1College Connection

College ConnectionCollege of Medical and Dental Sciences Newsletter

Summer term 2013

College Success in Green Impact Awards

www.birmingham.ac.uk/mds

2 College Connection

College Connection newsletter

Edited by Angie Gibson,

Internal Communications Manager,

Communications and Marketing

Team, College of MDS.

We are always looking for stories, articles and items from College staff for College Connection. If you would like to make a submission, please email MDS-Information@adf.bham.ac.uk.All submissions may be subject to editing.

Follow the College on twitter – www.twitter.com/unibirm_MDSFollow us on Facebookwww.facebook.com/collegemds

December 2013 in Dental Photography. New Masters level programmes will launch this September, including the MSc Clinical Sciences (Blood Science), with numbers looking encouraging at this stage, with 7 more planned for a 2014 start.

It’s a very exciting time with much to do, and as usual I’m confident that our academic and professional services staff will successfully implement all of these projects smoothly, on time and with great professionalism.

Professor Eric JenkinsonPro-Vice-Chancellor and Head of College

It’s been a while since our last College Connection and as ever, we’ve had a busy time.

We’ve said a sad farewell to our Dean, Professor Paul Stewart, who leaves us to take up of the role of Dean of Medicine at the University of Leeds. His career with us has spanned from Lecturer in Medicine to Director of Research and Knowledge Transfer and finally to Dean of Medicine and we are extremely proud of all his achievements. We are very pleased to welcome Professor David Adams into his new post as Dean of Medicine and are excited to see how he will develop this role. We also congratulate his successor, Professor Janet Lord who takes over his Head of School role in Immunity and Infection.

As well as staff changes, we are in the thick of two key capital projects that will have a major impact for the College. Firstly, the new Dental Hospital has received final sign off from the Department of Health and construction is expected to being on site early September 2013. The new site will be built on the old Pebble Mill location and is anticipated to open in time for the beginning of the 2015 autumn term. It will be a fantastic development for the College offering state of the art teaching and research facilities for our students and academic staff.The second capital project is the Birmingham

Institute of Translational Medicine (ITM), a £24m project, part government funded and part funded by the Birmingham Health Partners (of which UoB is one). This will be developed in part of the Old Queen Elizabeth Hospital which will be transformed into a world class research and clinical trial facility.

The establishment of the Birmingham ITM will transform the clinical research environment in Birmingham and will put the patient at the centre of a uniquely integrated medical campus. It will speed up access to new diagnostics, drugs and medical devices, and will facilitate the development of basic scientific research and drug discovery. The vision is to create a Life Sciences focus in the Centre of England and to be a major creator of wealth and new jobs, as well as outstanding patient care, in the coming decades.

We also see the development of several new education initiatives include the return of the Physician Assistant Studies programme (now Physician Associate) in January 2014, the launch of new CPD offerings for Nurses and MDS will be the first in the University to launch their MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) in

Head of College’s introduction

3College Connection

Physiotherapy move to the College of Life and Environmental Sciences

Following an extensive consultation process with staff and students, a proposal to transfer Physiotherapy to the College of Life and Environmental Sciences has been approved. Physiotherapy officially moved to the School of Sport and Exercise Sciences from 1 August 2013.

The University has allocated funds to enable the School of Sport and Exercise Sciences to make essential adaptations to the building and these will begin over the summer. The plan is to relocate Physiotherapy staff into the School before the beginning of the next academic year, and teaching as soon as possible thereafter. The School of Sport and Exercise Sciences is already recognised as a world leader in the sciences of sport, exercise, health and rehabilitation, and the addition of Physiotherapy adds significantly to their existing expertise in the area of rehabilitation. New senior appointments will be made in the area of physiotherapy/rehabilitation, including a Professor, and it is anticipated that this will offer new opportunities for all students in the School who develop an interest in this research field. Over time, the relocation of the taught Physiotherapy programmes will also facilitate access to expertise and optional modules for all students. To reflect the addition of Physiotherapy, the School’s name changed to ‘The School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences’ from 1 August 2013.

