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Megaphone Online
In this issue:• StudentsattendMHconference
• StaffpresentatTeaching&Learningevent
• Writingweekwinnersannounced
• Newstartersandleavers
July 2019
the voice of Health Sciences’ staff and students
New nursing curriculum approved
WearedelightedtoreportthatournewnursingcurriculumreceivedapprovalfromtheNursingandMidwiferyCouncilinJune,subjecttosomeminoramendmentsandwithseveralcommendations.
ProfessorKarlAtkin,HeadofDepartment,said:“Thisisanincredibleachievementofwhichcolleagues,andtheUniversity,canbejustifiablyproud.Thishasbeenagreatteameffortinvolvingstaff,studentsandserviceusers,whichwasclearlyreflectedontheday.Thisisanimpressiveandmuchdeservedoutcome.”
“Congratulationstoeveryoneinvolved.”
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Student News
Nursing student becomes Ambassador for Cancer Research
FirstyearundergraduatenursingstudentRebeccaReffoldhasbecomeanAmbassadorforCancerResearch.
Rebeccasays:“ForalongtimeIhavewantedtovolunteerinanareawhereIbelieveIcouldmakeagreatcontributionto,bothonaprofessionalandpersonallevel.Afterstudyingthemodule‘ProfessionalIdentity’whichIthoroughlyenjoyed,Ididsomefurtherresearchwhichsparkedmyinteresttolearnmoreaboutthepoliticssurroundingnursingandbecomeanadvocateforpatients,thenursingworkforceandthepublic.ThishasledmetotakeontheroleofanAmbassadorforCancerResearchUK.”
“Ibelievethisroleisgoingtoenhancemyknowledgegreatlyandgivememanyopportunitiesinthefuturetohaveavoiceandworkwiththelocalmediaandlocalpoliticianswithinmyconstituency,SelbyandAinsty.IhavealreadysecuredameetingwithmylocalMPatthisextremelydifficulttimepoliticallytodiscusstheShouldertoShouldercampaignwhichaddressesthekeyissueofemploymentwithinthehealthcareindustry,anopportunityIamverymuchlookingforwardto.”
PaulGaldas,ProfessorofNursingandDeputyHeadofDepartment(Nursing&Midwifery)said:“IamdelightedthatRebeccahasdecidedtobecomeanAmbassadorforCancerResearchUK.It’sanexcellentexampleoftheleadershippotentialweaimtofosterinallYorknursingstudents.RebeccawillbeusingherenthusiasmandcommitmenttobringCancerResearchUKcampaignstolife,influencingpoliticianstomakecancerapriority.WeareallreallylookingforwardtosupportingRebeccainthisexcitingrole.”
Cake sale raises funds for
MasterofPublicHealthstudentLucyFlatleyrecentlyheldacakebaketoraisemoneyforTheLullabyTrust.TheTrustraisesawarenessofsuddeninfantdeathsyndrome(SIDS),providesexpertadviceonsafersleepforbabiesandoffersemotionalsupportforbereavedfamilies.
Thankstodonationsfromstaffandstudents,Lucyraised£80.
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Student News
Students attend Future Mental Health Nurses Conference
ThirdyearmentalhealthnursingstudentLouYorkandfourthyearMentalHealthMNursingstudentMollyCroslandrecentlyattendedtheFutureMentalHealthNursesConferenceheldinEdinburgh.
Lousaid:“MyfriendMollyandIweregratefultowinaplaceattheFutureMentalHealthnursesconferenceinEdinburgh.Thedaywasfantastic,wemetmanyotherstudentnursesfromalldifferentbackgroundsandaspirations,heardthestoriesofpreviousserviceusersexplaininghowmuchtheyhadtransformedtheirlives,andheardfromtheDirectorofNursingofScotland.”
Shecontinued:“Weattendedatraumainformedcareworkshopintheafternoonwhichwasfantasticbecauseitreallygaveussomeinsightastowhatitmustbeliketolivewithtrauma,andhowweasnursescansupporttheseindividuals.Thedaywashighlybeneficialtomylearning,motivatingandvaluable.IwouldhighlyrecommendmentalhealthnursingstudentstoapplynextyearasIamsogratefultohavehadthisopportunity.”
Picture shows: left, Lou York and right, Molly Crosland.
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Student NewsPhD student attends 1st International Conference on the Mental Health & Wellbeing of Postgraduate Researchers
SarahMasefield,athirdyearHealthSciencesPhDstudent,wassupportedbytheUniversitytoattendthefirstInternationalConferenceontheMentalHealthandWellbeingofPostgraduateResearchersinBrighton(http://www.ukcge.ac.uk/article/mental-health-wellbeing-conference-blog-410.aspx).Sarahpresentedattheconferenceonthepeer-supportinitiative“HowtosurviveyourPhD(andenjoyit)”(https://www.york.ac.uk/research/graduate-school/support/survive-your-phd/)thatshefoundedattheUniversityofYork.
