Services must adopt anti-racist and holistic models of care to reduce ethnic inequalities in mental healthcare13 December 2022The experiences of people from ethnic minority groups with NHS mental healthcare are being seriously undermined by failures to consider the everyday realities of people's lives in services in the UK, reports a new study led by researchers at the University of Bristol and Keele University. The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) funded study is published in PLOS Medicine today [13 December].
Researchers partner with local communities to tackle health inequalities across the UK8 December 2022A new wave of research projects, including a consortium-building initiative led by the University of Bristol, has been announced to investigate the role of community assets such as parks, galleries and creative organisations in improving health outcomes.
Diet and health innovation boosted by new funding partnership6 December 2022The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), with support from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), Innovate UK and the Medical Research Council (MRC), have launched 6 innovation hubs as part of a new Diet and Health Open Innovation Research Club (OIRC).
Around nine million Euros in ERC grants awarded to Bristol academics for pioneering research
22 November 2022A total of six researchers from the University of Bristol have been awarded European Research Council (ERC) Grants totalling around 1.5 million Euros each. This places the University joint second in the UK in terms of the number of Grants awarded from the 2022 call.
This year’s Doctoral Prize winners are…18 November 2022Each year the University of Bristol picks six outstanding theses – one from each faculty – from hundreds of fascinating submissions by doctoral researchers in the last year. This year’s winners each receive £500 and a special certificate.
Inequities in access to bereavement support in the UK persists, new research finds
7 November 2022New research has shown there continues to be inequities in access to bereavement support in the UK. In particular, even though minoritised ethnic communities were disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, overall, proportions of ethnically minoritised clients did not increase, according to bereavement services.
Bristol Neuroscience Grey Walter Prize winner for 20224 November 2022Bristol Neuroscience recognises the contribution of Early Career Researchers to the field by running a competition named in honour of William Grey Walter who conducted basic and applied neurophysiological research at the Burden Neurological Institute in Bristol. This biennial prize offers a £100 cash award to an existing or recently graduated (within two years) PhD student who is first or joint author of a journal paper based on a research project which they conceptualised and developed independently and which has had discernible impact.
Association between poor sleep quality and an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's, new study finds3 November 2022New research has shown an association between sleep quality – less than seven hours - and Alzheimer's disease-related pathology in people without cognitive impairment. The study by an international team led by the Pasqual Maragall Foundation research centre, the Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Centre (BBRC), together with researchers from the University of Bristol and North Bristol NHS Trust, is published in the scientific journal Brain Communications today [3 November].
Films explain how we can find solutions for a healthier future1 November 2022Climate change is one of the biggest health threats facing humanity. It is already affecting our health, and these impacts are likely to increase. A series of short films developed by the University of Bristol’s Elizabeth Blackwell Institute for Health Research and Cabot Institute for the Environment explain how the health of our planet is linked to human health, and how research at Bristol will help us to understand these complex and interwoven issues.
Ratio shift of protein in brain cells causes changes underlying early cognitive decline, new discovery shows10 October 2022Early cognitive decline may result from a shift in the ratio of a protein sub-type in our brain cells triggering cell-loss. This new study, published in Scientific Reports, shows how this might be caused. The discovery provides a new therapeutic target to prevent the onset of neurodegenerative diseases including dementia and Alzheimer’s.
Findings from one of the largest consultations on UK bereavement support published6 October 2022New findings from one of the largest ever consultations on bereavement support in the UK have been published today by the UK Commission on Bereavement (UKCB). The research, which involved University of Bristol academics, shows around 750,000 excess bereavements occurred during the pandemic in the UK.
Blood thinning drugs before removing a clot in stroke patients improves death rates at 90 days, study finds3 October 2022A new systematic review and meta-analysis by an international group of researchers has found giving a blood thinning drug (thrombolysis) before treatment to remove a clot from the brain - known as thrombectomy procedure - to stroke patients, improved mortality rates at 90 days, compared with just thrombectomy procedure alone.
Adverse health outcomes associated with long-term antidepressant use29 September 2022Long-term antidepressant use may double the risk of heart disease, finds the most comprehensive epidemiological study to date to investigate the health consequences from using the medication over ten years. The University of Bristol-led study, published in the British Journal of Psychiatry Open, analysed data on over 200,000 people.