College Festival of Graduate Research

The College Festival of Graduate Research took place on 27 March 2013.

The Festival kicked off with poster presentations from the College’s postgraduate researcher community in the Wolfson Common Room. The standard was incredibly high and the Festival poster judges had their work cut out selecting their top posters for shortlisting. Everyone then moved into the Leonard Deacon Lecture Theatre and heard oral presentations by five postgraduate researchers. Again, the standard was extremely high and the talks very varied and interesting. The audience then voted for their top presentation with the results to be announced later in the day. After lunch, the second of the poster sessions took place with the shortlisted posters from the morning session up for prizes. Everyone reassembled in the Leonard Deacon Lecture Theatre for ‘5-star’ presentations by four of the College’s postdoctoral researchers who all gave a fascinating insight into their research and career path to date. Dr Kenny Webster, Operations Manager at the Thinktank in Birmingham, then gave a wonderful presentation on the young people that volunteer at the Thinktank and the public engagement happening across the museum.

Congratulations to the Festival Prize winners:

Oral presentation prizeHannah Botfield (CEM) Decorin prevents the development of juvenile communicating hydrocephalus.

Poster prizesJoint first prize Adrian Gheorge (HAPS) Centre selection for clinical trials and the generalisability of results: a mixed methods study.

Jennifer Cowan (Immunity and Infection) The thymic medulla is required for regulatory, but not conventional CD4 T cell development.

Joint runners-up Boyun Jang (Immunity and Infection) Analysis of chromatin targeting modules in the chromatin remodelling enzyme NURF.

Eleanor Rattenberry (CEM) Translating research into practice: development of an application of comprehensive next generation sequencing based genetic testing service for phaeochromocytoma and paraganglioma prediposition.

Highly commendedSundeep Dhillon (HAPS) Development of an electrocardiographic measurement system in zebrafish larvae for cardiotoxicity testing.

Martin Ling (Dentistry) Neutrophil reactive oxygen species generation in the presence of C-reactive protein.

Hayden Pearce (Cancer Sciences) The immune infiltrate surrounding testicular tumour lesions comprise antigen experienced, functional and exhausted lymphocyte subsets.

Sabina Sanghera (HAPS) Welfarist versus extra-welfarist measures: the assessment of outcome measures for heavy menstrual bleeding.

Thank you to everyone who took part. It was a great showcase for the College.Karen Carter, Postgraduate Manager

4 College Connection

Dentsply Dental Student Awards BDS Dental Surgery Student Yatisha Patel won second place with her elective project on the mobile phone app ‘Dentify’ at the Dentsply Student Clinician Awards. Dentify is an app that can be downloaded from both Google-play and the Apple store. It is designed to help patients who have acute dental problems and provides temporary advice until a consultation with a healthcare professional can be arranged. Yatisha not only undertook the background research but also designed and wrote the coding for Dentify.

After two successful workshops in Nottingham (2011) and Lund (2012), the University of Birmingham was pleased to host the third U21 European United Nations Millennium Development Goals (UNMDG) workshop on 29 June 2013.

This initiative was led by Shiraz Khan, final year dental student, and the picture shows Shiraz and her student colleagues who make up the organising committee.

The School of Dentistry hosted 3rd and 4th Year health science students from partner European Universities participating in this one-day event. For more information, visit www.u21mdg4health.org/home

With job markets changing and application processes becoming increasingly competitive, our focus is equipping students with the skills to navigate their way to a successful career. From sessions on making effective applications and CVs, through support to shine at interview, the team are on hand to work as part of programmes, as well as offer individual support for students. This term, the careers team have worked alongside academics, as they prepare Year 3 nursing students for jobs and the transition to professional practice. Students got the chance to see the recruitment process from both the interviewer’s and candidate’s perspective. The ‘Inspiring Physiotherapy Careers’ day took place earlier this month, supporting final year physiotherapy students as they apply for their first post. The day, organised by Careers Network with clinical tutor Helen Callaghan, brought together recent alumni, with NHS and private sector recruiters, including alumnus Nick Allen, Clinical Director of the Royal Birmingham Ballet and the F1 physiotherapist Leo Athantatos. As one student reflected ‘It was good to make us aware that we have to put some work in and try hard to get a job. Then it was really good to have examples of people who have made it – very inspiring. Lots of useful advice and information about job applications.’

