Radiating news for everyone at the MRC Epidemiology Unit. |
|
|
Welcome to the latest edition of EpiCentre - for everyone at the MRC Epidemiology Unit to share news from their programme or team. If you have content for any future editions, or any other feedback, please email comms@mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk. |
|
|
Departmental Research Day
|
Presentations and recordings from 21 June
|
We hope that those of you who joined our Departmental Research Day in person at Churchill College or online enjoyed it.
Copies of the Research Day presentations are available on our Intranet where you'll also find a link to recordings of the sessions.
Save the dates
Online Unit-wide meeting
- Wednesday 16 October 2024, 11am-12pm.
Departmental Research Day
- Friday 13 December 2024 (Churchill College)
|
|
|
In May Nita Forouhi was elected to the Academy of Medical Sciences Fellowship.
Nita is one of 58 exceptional biomedical and health scientists to be elected to the Academy of Medical Sciences this year, in recognition for their remarkable contributions to advancing biomedical and health sciences, ground-breaking research discoveries and translating developments into benefits for patients and wider society.
In other awards:
- The WRAP Trial - led by Amy Ahern - won the 2023 Royal college of General Practitioners paper of the year award.
- Mine Koprulu was awarded a University of Cambridge Vice-Chancellors Social Impact Award for contributions to projects ranging from building more inclusive communities to promoting gender equity.
- Julia Mueller was awarded a Diabetes UK conference grant to present the results of the GLoW Trial at the Diabetes UK Professional Conference
- Lynsey Spillman won best poster prize at the East Anglian Council for Allied Health Professions Research meeting for a poster about the BOLT study, and also won a Blitz Presentation on the same topic at the Cambridge Clinical Academic Training Office study day.
- Hao Tang won first prize for the flash presentation at the Cambridge Public Health ECR networking event, and at the 2024 British Feeding and Drinking Group conference she was awarded a student bursery for her oral presentation on a systematic review.
- Suzanna Tooze won the runner-up prize for best poster at the 2024 NIHR SPHR Annual Scientific Meeting.
|
Richard Salisbury completed his first marathon, the Manchester Marathon, finishing in 4hr 14min 59sec.
Yanaina Chavez-Ugalde cycled more than 54 miles to complete the BHF London the Brighton bike ride on 16 June, raising more than £3,000 towards equipment to support the management of her mum's COPD.
Fumiaki Imamura completed the 145-mile Grand Union Canal Race from London to Birmingham, taking 40 hours. |
We've had two successful PhD vivas since our last issue of EpiCentre.
Tomas Gonzales passed his PhD viva in May. His PhD thesis is entitled 'Inclusive and adaptive assessment of cardiorespiratory fitness for population health research'.
Nancy Karreman passed her PhD viva in June. Her PhD 'Constructing UK dietary public health policy: discourse, framing, and politics', was funded by funded through the UKRI Population Health Improvement UK award.
Congratulations both! |
Several Unit members have moved to new roles, including:
- Ervin Bedaj was promoted to Chief Research Laboratory Technician
- Thomas Burgoine was promoted to Principal Research Associate in the Population Health Interventions programmes
- Nancy Karreman was promoted to Research Associate in the Population Health Interventions programme
- Albert Koulman was promoted to Principal Research Associate in the Nutritional Biomarker Laboratory
Congratulations and good luck in your new roles! |
New Starters - welcome to:
- Will Cuningham, Research Associate, Population Health Interventions
- Chloe Durant, Research Assistant, Physical Activity Assessment
- Victoria Anne Hartley, Sample Management Technician, Laboratory
- Jake Mair, Research Grants and Finance Coordinator
- Christina Michelli, HR Coordinator, Human Resources
- Pamela Mungroo, Digital Content & Communications Manager, Communications
- Marie Price, Research Study Assistant , Field Epidemiology
- Cara Ruggiero, Research Associate, Prevention in High Risk Groups
- Bade Uckac, Research Laboratory Technician, Laboratory Team
- Belén Zapata Diomedi, Senior Research Associate, Public Health Modelling
- Azween Zuraimi, Research Laboratory Technician, Laboratory Team
Leavers - farewell to:
- Allisha Beckett, Research Laboratory Technician
- Beatriz Campos, Research Assistant, Laboratory
- Iain Crawford, LIMS Manager, Data Management Team
- Carol Dorling, Research Assistant, Laboratory Team
- Yuru Huang, Research Associate, Population Health Interventions
- Hana Lango Allen, Senior Research Associate, Early Life Aetiology and Mechanisms
- Yuchen Li, Research Associate, Public Health Modelling
- Hannah Pettet, Senior Study Coordination Assistant, Study Coordination
- Michelle Venables, Head of the Stable Isotope Laboratory, Nutritional Biomarker Laboratory
- Eleanor Winpenny, Senior Research Associate, Behavioural Epidemiology
- Yajie Zhao, MRC Postdoctoral Fellow, Early Life Aetiology and Mechanims
|
Research Contract Support
|
There are 42 contracts across the Unit that are currently being negotiated. Over the 6 months up to May 2024 31 new agreements have been finalised across the Unit compared to 37 in the preceding 6 months.
