News
CPH visit south-east Asia
Internationalisation is essential to the sustainability of the School and recently members of the School's Internationalisation Group have been working with colleagues in the University's International Office to consolidate our international presence and global reach in terms of student recruitment. In addition CPH staff members Professor Liam Murray and Dr Marie Cantwell (pictured) continue to foster their international research/education collaborations in Malaysia and Singapore.
Pictured L-R: Professor Graham McGeown, Professor Liam Murray, Professor Hany Ariffin, Dr Karen McCloskey and Dr Marie Cantwell at the University of Malaya Medical Centre
SMDB 2012 Annual Celebration of Excellence
Over 160 staff, students and invited guests attended the School’s third Annual Celebration of Excellence on Wednesday 28 March 2012. The celebrations commenced with the presentation of the Distinguished Graduate Award to Professor Dame Ingrid Allen in recognition of her outstanding contribution to academic medicine, her leadership in research, her national and international profile and as a role model for the profession. Dame Ingrid also presented the awards in 10 categories celebrating the excellence and achievements of our best undergraduate and postgraduate students, postdoctoral researchers, academic and academic support staff.
Further details are available here.
Lighting a flame for science!
Dr Mark Tully, Centre for Public Health STEM Ambassador, recently participated in a Teacher/STEM Ambassador Networking Event at Our Lady of Mercy School, North Belfast. This event format provided an excellent forum for STEM Ambassadors and local teachers to meet and discuss how they can work together on future STEM activities in schools to maximise this unique and innovative programme. Feedback from teachers has been very positive and it is hoped that the event will facilitate greater use of local STEM expertise in the classroom.
For further information visit the STEM Ambassadors Programme. Picture courtesy of the Irish News
New study reveals improved cancer survival in Northern Ireland
The figures have been revealed today as part of an event at Queen’s University Belfast organised by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry and attended by Dr Michael McBride, Professor Sir Peter Gregson, Dr Anna Gavin and Edwin Poots, MLA, Minister for Department of Health, Social Services & Public Safety.
The audit results follow last week’s recognition for Queen’s at Buckingham Palace, when the University was awarded a Diamond Jubilee Queen’s Anniversary Prize for its leadership of the Northern Ireland Comprehensive Cancer Services programme. The programme has led to improved cancer survival rates in Northern Ireland and is a collaboration led by Queen’s in partnership with the Department of Health and the five Northern Ireland Health Trusts with support from the medical research industry.
Speaking at the conference, Dr Anna Gavin, Director of the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry, said: “Examination of data for pancreatic cancer patients diagnosed in 2010 shows a doubling of survival, a real breakthrough for this disease. If such a survival improvement was seen from a new drug, it would hit the headlines internationally.
Mr Poots said that his Department was proud of the achievements of the University and their health service partner and he was confident that leadership in research is informing improvements in treatment, and to leading clinicians and other health professionals choosing to work in Northern Ireland. Further information on this report is available here.
CPH STEM Ambassadors enthuse local students
Centre for Public Health STEM Ambassadors, Jennifer McPeake, Gemma Mullan & Aideen Maguire recently participated in the West Belfast Area Learning Community, in association with W5 under the STEM Ambassador’s Programme. This full day STEM careers event was designed to inspire students on the career options and the opportunities studying STEM subjects offers. The event aimed to encourage students to consider pursuing careers in sectors where STEM based knowledge and skills are required and to demonstrate how these skills can be transferred into the world of work.
CPH Research on Oesophageal Cancer
Smoking doubles the risk of developing oesophageal cancer in people with Barrett’s Oesophagus according to scientists from the Centre for Public Health. Affecting one in every 100 people in the UK, Barrett’s Oesophagus is a disorder in which the lining of the oesophagus is damaged by stomach acid and is changed to a lining similar to that of the stomach.
The research, published in Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association, was carried out over 13 years and involved over 3000 Barrett’s patients. Dr Helen Coleman from the Centre for Public Health said: “We found that tobacco smoking emerged as the strongest lifestyle risk factor for cancer progression for patients with Barrett’s Oesophagus. The risk of developing this cancer doubled for those who were smoking tobacco. One of the most interesting observations was that someone who smoked less than one pack a day was still as likely to develop cancer as those who smoked many more.”
CPH at the New York Academy of Science
Lesley Hamill, Nida Nadeem, Sharon Fulton and Claire McEvoy were recently chosen to present their work at a Career day hosted by the New York Academy of Science and PepsiCo in New York City. Globally, there were 110 applicants for this event but only the top 50 abstracts were chosen in a blinded review process. Quite an achievement, therefore, for our Centre to have 4 representatives invited to present their work. The Career day was held in the New York Academy of Science (NYAS) on the 40th Floor of the World Trade Center, NYC on Dec 10th 2011. The group picture is taken with the Charles Darwin sculpture situated in the NYAS headquarters and also includes Adam Harvey (CVVS) and Jennifer Stott (CII). For further detail see: CPH at the NY Academy of Science
Northern Ireland’s Comprehensive Cancer Services programme
This major partnership between Queen’s University and Health and Social Care services Northern Ireland has led to improved survival rates for patients and has been honoured by Her Majesty the Queen.
For further detail please see:
Royal recognition for Queen’s-Health Service partnership to combat cancer
25 years in CPH
Jill Kilner recently received her 25 year service award from the Vice Chancellor Professor Sir Peter Gregson. Jill joined the medical genetics team with Professor Norman Nevin OBE in 1986 and has stayed working in the same labs ever since. For the past 12 years she has been working with the renal research group and most recently became floor manager in Belfast City Hospital.
Breakthrough in Keratoconus
Keratoconus is a bilateral, progressive corneal thinning disorder that is the leading indication for corneal transplantation in the developed world. Centre for Public Health researchers have identified a mutation within a microRNA gene called miR-184 as the cause of an inherited form of keratoconus combined with cataract in a large Northern Irish family using the latest genetic sequencing techniques. MicroRNAs are small genes which control other genes in networks and pathways and are very important in the cornea and lens. This finding will allow the identification of gene pathways responsible for keratoconus providing insights into the biological changes in the disease process and potential therapeutic targets for treatment. The results from this study led by Professor Anne Hughes with cross-centre collaboration with the Centre for Vision and Vascular Sciences are published in the November 2011 issue of the American Journal of Human Genetics, where the paper is highlighted as the featured article of the month.
