PRESTIGIOUS FELLOWSHIP AWARD

Professor Christian Mallen has been awarded an Arthritis Research UK Clinician Scientist Fellowship award (three years funding of £411,000) to develop a new programme of work on identification and improved management of polymyalgia rheumatica, within the Arthritis Research UK Primary Care Centre at Keele. 

It is the first time that this prestigious award has been made to an academic General Practitioner - indeed, the first time that the Clinician Scientist Fellowship has been awarded to a non-lab based scientist, illustrating the scale of Professor Mallen's success. The award also supports the Primary Care Research Centre to develop an important new area of research.

He was recently appointed as Professor of General Practice (Research) within the Arthritis Research UK Primary Care Centre.  Professor Mallen first joined the Centre in 2001 as a GP Academic Training Fellow, undertook a research Masters at the same time as completing his clinical training in general practice, gained MRCGP with distinction and was awarded the first Arthritis Research UK Primary Care Fellowship. This award supported his PhD study, following which he gained promotion to Senior Lecturer in 2009.

In addition to an extremely strong research track record in general practice management of musculoskeletal pain, Professor Mallen has taken the lead in establishing the Keele Clinical Academic Research Training Scheme, which is widely seen as one of the most successful models in the country. Throughout, he has continued his commitment to patient care as a partner at the Kingsbridge Medical Centre.

HOUSE OF LORDS BOOK LAUNCH

Chris Phillipson, Professor of Applied Social Studies and Social Gerontology, spoke last week at a launch in the House of Lords of a manifesto entitled Fighting Poverty, Inequality and Injustice.

The collection of essays is dedicated to the work of the late Peter Townsend, one of the UK's foremost researchers in the field of social policy. The launch was attended by representatives of all the main political parties, with contributions covering a wide range of policy issues.

Professor Phillipson's own presentation reviewed current issues affecting older people, highlighting the need for new policies relating to income support, help for people living in areas of multiple deprivation, and health and social care.

AIRBORNE, ASH AND AIR

Dr Peter Adey, School of Physical and Geographical Sciences and the Emerging Securities Research Unit, last week gave an invited and headline talk at the Up in the Air workshop at the University of Westminster. Peter gave the paper 'Airborn(e)', which explored the philosophical, historical and aesthetic dimensions of early flight and embodiment. By following the modern experiences of early aviators and the writings of T.E. Lawrence, the paper argued that the advance to flight was formed by a double cry for air: a rallying call for the sky as well as a gasp for breath – an 'aspiration' for a better, purer and accelerated air.

The talk drew on work from Peter's forthcoming book Air in Reaktions new 'Earth' series, which will draw a cultural and political history to air itself. The week also saw the publication of a landmark 'boundary crossing' essay Peter published in Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, titled 'An Ash Cloud, Airspace and Environmental Threat', co-authored with colleague Dr Luis Lobo-Guerrero and Ben Anderson (Durham) on the disruptions caused by the volcanic ash cloud last year.

The paper had been fast-tracked into publication given the recent eruptions in May, and argues that it was the societal, political and technological systems that engendered the ash cloud as disruptive. These are vulnerabilities, the paper argues, which are not only external but endemic to liberal life itself.

FAREWELL FOR HISTORY PROFESSORS

History witnessed its own historic event when it said goodbye to three professorial colleagues, who between them had worked at Keele for 87 years.

Professor David Maxwell is leaving to take up the Dixie Chair of Ecclesiastical History at Cambridge, while both Professor Peter Jackson and Professor Charles Townshend are taking retirement. There was a drinks reception in the foyer of the Claus Moser Centre to celebrate their illustrious careers.  A farewell address by Professor Ann Hughes was greeted by speeches in reply by all three leavers, who collectively recalled their pleasure and pride in working within History at Keele.  Formal proceedings were followed by a meal at the Hand and Trumpet at Wrinehill.

WP GOES FOR GOLD WITH OLYMPICS DAY

The Widening Participation and Outreach Events team have hosted a flurry of  campus based events.

After welcoming 100 KS2 students, who went star gazing in the Stardome and built a university out of Lego, and 200 KS4 learners from the local area for a university taster day, WP was gripped by Olympics fever with 100 Gifted and Talented young people from the local and wider area.

The day aimed to give the attendees some context and sense of history with Dr Jon Parker's 'Olympics and Civil Rights', discovered how they could become more involved with Olympic funded schemes, with Natalie Michelmore from Cheshire East Council, and they really got active in the sports hall with England Women's Football Coach, Kirsty Hicks. 

The conference ended with a closing ceremony at which winners of an on-going Olympics quiz, collected their Keelelink medals. All events were supported by a team of Keele Undergraduate Event Mentors.

REPORT ON DRINKING HITS NATIONAL HEADLINES

A report from an expert group at The Royal College of Psychiatrists, chaired by Professor Ilana Crome, which recommended that safe limits for drinking alcohol by older people should be drastically cut, hit the  national headlines this week.

Professor Crome, Professor of Addiction Psychiatry and Academic Director of Psychiatry, was quoted in a national BBC news report and interviewed by 20 radio stations across the country.

The report, 'Our invisible addicts', says people over 65 should drink a maximum of only 1.5 units of alcohol a day - the equivalent of about half a pint of beer or a small glass of wine.

Professor Crome, pictured above, said: "The traditional view is that alcohol misuse is uncommon in older people and that the misuse of drugs is very rare - this is simply not true. A lack of awareness means that GPs and other healthcare professionals often overlook or discount the signs when someone has a problem."

THE EXCESS OF LIFE INSURANCE

Dr Luis Lobo-Guerrero, SPIRE/Research Institute for Social Sciences, delivered a keynote address at the conference 'Economisation of Uncertainty' at the University of Helsinki.

The presentation, entitled 'The Capitalisation of Vital Excess through Life Insurance', addressed the need to open up the practices of power involved in life insurance underwriting to scrutiny by making them explicit within a democratic environment.

The paper was an advanced version of an article to be published in the context of the Leverhulme Trust funded project 'Capitalising Security Through Life Insurance in the UK' (2011-2012).

PARENT SUPPORT AWARDS

Eduscope, an education consultancy company based in IC1 on Keele Science and Business Park, hosted the first  Parent Support Awards in Keele Hall.

The Awards recognise good practice in schools and educational settings across the West Midlands area.  It is widely acknowledged that parental engagement in the learning process has a large impact on long term outcomes for young people.  These awards have been introduced to ensure that work in this area is recognised and celebrated.

The event attracted sponsorship from a number of organisations, including HTI National Leadership Centre.

Rosi Monkman,  Business Support Manager at the Science Park said: "We are delighted that Eduscope chose Keele as the venue for their awards and we look forward to assisting them with identifying opportunities for collaboration with the University." 

More details of the awards and the winners can be found here.