Summer Vacation Preparation
We are approaching the summer vacation period when we see a large number of ‘out of office’ alerts as people take their well deserved annual leave. It's impossible to avoid all disruption to the contract negotiation process throughout this period, however it does help to be prepared. Please get in touch with the department contract team at contracts@mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk if:
- You have an up coming contract matter that has not been logged yet
- You have a pending contract matter/s and plan to take extended leave during this time
- You are aware of any key stake holders who are due extended leave
We can't guarantee that delays will be eliminated, but we can certainly speak with the Research Operations Office Contract Managers so that they have the opportunity to plan their workload and communications accordingly. |
|
|
DEBEAT study completes recruitment
|
The DEBEAT (Diet and Eating Behaviours Across Early Adulthood Transitions) study has completed recruitment with 1,500 Year 13 students recruited.
Early adulthood is when overweight and obesity prevalence rises the fastest, and is also a time of rapid personal change in living arrangements, education and occupational status, and relationships. DEBEAT investigates changes in diet across the transition from school or college to further education or employment to better understand how changes to the social, physical and economic environments of young adults influences the development of diet and dietary behaviours.
Since recruitment started in September 2023, students from 89 schools, representing almost every county in England, have become involved in the study. Over 12 months they will each complete three Intake24 dietary recalls, and four short questionnaires about dietary determinants.
DEBEAT PI Eleanor Winpenny commented:
“We’re really grateful to everyone who took part in the first wave of the DEBEAT study. We’re looking forward to exploring the data they have provided on their diets, and studying the influence of their home, school, neighbourhood, and – for some – workplace environments on their dietary behaviours and diet quality.
We’ll be going back to our participants from September this year, to find out how their environments and diets have changed after they have finished their final year of school.” |
More than 1,000 Fenland Study participants already tested in Phase 3
|
In Autumn 2023 emails and letters started to be sent out to Fenland study participants, inviting them to participate in Phase 3 study. More than 1,000 have now atttended a clinic visit in one of our three facilities in Cambridge, Ely and Wisbech.
The Participants' visit includes collection of blood and urine samples, an oral glucose tolerance test, height, weight, hip & waist measurements, a blood pressure reading, an ECG (electrocardiogram), body fat distribution measurement using ultrasound and Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA), and a fitness test.
For Fenland 3 we have introduced a bespoke Fenland Study app, which allows participants to complete questionnaires and some measurements digitally at their own convenience in their own homes before the clinic visit. The app also allows them to get detailed feedback on their own results direct to their phone, as well as keep up with the latest news from the study. |
|
|
Public Partnerships drop-in sessions
|
Do you have an idea for a public engagement or involvement activity that you would like to discuss with the Unit Communications Team?
On Tuesday 17 September at 12 noon we'll hold the first of our regular Public Partnerships drop in sessions, which we plan to hold once every two months. This will be a hybrid event, join us in IMS Level 3 Meeting Room 1 or online at https://mrc-epid.zoom.us/j/99774017953
Whether it's a public talk, school visit, festival event, podcast, panel discussion or public consultation, we can advise you on opportunities, funding, resources and venues, and help you to develop your activity.
It's never too early to discuss your idea with us, in fact the earlier the better, so please drop in on 17 September!
If you have any questions email us at comms@mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk |
Public Engagement Starter Fund
|
The University of Cambridge Public Engagement Starter Fund is an exciting opportunity for students and researchers to apply for grants of up to £2,000 to undertake innovative public engagement with research activities. Unit members have sucessfully applied for this grant three times in the last three years.
The application deadline for the 2024 Public Engagement Starter Fund is 15 September 2024
Projects should aim to do at least one of the fiollowing:
- Reach a specific target audience
- Develop a partnership with a community of interest
- Create an innovative activity for any of the Cambridge Festivals
Proposed projects can take a variety of formats, provided a clear rationale is given regarding the appropriateness of the method of engagement adopted, and how the necessary resources and expertise will be secured. This variety of formats include - but are certainly not limited to - live events, collborative projects, public involvement, digital media, exhibitions and education programmes.
There's more information on the Public Engagement Starter Fund webpage, and if you have any questions email us at comms@mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk |
|
|
About EpiCentre
EpiCentre is the internal newsletter for staff, students and visiting workers at the MRC Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge.
It is for everyone to share their news, so if you have content for future editions, please email comms@mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk
|
|
|
|
|