TheconferencewasrunbytheUniversitiesofSussexandPortsmouthinassociationwithNatureandthesupportoftheUKCouncilforGraduateEducation(http://www.ukcge.ac.uk/).Theyestablishedtheconference(whichwilltakeplaceagainnextyear)because:“there’sawell-worntropewhentalkingaboutdoctoralstudy–it’sallamatterofsurvival.Undertakingadoctorate,we’retold,isabattle.Abattlewon,notbythesmartest,butthemostresilient.Webelievethisviewisfundamentallywrongandit’stimeforustochangetheconversation.”AnarticlepublishedbyNaturetocorrespondwiththeconferenceprovidesmorebackgroundinformationontheissue(https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-01492-0).
Theconference,heldduringMentalHealthAwarenessWeek,broughttogetherover150academics,postgraduateresearchers(PGRs)andrepresentativesfromstudentsupportservicesandgraduateschoolsacrosstheworld.ThedelegatesattendedaseriesofpresentationsandworkshopstodiscussthechallengesexperiencedbyPGRsandhowresearchandsupportactivitiescanhelpreducetheriskofmentalill-healthandpoorwellbeingassociatedwiththePhDexperience.
SarahfoundedthePhDSurvivalprojectattheUniversityofYorkin2017,workingwithagroupofcurrentandrecentlygraduatedPGRsfromacrosstheUniversitytodevelopaguide,websiteandworkshopsfornewPGRs.TheaimwasforPGRstoshareinformationandtipsbetweenyeargroupsandfosterasenseofPGRcommunitywhichcouldhelptoreducePhD-relatedstressandmentalill-health.Sarahwroteablogfortheconferenceanddeliveredahalfhourpresentationtoaround40delegatesabouttheprojectandtheroleofpeer-to-peersupportinimprovingPGRwellbeing.Thepresentationwasverywellreceivedwithlotsofquestionsandsocialmediaactivity.SarahhasbeeninvitedtowriteanarticleforNature(publishedsoon).
SarahwassupportedtoattendbytheYorkGraduateResearchSchoolandResearchExcellenceTrainingTeam.ProfTomStonehamandDrKarenCleggarecontinuingtosupporttheprojectanditsexpansiontoincludeafurther3workshopsonfinishingyourPhDandsurvivingyourviva(25thJuly),survivingPhDfieldwork/datacollection(September),andsurvivingtheinternationalPGRexperience(November).ThemainPhDsurvivalworkshopswillrunagainon23rdOctober2019and5thFebruary2020.RegistrationisviaSkillsForge.PrintedcopiesoftheguidewillbeavailablefordistributiontonewPGRsinOctober.Ifyouhaveanyquestionsorwouldlikeacopyoftheguide,emailSarahMasefield([email protected] ).
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Teaching News
Shaping the future of Midwifery Education HelenRecchia,ProgrammeLeadforBA(Hons)Midwiferywrites:“TheMidwiferyEducationTeamrecentlyhostedanawarenesseventtoconsiderthedraftNursingandMidwiferyCouncil(NMC)standardsformidwiferyeducation.”
“Thisinformaleventwasanopportunitytoexplorethepotentialimpactofthestandardsonmidwiferyeducation,particularlyinrelationtotheformationofanewmidwiferycurriculumattheUniversityofYork.Inviteswerecirculatedtomidwives,studentmidwives,womenusingmaternityservicesandtrustrepresentatives.Theeventwasreallypositiveandenabledattendeestosharetheirthoughtsonthecontentofthefutureeducationstandards.”
Shecontinues:“ItissignificantforstudentmidwivestostayabreastwithcurrentchangestomidwiferyeducationandpracticeandthiswasanopportunitytoseektheiropinionsontheirfutureprofessionandalsoencouragethemtosubmittheirresponsesbeforetheconsultationclosedonMay9th.Itwaspleasingtoseesomanyofourstudentmidwivespresentattheevent.”
ForfurtherinformationinrelationtothedraftNMCmidwiferystandardspleasevisit:https://www.nmc.org.uk/standards/midwifery/education/
Lecturer presents at Royal College of Midwives Education Conference LecturerinMidwiferysecondeeStephMarriottpresentedaposterattheRCMeducationconferenceinBathinJune.Theposterwastitled:developingcommunicationskillsincomplexsocialsituationsforthirdyearundergraduatemidwiferystudents.
