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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Could the vast population of microbes that we all carry around with us hold the key to understanding more about respiratory tract infections?
