VC MEETS ALUMNI TO OUTLINE PLANS FOR 'KEELE IN INDIA GROUP'

The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Nick Foskett, has returned from a successful visit to India during which he met with Keele alumni and outlined plans for the development of a 'Keele in India' group.

Professor Foskett hosted an alumni dinner at the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai, supported by Sanju Dominic, Keele's representative in India. Attendees included Mr Syed Afeef Ahmed (2012 MSc IT and Management), Miss Sofia Ghosh (2012 Health Management), Professor Pradeep Mathur ( 1981 PhD Chemistry) the Director of Indian Institute of Technology, Indore, and his wife Mrs Vinta Mathur, and Mrs Tehmi Morris (1981 Geography and Sociology). The Vice-Chancellor briefed them on recent developments a Keele and on plans for the 'Keele in India' group, which is to be launched at a future event in India.

The Vice-Chancellor also met with Professor S.Parasuraman (Director of TISS) in Mumbai to discussed the very positive links with Keele and to develop student exchange in the future.

There was also a visit to INDUS Trust, Indus International School and ITARI, Bangalore, with a full programme of engagements in addition to the business discussions.

This visit included: a tour of the Indus Community School Project, including the planting of a tree to mark the visit, and the formal opening of the teaching block funded by Keele and the unveiling of a commemorative plaque; a tour of the Indus International School, meeting students and staff; a visit to and tour of the Indus Early Years school at Whitefield; a tour of ITARI ( Indus Training and Research Institute), meeting students on the Keele PGDIE programme; attendance at the school's annual music concert in Bangalore and attendance at, and addressing, the school's Grade 11 and 12 conference on leadership.

Pictures: Keele in India alumni dinner (l-r)  Professor Rosalind Foskett, Sofia Ghosh, Professor Pradeep Mathur, Mrs Vinta Mathur; Themi Morris,  Vice-Chancellor, Sanju Dominic, Syed Afeef ; VC opening the Keele University classroom at the Indus Community School, Bangalore.

KEELE ASTROPHYSICIST CO-INVESTIGATOR ON MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR SURVEY

Professor Coel Hellier of Keele's Astrophysics Group is a co-investigator on a major new grant for 4.83 million dollars awarded by the Qatar National Research Fund. 

The grant will develop the Qatar Exoplanet Survey into a major international collaboration with new survey facilities looking for transiting extrasolar planets. While most of the money will be spent internationally, with little coming to the UK, Professor Hellier brings to the team experience and expertise developed through the WASP project.
 
This grant is also significant for the development of scientific research in Qatar and the surrounding region.

CONFERENCE IN HONOUR OF PETER CROME

A conference in honour of Peter Crome, Emeritus Professor of Geriatric Medicine, was held at Keele Hall.

The conference celebrated his achievements in the care of older people following his recent retirement. More than 60 participants heard presentations from colleagues from the fields of geriatric medicine, orthopaedics, intensive care, clinical pharmacology and psychiatry, as well as from the social sciences. 

The lectures focussed on his many interests: stroke, dementia, substance misuse, innovative service models, patient empowerment, collaborative social and health care, and implementation of research through national and international policy. They placed Professor Crome's contribution to academia and service development in a contemporary context.

Reflecting on his career Professor Crome stated that his greatest pleasure had been talking to patients and his most rewarding achievement as President of the British Geriatrics Society had been to bring people from different backgrounds together for the good of older people. A highlight was a poem written for him by Professor Graham Mulley a former British Geriatrics Society President.

A book (Festschrift) on the care of older people will also be dedicated to Professor Crome and is to be published by Oxford University Press under the title "Beyond the Geriatric Giants: Moving from elderly care to evidence-based medicine for older people". Dr Frank Lally and Professor Christine Roffe, of the Institute of Science and Technology in Medicine at Keele, will edit the book.

Keele academics were also prominent amongst the list of international presenters and included Dr Roger Beech, Dr Bernadette Bartlam, Professor Roffe and Professor Ilana Crome.

The photograph shows Professor Roffe presenting Professor Crome with a Tabula Gratulatoria and presentation copy of a book to be published in his honour.

PREVENTING DEATH BY INDIFFERENCE - £52,300 AWARD

The award winning access to healthcare Toolkit for generic healthcare staff supporting people with a learning disability in acute care settings is now three years old and requires timely updating.

Funding has been awarded by the West Midland's LETC to enable a collaborative working group, led by Professor Sue Read, School of Nursing and Midwifery and involving people with a learning disability, parents, clinicians, advocates and academics at Keele to update the existing Toolkit for implementation across local UHNS NHS Trust and Staffordshire hospitals (thus expanding its local use).

New themes will include important contemporary areas such as safeguarding; dementia; visiting the GP; having complex health needs; and autism; the funding will also enable formal evaluation of the Toolkit's impact from an individual, family, and healthcare professional perspective.

The ultimate aim of this project it to build on the strengths of the existing Toolkit and develop, design and update the contents so that it remains fit for contemporary healthcare practice.

KEELE STUDY ON CHILDLESS MEN HITS THE HEADLINES

Robin Hadley, a doctoral student in the Centre for Social Policy, presented his research on the experiences of involuntarily childless men as they age at the British Sociology Association annual conference this week.

His research received widespread media coverage, including articles in the MailOnline http://www.dailymail. co. uk/health/article-2302954/Men-children-depressed-sad-childless-women.html; The Telegraph http://www.telegraph. co. uk/women/mother-tongue/9966713/Men-just-as-broody-as-women-study-suggests.html; and The Daily Telegraph (an Australian newspaper).  Robin has also taken part in interviews on Radio Stoke and Radio Ulster, with more interviews scheduled.  Rob's work is being supervised by Dr Mo Ray and Dr Emma Head.  

EDITOR'S CHOICE

Dr Sue Sherman, School of Psychology, pictured, and colleagues from the NHS, Miss Esther Moss and Mr Charles Redman, have had their article "The invasive cervical cancer review: psychological issues surrounding disclosure" chosen as 'Editor's Choice in this month's issue of Cytopathology. It is free to download during April and May here.

 
Audit of the screening history of all new cervical cancer cases has been a requirement since April 2007. Whilst NHS cervical screening programmes (NHSCSP) guidance requires that women diagnosed with cervical cancer are offered the findings of the audit, as yet there has been no research to investigate the psychological impact that meeting to discuss the findings might have on patients.

This is despite the fact that cytological under-call may play a role in as many as 20% of cervical cancer cases.

The review draws on the literatures concerning breaking bad news, discussing cancer, and disclosing medical errors, in order to gain insight into both the negative and positive consequences that may accompany a cervical screening review meeting.

They conclude that whilst patients are likely to experience some distress at disclosure, there are also likely to be positive aspects as well, such as greater trust and improved perception of care.

NEW BOOK BY KEELE ACADEMIC

Dr Lindsay Hamilton, Course Director (Management) KMS, pictured, has had her book, Animals at work - Identity, politics and culture in work with animals, published.

Animals at Work, co-authored by Nik Taylor, Flinders University,  is founded upon a broad and unique variety of empirical research settings - animal sanctuaries, farms, slaughter-houses, veterinary practices and behind the scenes of a natural history documentary film-making team. 

For more information see brill.com/animals-work.