rathod
Communications and Events Assistant
IGHI

WHO Collaborating Centre for Public Health Education and Training

Imperial/WHO CC Alumni reunion in Riyadh

Professor Salman Rawaf hosted a gathering for Imperial MPH and PhD alumni as well as WHO CC Fellowship Alumni currently residing in Riyadh on the 13th October at the Hilton Double Tree in Riyadh. Attending the gathering was DR. Amal Hassanein, Ms Johara Al Saud, DR Turki Bin Moammer, Dr Thamer Al-Ohali, and Dr Ahmed Al Mujil.

Visit to King Abdul Aziz University College of Medicine, Jeddah

Professor Salman Rawaf and Dr Sondus Hassounah visited the King Abdul Aziz University College of Medicine in  Jeddah on 9 October and were hosted by Professor Waleed Melaat to discuss cross university research collaboration.

Focus Group Discussions in Riyadh, Jeddah, Tabuk, Dammam, and Abha

In collaboration with the Saudi Health Council (the coordinating body for the integration between the various health authorities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), Professor Salman Rawaf and Dr Sondus Hassounah conducted five focus group discussions, over a period of two weeks (3 – 14 October), as part of the larger project to develop a national strategy for the development of Health Protection in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The team from Imperial College London’s WHO Collaborating Centre for Public Health Education and Training(Ms Christina Banks, Ms Alex Swaka, Mr Mohamed Al Saffar, Dr Sondus Hassounah, and Professor Salman Rawaf) have been involved in the project since its inception in early 2016 and have been working with their counter parts in Saudi Arabia on the multi-pronged project which includes a desk review of model country case studies, focus group discussions with relevant stakeholders, a nationally representative survey with 5,500 of the public, and in-depth interviews with policy makers.

The project is expected to continue till mid-2017 when the results will be shared and discussed with the Saudi Health Council and other partners in Saudi Arabia.

Mashael Al Sheikh: Systematic Review on Women and Cardiovascular Risks in KSA

Congratulations to Ms Mashael Al Sheikh, PhD student at the Imperial WHO Collaborating Centre for Public Health Education & Training, for her Systematic Review on Women and Cardiovascular Risks in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which is available for viewing here.

The article has significant public health implications and more results will be available shortly on the impact on culture (beliefs, behaviour etc) on health.

Health policies and family physicians alike should aim to address some of these issues outside the disease model.

Leadership in Health- National Primary Care Services, Kuwait

The WHO Collaborating Centre for Public Health Education and Training hosted Dr Rihab Wotayan (Managing Director for the National Primary Care Services in Kuwait) to discuss future collaboration with the centre and the department of Primary care and Public Health at Imperial. Dr Rihab and her team are interested in working with WHO CC to develop the capacity of, and train, their local health workforce, particularly in ‘Leadership in Health’. Dr Rihab is also keen to expand on the success of their recent investment in Primary Care doctors in the Kingdom and potentially send some of Kuwait’s GP trainees to take part in WHO CC 1-2 year post graduate research fellowship.

For the picture–Left to right: Professor Salman Rawaf (Director WHO CC), Dr Rihab Wotayan (Managing Director for the National Primary Care Services in Kuwait), Dr Sondus Hassounah (Teaching Fellow, WHO CC), Dr Weiam Ahmed (Honorary lecturer WHO CC).

Welcome to WHO CC Post-Graduate fellow Dr Abdulaziz Alqahtani

WHO Collaborating Centre for Public Health Education and Training was joined on 1st October by Dr Abdulaziz Alqahtani from Saudi Arabia. Dr Abdulaziz is a senior Registrar in Family Medicine at the Prince Sultan Military Medical City and will be following his postgraduate fellowship till end of August next year.

Ela Augustyniak
WHO Collaborating Centre for Public Health Education and Training

BSc Prize presentation evening

Students who completed their BSc in the 2015-16 year enjoyed an evening of prize-giving at the Drewe Lecture Theatre, Charing Cross Campus on Wednesday 9 November.

They were competing for the Charles Power Prize (for Best Overall Performance in the BSc), as well as the Evelyn de Rothschild Prize (for Best BSc Project). Three students were in competition for each prize, and each gave a 10-minute presentation on their chosen topic, which was followed with five minutes of questions from a distinguished panel of BSc Pathway Director judges and members of the audience.

Dr Sophie Rutschmann, Dr Mark Sullivan and Professor Barbara Bain were tasked with judging the Charles Power Prize, and awarded First Place to Daniel Ang Jia for his Immunity and Infection presentation entitled, ‘Vaccines: lessons in problem solving with basic science’. Second Place went to Janaki Desai for her Pharmacology-based ‘Do antidepressants actually work?’ presentation. Third Place was awarded to Florence Mouy, for ‘Myocardial Hibernation’ in the field of Cardiovascular Science.