We help students explore options and identify what they can do after their degree with many opportunities for employment, further study and internships found on the Careers vacancy database. Careers support is provided to all students, up to a year after graduation, so support is on hand to ensure that they are in employment or further study as soon as possible.

But how can we make our students stand out from the crowd? The Work Experience Bursary Schemes, generously supported by our alumni, have meant that students can apply for bursaries to support their vacation professional and research experience, at either home or abroad. This year 84 students from MDS applied to the various schemes. The Alumni Leadership Mentoring programme is now in its third year; this year Baroness Doreen Massey, Dr Rowan Hillson MBE, Dr Andrew Vallance-Owen are

Careers Network

UNMDG student led workshop

joined by Barry Cockcroft, Chief Dental Officer. The virtual medical careers fair that took place in January saw students chat online to alumni and experts from many specialties, providing students with the opportunity to gain an insight into that specialty and get careers tips. A number of students were given work experience/contacts as result of these web chats.

Students can book careers appointment online or email queries via intranet.birmingham.ac.uk/careers with appointments taking place across a choice of venues, including the Medical School Student Services and 52 Pritchatts Road. The careers team are Jenny Mullins-White, Dashi Alpion, Kay Bevan, Yasmin Ansari and Andy Newnham.

Follow us on Twitter @MDScareers for news on careers events and activities.

Working in a College where a high percentage of students know exactly what they want to do seems an interesting challenge for a careers team.

Yasmin Ansari, Jenny Mullins-White, Andy Newnham, Kay Bevan and Dashi Alpion

5College Connection

College receives Athena SWAN bronze award

This is a significant achievement particularly as this round saw a huge increase in the number of institutions and departments applying for awards.

The Bronze Award means that the College is now well placed to apply for the Silver Award. A particular challenge going for Silver will be to ensure that the good practices identified are replicated across all five schools and that the Athena SWAN agenda remains to the forefront of College activity.

The Athena SWAN (Scientific Women’s Academic Network) charter was established in June 2005, and encourages the advancement of female academics in UK Higher Educational institutions.

To align with the goals of the Athena SWAN charter, the College of MDS has practices and guidelines in place to support and nurture female academics across all of our disciplines. We aim to encourage the growth and

progression of women in medicine and science, creating an establishment of excellence that attracts and retains the brightest women in medicine and science.

The activity underpinning the award came from the programme of events, training sessions and networking opportunities delivered by the Women in Academic Medicine and Science (WAMS) group.

Professor Eric Jenkinson said ‘I would like to congratulate Una Martin and colleagues, particularly Kate Crane, Heather Armitage and Sapna Patel, as well as members of the Self Assessment Team, who contributed to this important recognition of what has been achieved in Birmingham. We are all delighted to share this success and look forward to more in the future.’ For more information on the College’s Women in Academic Medicine Science/Athena SWAN initiative, please visit www.birmingham.ac.uk/university/colleges/mds/wam/index.aspx

The College of Medical and Dental Sciences has been awarded an Athena SWAN Bronze Award for its achievements in assisting the recruitment, retention and progression of women in Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths and Medicine and promoting good practice.

Behind the Scenes at the Birmingham Cancer ShowcaseThe first Birmingham Cancer Showcase event took place on Wednesday 10 April 2013, and an amazing 302 visitors attended the Medical School to find out more about how researchers in Birmingham are fighting cancer.

