News in 2023

A potential link between intestinal microbes and respiratory infections 11 January 2024 Could the vast population of microbes that we all carry around with us hold the key to understanding more about respiratory tract infections?
Raising menopause awareness 14 December 2023 The menopause is the time in a woman’s life when menstrual periods stop, and she is no longer able to bear children. It typically occurs between the ages of 45 and 55. Despite the menopause being a natural stage of life with treatable symptoms, rather than a disease or a disorder, it is considered a somewhat taboo subject. Research is helping to improve people's understanding of menopause and open up conversations.
New Climate Change and Health PhD students 29 November 2023 The Cabot Institute for the Environment and Elizabeth Blackwell Institute for Health Research have recruited a cohort of funded PhD students in the area of Climate Change and Health. Three new PhD projects will be supported by a cross-disciplinary team of academic staff who are experts in their fields.
Three stages to building reciprocal relationships with community groups: the CHICO guidance 28 November 2023 Three key stages to help researchers involve racially marginalised community groups more effectively in their work are explained in a new paper published in Research Involvement and Engagement. The co-produced guidance, which focuses on building reciprocal relationships with communities, is the result of the ‘Checklist for inclusive community involvement in health research’ study, or CHICO for short.
Smart Digital Assistants – a glimpse into the future of the GP surgery? 28 November 2023 With the pressures that the National Health Service and primary care in particular are under, the use of new technologies might permit General Practitioners to deliver better care in the short time they are allocated to each patient.
Mistletoe – not just for Christmas 21 November 2023 Mistletoe has been a feature of Christmas for hundreds of years. But this semi-parasitic plant has some rather surprising properties: in mainland Europe, it has been used alongside chemotherapy to support cancer patients for more than a century.
Create for Confidence Research Study Launched 16 November 2023 Dr Naomi Warne and the Create for Confidence team at the University of Bristol have launched a new research study. Secondary school staff are invited to share their views on the idea of an art and wellbeing programme for schools.
Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare: Investigating Innovation, Safety and Liability 14 November 2023 We were delighted to welcome Vera Lúcia Raposo, Assistant Professor of Law and Technology at Nova School of Law (Lisbon, Portugal), the leading researcher at the FutureHealthLaw, to Bristol in October 2023. During her visit, she delivered a series of in-person interdisciplinary interactive seminars on 10, 16 and 17 October 2023, exploring the use of new technologies in healthcare.
New Fellow in mental health 30 October 2023 With support from the Prudence Trust, the Elizabeth Blackwell Institute and the Development and Alumni Relations Office (DARO) have funded a talented individual to conduct research into mental health in children and young people.
New robot could help diagnose breast cancer early 4 October 2023 A device has been created that could carry out Clinical Breast Examinations (CBE).
New date for our public lecture 25 September 2023 Professor Patricia Kingori will be our tenth Annual Elizabeth Blackwell Public Lecture speaker. The lecture 'Facts, fakes, society and health', will take place on 22 January 2024 at City Hall, Bristol.
Working in Different Ways with ‘Psychosis’ 20 September 2023 We were delighted to support the recent Bristol Health Partners’ innovation and exploration event led by the Psychosis Health Integration Team (HIT). The in-person conference, held on 12 September 2023 at Bristol’s M Shed, was titled: ‘Love, Patience and Kindness: Working in Different Ways with ‘Psychosis.’’ The event explored psychological and compassionate approaches to psychosis.
Report shows that inequities in research funding start early 12 September 2023 In order for scientific discoveries to benefit all, research needs to be equitable, inclusive, and diverse. However, it’s widely recognised that inequities exist in the research process; from clinical trials that focus primarily on male participants, to racial inequalities evident in research funding. New work has brought to light issues of inequity right at the very beginning of the research process, before any application for funding is even submitted.
Three interdisciplinary climate change and health research projects win funding 10 August 2023 We are delighted to announce the successful bid-winning projects for our 2023 Climate Change and Health research funding call. Generously funded by the University of Bristol US Foundation, the fund supports interdisciplinary research studies aiming to understand and shape responses to the enormous challenges of climate change impacts on health.
