Faculty of Health Sciences

Study finds 'optimistic' medical detection dogs excel in tasks, while 'pessimistic' dogs shine in scent specificity

9 April 2025

A new study into medical detection dogs — which use their scent detection abilities to detect diseases or assist individuals with chronic health conditions — reveals that dogs displaying more "optimistic" responses in judgment bias tests tend to perform better overall in detection tasks. In contrast, "pessimistic" dogs exhibit greater scent detection specificity. The University of Bristol-led study, published in PLOS One, could offer valuable insights for improving the training, selection, and support of medical detection dogs.

Relaxation techniques may help lower high blood pressure—at least in the short term

8 April 2025

Relaxation techniques may help lower high blood pressure—at least in the short term—but the longer term effects are unclear, finds a pooled data analysis of the existing research. The study, led by the Universities of Bristol and Exeter and published in BMJ Medicine, is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

Rapid point-of-care testing during and after COVID-19 – how widely should it be used?

17 November 2020

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the point-of-care testing industry was investing millions of pounds to develop rapid tests to tell us the cause of respiratory infections. The pandemic has accelerated this process. In an editorial published in the British Journal of General Practice today [17 November], researchers from the University of Bristol’s Centre for Academic Primary Care ask if we know enough about these tests to merit their widespread use in primary care.

Early detection key to improving treatment of uveitis, a leading cause globally of vision loss

28 May 2025

New treatment guidance has been developed to help doctors tackle uveitis — one of the leading causes of vision loss. The new clinical guidance, by a team at the University of Bristol, aims to help thousands of sufferers keep this painful eye condition at bay. The study is published in JAMA today [28 May].

Medical detection dogs help diabetes patients regulate insulin levels

15 January 2019

New research by the University of Bristol in collaboration with Medical Detection Dogs has found that the best trained alert dogs have the potential to vastly improve the quality of life of people living with Type 1 diabetes.

University launches new round of Think Big Scholarships

17 November 2020

The University of Bristol is inviting the best and brightest minds from across the world to apply for its 2021/22 Think Big scholarships.

Larger wine glasses may lead people to drink more

7 June 2016

Selling wine in larger wine glasses may encourage people to drink more, even when the amount of wine remains the same, suggests new research from the Universities of Bristol and Cambridge.

Accuracy of rapid covid test may be lower than previously suggested

12 November 2020

The accuracy of a rapid finger-prick antibody test for SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for Covid-19 infection, may be considerably lower than previously suggested, finds a study led by scientists from Public Health England and the Universities of Bristol, Cambridge and Warwick published in The BMJ.

Bristol medic elected to second term of BMA student committee

23 September 2014

Harrison Carter, a third-year Bristol medical student, has been re-elected co-chair of the British Medical Association Medical Student Committee.

Sarah Baillie awarded Principal Fellowship by Higher Education Academy

23 September 2014

Professor Sarah Baillie, Veterinary Programme Director and Head of Teaching at the School of Veterinary Sciences, has been awarded a Principal Fellowship by the Higher Education Academy.