The aim of the event was to showcase the breadth of cancer research taking place at the Birmingham Cancer Research UK Centre. Researchers really went ‘above and beyond’ in creating marketing materials, designing the programme, putting forward ideas and also organising numerous lab and table top demonstrations to help visitors to visualise their research.

A detailed programme of events, including an exhibition area in the Wolfson Common Room, which comprised of 15 table top stands and lay posters, was available to visitors. There were also ‘taster talks’ on a number of topics and a keynote presentation from Professor Paul Moss on ‘Birmingham’s Role in Bringing Forward the Day When All Cancers are Cured’.

The ‘behind the scenes’ tours of the labs and tissue bank proved incredibly popular. Lab researchers working on viruses and cancer and DNA repair, produced an array of creative displays at their lab benches. These included being shown how skin is grown for HPV research, yeast painting and loading gels. Visitors were also given guided tours of our Human Biomaterials Research Centre by Jane Steele and team.

Visitors were a mixture of Cancer Research UK supporters, University staff and alumni, local sixth form students, local cancer patients and interested members of the public. There was a real buzz around the building – both from the crowds of visitors and from the huge number of researchers and clinicians involved. A particular highlight was a fully themed ‘Dragons’ Den’ finale, with four senior staff from the Cancer Research UK Clinical Trials Unit as the ‘Dragons’ commenting on proposed clinical trials being pitched by clinicians from the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Interactive voting keypads meant that the audience were also able to get involved.

Jaskaran Mavi (MBChB student) and Jasveer Poonian (BDS student) were awarded a West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) Chief Officers Commendation for saving their friend’s life.

Rajan Chaudhry, an MBChB student, had been enjoying a night out when he suddenly collapsed on the dance floor. Jaskaran and Jasveer promptly recognised that he was in cardiac arrest and quickly started resuscitation. Paramedics arriving on scene continued advanced life support before Rajan was taken to hospital.

In recognition of their prompt actions on that night, a Chief Officers Commendation was presented to Jaskaran and Jasveer. They are pictured with Rajan and WMAS Chief Executive Anthony Marsh.

Students save their friend’s life

6 College Connection

Have you noticed the noticeboards?

10 new staff noticeboards have been installed in the Medical School.

The boards are primarily to communicate information specifically to staff and have been put up in high traffic areas including the main corridor and IBR Staff Common Room.

If you would like to submit a poster for inclusion on the boards or on the existing noticeboards within Schools and across College buildings, please contact Angie Gibson, College Internal Communications Manager, on a.w.gibson@bham.ac.uk.

Just over 200 people attended the 2013 Fellows Symposium on 3 June to listen to Fellows from the Schools of Immunity and Infection and Cancer Sciences talk about their research, and also to hear from two new Fellows, Yanina Sevastsyanovich and Amanda Rossiter.

Fellows are those researchers (clinical and non-clinical) who have managed to secure independent funding through submission of their own research project proposal. For information regarding fellowship opportunities please contact Jackie Hawkins at J.O.Hawkins@bham.ac.uk.

The standard of talks was really superb and sparked some very interesting questions during the question and answer sessions, and also some lively debates during the coffee breaks!

Organised by Dr David Withers (School of Immunity and Infection), this event is an annual occurrence with the aim of promoting the research being undertaken by our talented Fellows, identifying potential collaboration opportunities, nurture inter-School communication and highlight potential career

2013 Fellows Symposiumpaths to newer researchers. Other positive outcomes are that it helps generate research ideas and new approaches to work, whilst providing inspiration to colleagues.

There were plenty of networking opportunities throughout the event, including a short beer/wine and nibbles session at the end of the day. Eight sponsors also took part and helped provide a fun element to the day by providing prize draws and many of their ever-popular freebies.

Our thanks go to:Speakers: Amanda Rossiter, Francis Mussai, Helen McGettrick, Yanina Sevastsyanovich, Claire Shannon-Lowe, David Mason, David Withers, Heather Long, Zania Stamataki, Francesca Barone, Aga Gambus, Maarten Hoogenkamp, Paloma Garcia, Claire C Davies.