Discover how research is helping to support autistic students at university29 September 2022The transition to university can be a difficult time for autistic students. At the University of Bristol, we’re invested in collaborative research, to learn and better understand the challenges that students face so that we can continue to improve help and support. A new interactive infographic on autism research explains how understanding the issues experienced by autistic students is shaping our research.
Study to assess impact of national scheme to reduce head trauma injuries in babies22 September 2022A national programme introduced to reduce rates of abusive head trauma in babies will be assessed as part of a new research study led by UWE Bristol in collaboration with the University of Bristol and the National Institute for Health and Care Applied Research Collaboration West (NIHR ARC West).
PhD studentship success
9 September 2022Bristol Neuroscience is delighted to announce that, thanks to a generous donation from alumnus Steve Scobie and his wife Anne Graham and with additional funding from the University of Bristol, two PhD studentships have been awarded following a competitive process.
Study calls for change in guidance about eating fish during pregnancy6 September 2022A woman’s mercury level during pregnancy is unlikely to have an adverse effect on the development of the child provided that the mother eats fish, according to a new University of Bristol-led study.
Investment of £1.5m to develop a Speech, Language and Communication (SLC) identification tool for young children31 August 2022Early speech, language and communication difficulties can have a long-term impact into adulthood with effects reported on literacy, social and emotional wellbeing and employment. By identifying children who are at risk of language difficulties early in life it is possible for them to receive intervention in a timely manner to prevent any potential wider effects.
Dolphins form largest alliance network outside humans29 August 2022Male bottlenose dolphins form the largest known multi-level alliance network outside humans, an international team led by researchers at the University of Bristol have shown. These cooperative relationships between groups increase male access to a contested resource.
Experiment on YouTube shows potential to ‘inoculate’ millions of users against misinformation24 August 2022Briefly exposing social media users to tricks behind misinformation boosts awareness of dangerous online falsehoods, even amid intense ‘noise’ of the world’s second-most visited website, new research finds. Google is set to deploy an anti-disinformation campaign based on the findings.
Grant success for NIHR Bristol BRC Nutrition and Lifestyle researchers21 July 2022Researchers at NIHR Bristol Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) Nutrition and Lifestyle theme have been awarded NIHR funding for their ‘AIM2Change: Helping adolescents to increase their intrinsic motivation to change weight’ proposal.
“Hope saved my life”: How the Hope project helped men at risk of suicide14 July 2022A project to help men aged 30-64 who are at risk of suicide has saved lives and reduced depression and suicidal thoughts, a study by National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) funded researchers at the University of Bristol has shown. Hope, run by mental health charity Second Step, aims to help men in mental health crisis because of debt, financial, employment or welfare difficulties.
New report finds stark impact of newborn illness on mortality throughout childhood14 July 2022New evidence has found a link between poor health as a newborn and mortality up to the age of ten. The new report from England’s National Child Mortality Database (NCMD), led by the University of Bristol, shows of the 4,829 children aged ten and under who died in England between 2019 and 2021, 72 per cent were found to have required additional care in the neonatal period.
ARC West dementia research to be given a boost with two new post-doctoral researchers8 July 2022The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) West has been awarded nearly £240k to host two new post-doctoral researchers focused on dementia. One of the new recruits will focus on improving the economic evaluation of interventions to support people with dementia. The other will focus on developing a family intervention to support people who have received a dementia diagnosis.
Cognition and anxiety in the pandemic – the impacts on young people4 July 2022University of Bristol researchers have been working to determine the extent of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on young people and the relationship between anxiety and cognitive function. Understanding this will help to inform a joined-up approach to develop targeted interventions for vulnerable young people in both clinical and educational settings.
Impact of exposure to COVID-19 infection early in life on a child’s brain development28 June 2022More than 650,000 babies are born every year in the UK, and during the pandemic some of them will have been exposed to SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus which causes COVID-19. A national study, funded by the charity Action Medical Research, will investigate the long-term impact of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 in the womb or shortly after birth.