Press release issued:
3 March 2014
Health experts from across the South West will gather in Bristol this week for the South West Society for Academic Primary Care (SW SAPC) meeting. The conference, which runs on Thursday 6 and Friday 7 March, is hosted this year by the Centre for Academic Primary Care at the University of Bristol.
SW SAPC is the leading regional academic primary care meeting, bringing together researchers and health practitioners to discuss the latest research and teaching which promotes excellence in the development, delivery and evaluation of primary health care.
The conference will showcase the latest scientific research in primary care, including how the internet is transforming health experiences; why do parents send their children to nursery when they are unwell; GPs' responses to domestic violence when children are exposed and assessing the effect of seeing the same doctor on GP consultations.
Dr Sarah Purdy, Reader in Primary Health Care in the School of Social and Community Medicine at the University of Bristol and Conference Chair, said: “We are looking forward to hosting this major conference in the beautiful city of Bristol. The conference will showcase the excellent research that goes on in primary care throughout the region and will discuss some of the latest findings about diagnosis, effective treatments and ways of delivering health care.”
Keynote speakers include Helen Bevan, Chief of Service Transformation at the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement. In 2008, the 60th anniversary of the NHS, Helen was recognised as one of the 60 most influential people in the history of the NHS and in 2010 was named as one of the top ten NHS opinion formers.
Local historian, Mary Wright, will also speak about the life and work of Elizabeth Blackwell, one of Bristol’s unsung medical pioneers. Last year a new multi-million health research institute, called the Elizabeth Blackwell Institute, was opened at the University to accelerate the translation of medical research into new treatments and therapies to benefit patients.
Further information
About the Centre of Academic Primary Care
The Centre for Academic Primary Care (CAPC) is one of the leading centres in the UK which form the NIHR School for Primary Care Research. Within the University of Bristol, CAPC is an integral part of the School of Social and Community Medicine, which is an internationally recognised centre of excellence for research and teaching in population health sciences.
CAPC conduct high quality research within a number of themes relating to primary care and general practice and provide teaching throughout the medical undergraduate curriculum. The research and teaching is characterised by a multidisciplinary approach, as staff include academic health professionals, (GPs and nurses), statisticians, social scientists, health economists, and support staff.
About the Society for Academic Primary Care
The Society of Academic Primary Care (SAPC) is made up of researchers, educators and practitioners from a range of disciplines who share a commitment to the development and delivery of primary care. SAPC works closely with stakeholders from across the primary care community to achieve its goal of advancing primary care through education and research.
About Elizabeth Blackwell
Elizabeth Blackwell was born in Bristol in 1821 and became the first woman to receive a medical degree in the USA, against all the odds, and the first woman to be entered into the UK's medical register. She is well known in the US but much less well celebrated in the city and country of her birth.
The Elizabeth Blackwell Institute
The Elizabeth Blackwell Institute for Health Research is building a dynamic community of researchers from our health and non-health related disciplines to find innovative solutions for some of the most pressing health challenges of the 21st century. The Institute will achieve this through encouraging new ways of working, and also through fostering collaborative approaches between scientists, industry, clinical practitioners and patients.