The Evelyn de Rothschild Prize for Best BSc Project was judged by Professor Alison McGregor, Dr Chris John and Professor Louise Donnelly. After the three presentations, it was Sophie Glover who came out on top with First Place for her Neuroscience and Mental Health project, ‘Understanding the mechanisms behind ketogenic diet in gliobastoma multiforme’. A second appearance from Daniel Ang Jia was his project, ‘Immune thrombocytopenia and the MIF surrounding it’, based again in Immunity and Infection, which came in second. This was followed in Third Place by a Reproductive and Developmental Sciences project entitled, ‘The Use of Human Donor Milk in England: A Descriptive Study’ by Rita Marciano Alves Mousinho.

Dorrit Pollard-Davey
Curriculum Assistant (Educational Quality)
Imperial College School of Medicine

World Mental Health Day fundraising

To mark the World Mental Health Day on Monday October 10, Federica Amati and Pirkko Carmack organised a charity cake sale on Wednesday 12 October at 12.00 in our seminar room, to raise money for Mind mental health charity. We managed to raise £151.60 which was a great result.

It was also a very sweet start to our departmental meeting for a great cause, and also an occasion to remember to look after our own mental health.

We also reminded to Take 10 Minutes and focus on the importance of Mental Health.

E-learning team win the prestigious Brandon Hall Award for Pharmacology BSc e-module

The e-learning team in collaboration with the Pharmacology BSc won the prestigious Brandon Hall Silver Award in the “Best Results of a Learning Program” category for their e-learning modules, which are delivered to the Medical and Biomedical Science students opting for the Pharmacology BSc pathway.

The design of the e-learning modules was initiated strategically using the Blended Learning Design Tool (BLEnDT©), which identifies the learning outcomes that lend themselves to interactive self-guided online learning, following an Instructionist approach. The tool also identifies the learning outcomes that are best suited for face-to-face delivery or online delivery following a Constructivist/Collaborative approach.

The animations in the e-learning modules were creatively designed to have a bit of a 3D feel (see screenshots). The lower-order learning objectives (such as recall and list) were covered within e-learning modules, giving face-to-face teaching the scope to focus on the higher-order learning objectives (e.g. critical thinking, evaluation). The impact of this e-module on student engagement has also recently been published (BMC Medical Education (2016) 16:195).

Students’ comments

“because we had already been exposed to it [the receptors] before in the e-course, when we went over it again it was much easier to understand”

“the most efficient approach is to have the eLearning beforehand and then you have a contingency tutorial to check or to ask any questions or to briefly skim over it”

“so often you turn up to a lecture and they jump in so far beyond your knowledge… And you can’t ask effective questions because you don’t know the fundamentals to start with”

Team Members:

  • E-learning – Akram Ameen, Taylor Bennie, Ashish Hemani, Maria Toro-Troconis, Lisa Carrier
  • Pharmacology BSc – Sohag Saleh, Chris John

Contact – elearning.medicine@imperial.ac.uk

Ashish Hemani
eLearning Programme Manager
Faculty Education Office (Medicine)

Monthly update from the Institute of Global Health Innovation

ighi
Calling all UK based students!

Do you have an innovative idea for global health? Enter our Student Challenges Competition to win up to £5,000 to make that idea reality.  Find out more by visiting the website.

Recent activities

On 14 September, the Centre for Health Policy’s Sowerby eHealth Forum hosted their third annual symposium on the benefits and barriers to sharing patient data.

On the same day, we also jointly hosted a special guest lecture by general practitioner and public health policy advocate Dr Suwit Wibulpolprasert on universal health coverage in Thailand. The event was jointly hosted by our new colleagues from IDSI who moved into our Centre for Health Policy recently.  Watch the lecture in full here.

On 20 September, we hosted our 6th Annual Lecture with Dr David Blumenthal on ‘High need, high cost patients: A universal challenge’.  Watch the lecture in full here and read the Storify coverage here.

Latest IGHI Blog articles

International Youth Day, plenty of reasons to celebrate – By Professor Beate Kampmann, Professor of Paediatrics and Director of IGHI’s Centre for International Child Health (CICH)

FEAST – five years on – By Professor Kathryn Maitland, Director of the IGHI Centre of African Research and Engagement.

A letter to…my buddy Sami*, who killed himself a year ago – By anonymous Research Fellow, Institute of Global Health Innovation, Imperial College London

Learning from Chinese health reforms – By Alexander Carter, Health Economist, Centre for Health Policy, IGHI

World First: UN Decide to Fight Antimicrobial Resistance – By guest bloggers Sarah Greaves, Katherine MacInnes and Alex Stockham, IN-PART

Ending the stigma this World Mental Health Day – By Dilkushi Poovendran, Research Assistant in Patient Experience and Patient Safety, Centre for Health Policy

The impact of Neglected Tropical Diseases on Universal Eye Health – By Professor Alan Fenwick of Imperial’s Schistosomiasis Control Initiative (SCI)

Write for us

We are always on the lookout for new bloggers.  If you would like to write for our blog, please get in touch with the IGHI Communications Manager, Jo, at j.seed@imperial.ac.uk

Jo Seed
Communications Manage
Institute of Global Health Innovation