Long Covid not caused by COVID-19 immune inflammatory response, new research finds 6 July 2023 Long Covid, which affects nearly two million people in the UK (1), is not caused by an immune inflammatory reaction to COVID-19, University of Bristol-led research finds. Emerging data demonstrates that immune activation may persist for months after COVID-19.
Meet our new awardees 28 June 2023 In April 2023 we launched a rapid research funding call for interdisciplinary health research. The aim was to support health-related research in any context, including: equitable and sustainable health; climate, environment and health; infectious disease research; mental health; and transformative technologies for health. Below you'll find details of the researchers and projects we will be supporting.
Scientists discover critical factors that determine the survival of airborne viruses 23 June 2023 Critical insights into why airborne viruses lose their infectivity have been uncovered by scientists at the University of Bristol. The findings, published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface, reveal how cleaner air kills the virus significantly quicker and why opening a window may be more important than originally thought. The research could shape future mitigation strategies for new viruses.
How hidden 'overtiredness' is ruining your sleep 20 June 2023 Overtiredness can happen when you don’t get enough rest. A recent feature in BBC Science Focus explored the relationship between emotional exhaustion and sleep. University of Bristol's Professor Matt Jones, explains how overtiredness can affect your ability to rest.
The Science of Happiness: maintaining student wellbeing in a time of crisis 23 May 2023 Student wellbeing is of paramount concern to all academic institutions. Students are vulnerable to mental health problems – because of their age range, as well as the lifestyle changes associated with starting university. Here we share how the positive psychology ‘Science of Happiness’ course helped improve wellbeing for University of Bristol students, and explain the broader potential an online version of the course may have for improving mental wellbeing beyond the student body.
Neuroscience researchers awarded £2.1 million to study the biological changes that occur in schizophrenia 18 May 2023 The award from the Medical Research Council will help scientists understand how genetic mutations in multiple different genes lead to common biological and cognitive changes and identify new therapeutic targets.
Helping staff understanding the experiences of autistic students 16 May 2023 At the University of Bristol, we’re invested in collaborative research, to learn and better understand the challenges that autistic students face. A new course for staff is helping educate and raise awareness of the experiences of autistic students so that we can continue to improve help and support.
Create for confidence 15 May 2023 Anxiety and depression are impairing mental health problems that commonly co-occur and often develop in adolescence. Many young people with anxiety and depression do not receive any treatment and, if they do, treatments are not always effective. It is important to prevent anxiety and depression to improve young people’s lives. In a Prudence Trust/Elizabeth Blackwell Fellowship, Dr Naomi Warne will co-design a novel art-based programme to prevent anxiety and depression in UK secondary schools.
UK Chinese people and COVID – experiences during the pandemic 24 April 2023 After the emergence of SARS-COV-19 in Wuhan, China in December of 2019, there were reports of a change in social responses towards Chinese people living in the UK and worldwide. Some of these reports were positive – including community support – but some were not. These include xenophobia, avoidance and other responses which could lead to problems for the individual as well as the community, such as economic hardship, or delays in seeking help for medical symptoms.
Earth Day – discover how climate change is affecting our health 22 April 2023 This Earth Day (22 April) – an international day for environmental protection - we are raising awareness of how our changing climate is affecting our health. Watch our series of films to find out more about the challenges we face and how research is part of the answer.
Heat stress and women’s health over the reproductive life course 21 April 2023 Bringing together researchers from multiple disciplines to find out the effects of rising heat stress on women’s health.
World Health Day 2023: health research is about all, by all, and for all 7 April 2023 Friday 7 April 2023 is ‘World Health Day’: an annual event hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO). This year, it marks exactly 75 years since the WHO’s foundation: a chance to take stock of great work done and the challenges that remain ahead. The theme of this year’s World Health Day is ‘Health For All’, which centres health as a human right and the importance of good health for everyone’s fulfilment. Here, Elizabeth Blackwell Institute Director, Rachael Gooberman-Hill, reflects on what health research is, and how it's contributing to achieving health for all.