BetterStartBradford’spersonalisedmidwiferycareteam,whichprovidesmaternitycareintheareasidentifiedbytheBorninBradfordcohortstudyashavingthehighestlevelsofsocialdeprivationandpooresthealthoutcomesinthecity.
Theposterexploredhowthesecondmentofamidwifefromthis team to the midwifery education team has enhanced acomplexsocialsituationcommunicationworkshopfortheUniversity’sthirdyearstudentmidwives.
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Teaching News
Staff present at University of York Teaching and Learning Conference
Death and Disaster: Using Lego to explore complex real-world problems
BethHardywrites:“Humanshaveplayedgamesforcenturiesandmanygameshavebeendevelopedforlearning.JoRoseandIledaworkshopattherecentlearningandteachingconferenceaboutusingLegogamesasamechanismforlearning.”
“Relativelyrecentlythetheoryofgamificationhasemergedintheliterature.Theprincipalideabehindgamificationisthatgamedesignandgameelementsconfersuchpowertopeoplethatitcantransformtheirrelationwithservices,products,policiesoreveneverydaytasksthatcanbemonitoredtrackedandmodelledwithina‘gamespace’(Beza,2011).Gamificationenablesgamerstotesttheoriesandideaswithafreedomtofailwithoutrealworldconsequences,andwithreal-timefeedback.Thisenablesgamerstolearnfrommistakesanderrors.”
“Drawingonourownteachinginthefieldsofdisastermanagementandendoflifecare,JoandIinvitedparticipantstoplaytwogames‘DisasterIsland’and‘GoingHome’,followedbydiscussionofhowparticipantsmightuseLegointheirownteaching.21oftheparticipantsstatedthatfollowingtheworkshoptheyhavesomethingtotakeawaytoapplytotheirownteaching.”
Interprofessional Education (IPE) Event
HelenBedford,LecturerinMidwiferywrites:“AlisonSmalley,CaroleLindseyandmyselfhostedaworkshopwithKatieGrahamfromSocialPolicyandSocialWork,showcasinganinnovativeinterprofessionaleducationeventwhichhasbeenfacilitatedforundergraduatemidwiferyandsocialworkstudentsforthelastsuccessiveacademicyears.Theinteractiveonedayeventhasbeenevaluatedverypositivelybystudentsandisbecomingembeddedinbothcurricula.”
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Research News
Support for Parents of Deaf Infants
TheChildOrientedMentalhealthInterventionCentre(COMIC)researchteam,ledbyProfessorBarryWright,hasbeenawardedfundingbyTheNationalInstituteforHealthResearch(NIHR)toconductasystematicreviewofearlysupportinterventionsforparentsofdeafbabies.
Thereareapproximately50,000deafchildrenintheUK;over90%areborntohearingparents,mostofwhomwerenotbeenexpectingadeafchild.Deafchildrenaremorelikelytohavedelaysinlanguageandcognition(Peterson,2015),delayededucationaloutcomes(NDCS,2018)andpoorerlongtermoutcomesincludingincreasedunemployment(ActiononHearingLoss,2015).DeafchildrenacrossEnglandhavebeenfoundtohave2to3timestheratesofmentalhealthproblemscomparedtootherchildren(Robertsetal,2015).Earlysupportforparentsisthereforeimportant.
EarlydetectionofdeafnessthroughtheUniversalNewbornHearingScreeningProgramme(UNHSP)quicklyfollowedbyparentingsupportprogrammesimprovesmanynegativeoutcomes(Yoshinaga–Itano,2003).However,parentingsupportacrosstheUKvariesincontentandfrequency.WhilstnearlyalldeafchildrenareallocatedaTeacheroftheDeaf(ToD)forsupportthereiscurrentlynouniversalofferingintermsofthefrequencyandnatureofsupport,oranestablishedmanualisedearlyparentingsupportprogramme.
TheCOMICteamwillconductasystematicreviewoftheresearchevidence,forearlyparentingsupportinterventions,between0-5yearsofdeafinfantswithahearinglossof40dBorabove.BeforethesystematicreviewbeginsinJuly2019,theteamareholdingameetinginLondononFriday12thJulytogatherinformationaboutwhatsupportiscurrentlyofferedintheUKandtodiscussexperiencesofgoodpracticeforparentsupportfordeafinfants.
TofindoutmoreabouttheresearchorregisterforthemeetingpleasecontactJaneBlackwell([email protected] ),BarryWright([email protected] ),orMeganGarside([email protected] ).
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Research NewsStudy reveals female cannabis users are underrepresented in health researchResearchattheUniversityofYorkhasshownthatwomenareunderrepresentedinresearchintothelinksbetweencannabisandpsychosis,whichcouldlimitunderstandingoftheimpactofthedrug.