Novel antibiotics may emerge from deep sea sponges 28 March 2023 Antibiotic resistance is an enormous and encroaching threat facing medicine, as growing numbers of infections become harder to treat. The World Health Organization estimates that antibiotic resistant strains of presently treatable bacteria will contribute to up to 10 million deaths per year by 2050. The medical and political establishments are considering new ways to tackle the issue.
Depression in Alzheimer's has different risk factors to depression in those without dementia 23 March 2023 Depression in Alzheimer's has different risk factors than depression in older adults without the disease, finds a major new study in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. The University of Bristol-led research looked at over 2,000 people with the disease to explain why current anti-depressants are ineffective for people living with depression in Alzheimer's.
Memories could be lost if two key brain regions fail to sync together, study finds 15 March 2023 Learning, remembering something, and recalling memories is supported by multiple separate groups of neurons connected inside and across key regions in the brain. If these neural assemblies fail to sync together at the right time, the memories are lost, a new study led by the universities of Bristol and Heidelberg has found.
Empowering youth through creativity - gaining perspective 23 February 2023 Adolescence comes with a raft of fundamental changes - both in how young people perceive themselves and society, and how society perceives them. It’s also a time when health-risk choices can start – smoking, alcohol use, risky sexual behaviours and physical inactivity, for example – and it’s easy for these to become habitual. This makes adolescent health and policy an important area of research.
Positive research culture: how can we help? 22 February 2023 Attention to ‘research culture’ has gained huge traction in recent years. Research culture is usually taken to mean the shared concepts, norms and values that underpin our ways of working. The recent emphasis on research culture—including from Wellcome as a major funder of health-related research—means that there’s an opportunity now to make a positive difference. Here, our Director, Rachael Gooberman-Hill, looks at what a positive research culture means and how we can help foster it.
Strep A, infection and pandemic shifts - flexible research 21 February 2023 Streptococcus pyogenes (also known as the Group A Streptococcus (GAS) or ‘Strep A’) is a bacterial pathogen which can cause a range of diseases from mild (e.g. impetigo, pharyngitis) to severe invasive (e.g. pneumonia, necrotizing fasciitis, sepsis) and severe post infection immune-related conditions (e.g. rheumatic fever, rheumatic heart disease). GAS is estimated to cause over 0.5 million deaths annually, and is one of the top 10 infectious causes of death globally.
Arts and Sciences - researching the history of antibiotics in primary care 21 February 2023 The prevalence of antibiotic use in modern society is well established. Antibiotics have revolutionised medicine and how society sees - and deals with - disease. Along with concerns regarding the rise of antibiotic resistant bacteria, thought to be exacerbated by their over-use in many areas, there is a need to understand the history of their adoption and use, especially in primary care. Comprehending the many-tendrilled circumstances and behaviours that led to this point might help to inform future choices, and give some insight into future best practice.
Can we make the funding process fairer? 7 February 2023 We are leading work to identify ways to create greater openness and transparency for applicants seeking funding opportunities. We want to find concrete ways that equality, diversity and inclusion can be improved in access to funding opportunities for researchers.
Supporting the next generation of researchers in infection and immunity 3 February 2023 The University of Bristol's Infection and Immunity Research Network held its 8th annual Early Career Researchers' Symposium on 1 February 2023. This event offers students, postgraduates, technicians, fellows and others in the first stages of building an independent research career an opportunity to share and discuss their work with a wider audience.
Working together to fight cancer 27 January 2023 On 25 January 2023 the Bristol Cancer Research Network invited 17 researchers and clinicians to present on projects that are looking to prevent, detect and treat cancer - by working with someone outside their own field of expertise. These collaborations are expected to, or are already providing, real-world applications to combat this dreadful disease.