Inareviewofscientificliteratureoveranumberofyears,IanHamiltonfromtheDepartmentofHealthSciences,foundthatthemajorityofresearchreflectstheexperienceofmalecannabisusers,withverylimitedinformationonhowwomenreacttothedrug.
Theyalsofoundthattherewaslittleresearchoncannabispsychosisincountrieswherecannabisuseishigh.ResearchtendstobefocusedinAmerica,EuropeandAustralia,missingtheimpactofthedruginAfrica,AsianandtheMiddleEast,whereverylittleisknownaboutthenumberofpeoplethatdevelopcannabispsychosis.
Iansaid:“Acrosstheworldgovernmentsareopeningupaccesstocannabisforhealthorrecreation.Thismeansthatitisimportantthatpeoplehaveaccesstoinformationabouttherisksaswellasbenefitsofusingcannabis.”
“Cannabispsychosisisoneriskwhichcanhaveadevastatingeffectonanindividualandtheirfamily.BuildingonpreviousresearchfromtheUniversityofYork,wereviewedtheevidencelinkingcannabistopsychosis,andidentifiedtwosignificantproblems.”
“Onesuchproblemrelatestogenderbias.Theresearchwelookedatpredominantlyincludesmenandnotwomen;thiscouldlinktoawiderproblemwiththelackoffemalescientistsinaddictionresearchalso.”
“Theotherissuerelatestogeographicalspreadofaddictionresearch;wearemissingalargepopulationsizeinnotfocusingstudyinareasoutsideofAmerica,EuropeandAustralia.”
“Wecouldgainmuchmoreknowledgeontheriskofcannabispsychosisbyincludingothercountriesandcultures.”
Thestudysuggeststhatmoreattentionneedstobeonwhoisatriskofcannabispsychosisaswellasthehealthimplicationsoftakingthedrug.ThisresearchhastoincludemorewomenandcountriesacrossAsia,AfricaandtheMiddleEast,theresearchersargue.
Ianadded:“Weneedtoacceptthatcannabispsychosisisaboutmorethangeneticsorbiologybutiseffectedbysocialfactorssuchaswhereandhowyoungpeoplegrowupandtheproblemstheyexperienceastheydevelop.”
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Research NewsWriting Week goes to the Oscars! WritingWeekinYorkTrialsUnitprovidesasupportiveenvironmentforthinking,researching,writingandpublishing.ThisisimportantfortheUnitasawholeandforindividualpersonalandprofessionaldevelopment.
ThreeWritingWeeksareheldeachyearandeachyearthereisanewtheme.Thisyearitwas“Films”.DuringthelastWritingWeekheldinJuneexcellentprogresswasmadewithdevelopingresearchideas,grantapplications,abstractsforconferences,writingpapersandreports,undertakingsecondaryanalysesofdataandmuchmore.
CongratulationsgotothewinningteamforJunewhichwas“Avatar”ledbyLizCook(TeamDirector)andtothestarwriterwhowasHeatherLeggettof“ToyStory”.Congratulationsalsototheoverallteamwinnerfor2018/19whichwas“CrouchingTiger,HiddenDragon”ledbyNatashaMitchell(TeamDirector)andtoAdaKedingwhowontheFellowshipAward.
StephenBrealeyhostedthisyear’sWritingWeek.Whentrackeddownontheredcarpethecommentedthat“unlikeaboxofchocolates,wealwaysknowwe’llgetOscarwinningperformancesinWritingWeek–everyonedidbrilliantlyanditwasajoytobethehostofthistheme”.Thenextwritingweekthemeis...“Chocolate”!
Picture shows: left, Natasha Mitchell and right, Izzy Coleman
Picture shows from left to right: Alexandra Dean, Charlie Welch, Emily Peckham, Liz Cook, Debbie Huskins, Sam Gascoyne and David Torgerson.
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IfyouwouldliketomakeasubmissiontofutureeditionsofMegaphone, pleasecontactJaneMilsom([email protected] 321392).
HelloWewishaverywarmwelcometonewmembersofstaffwhohavejoinedthedepartmentrecently,theseinclude:MaliniPires,JoPoskitt,CharlotteEndacott,AllyChadwick,MeganRussell,CharlotteDiamond,HeatherLeggett,KalpitaJoshi,JoeGolden,LauraDoherty,AilishByrne,SallyFloyd,JoshuaBradbury,HelenElseyandLaurenBurke.
GoodbyeWealsowishaveryfondfarewelltothosewhohaveleftthedepartmentoverthelastfewmonths,including:CatherinePreston,CamilaMaturana,RhianGabe,ClaireHirstandCharlotteBoyce.
Staff News