Chairs: Professors David Adams, Paul Moss, Janet Lord, Malcolm Taylor.

Sponsors: Peprotech, Starlab, Beckman Coulter, EBioscience, BD, Life Technologies, Miltenyi Biotec, Bioline.

Student-led group Resuscitation for Medical Disciplines held lunchtime drop-in sessions for staff and students to learn Basic Life Support skills as part of this year’s British Heart Foundation (BHF) Heart Rhythm Week.

This national awareness week, hosted by Arrhythmia Alliance, seeks to promote better understanding of heart rhythm disorders. Its theme this year was ‘Hearts and Goals’, through which the Arrhythmia Alliance aim to highlight the crucial role that the public can play in saving lives from Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA), the UK’s biggest killer.

Student teachers from RMD – who already provide novel peer-led life support training within the University and a network of local schools – demonstrated key life saving techniques to staff and students.

Students mark Heart Rhythm WeekThese informal, hands-on sessions provided CPR training and demonstrations of automated external defibrillator (AED) use, with visitors able to see real-time feedback on their CPR quality and learn how to recognise that a person has had a cardiac arrest.

7College Connection

Since 2006 there has been a 40% increase in the number of full-time Equivalent (FTE) Lecturers in academic medicine in the UK, from 396 FTE to 552 FTE. This will provide a platform through which the ageing profile of academic medicine will be addressed over time, and will lead to greater diversity among Senior Lecturers and Professors as there is greater gender parity and ethnic diversity at Lecturer level. It is increasingly recognised that research and education are crucial for excellent patient care. The NHS, through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), has played a key role in research capacity building, with 180 FTE more Lecturer posts funded by the NHS in 2012 than in 2006 (327 FTE compared with 146 FTE). The substantial increase in NHS consultant numbers since the first survey in 2000 has not been mirrored in academic medicine, where numbers of senior academics have remained static. Data show that funding source is related to academic grade, with overall the NHS funding 59% of Lecturer posts and Higher

Medical schools encouraged by increase in Clinical Lecturer numbers

Education Funding Councils funding the larger proportion of senior academic posts – 58% at Professor grade. The achievement of Silver Athena SWAN status is an important catalyst to medical schools for reaching gender parity. While women continue to be under-represented at every grade, the rate of increase in the number of women in post is considerable, with a 50% increase at Lecturer grade and an increase of 33% across all grades since 2006. Other key findings of the Medical Schools Council survey as at 31 July 2012 showed that: n There were 3,167 FTE clinical academics

employed by the 34 UK universities with medical schools (3,467 individuals)

n The increase in staffing level in the nine new medical schools opened since 2001–02 was 11% between 2010 and 2012 (+25 FTE) compared with a decline of -2% (-34 FTE) in the longer-established schools

n Professors and Readers/Senior Lecturers make up 83% of the clinical academic workforce, compared with 76% in 2000

Professor Tony Weetman, Chair of the Medical Schools Council, said ‘Clinical academic medicine continues to be an extremely rewarding profession, containing a rare and essential mix of both research and teaching where each aspect complements the other. This makes it of immense value to the UK in terms of the contribution its research makes to the health of both the population and the economy, and of course in terms of the world-class doctors who are trained under our clinical academics’ tutelage. ‘However, the numbers of clinical academics and the resources they require to teach and innovate can only be sustained through ongoing investment. It is essential that we continue advocating the immeasurable value of clinical academies and strengthening our relationships with the NHS, medical charities and funding councils, to ensure that the UK’s most talented students are aware of clinical academia as a viable and fulfilling career.’ The survey can be accessed online at www.medschools.ac.uk/ABOUTUS/PROJECTS/CLINICALACADEMIA/Pages/Promoting-Clinical-Academic-Careers.aspx

Figures recently published by the Medical Schools Council show significant growth in Clinical Lecturer numbers, providing optimism for clinical academia and in turn UK healthcare.

8 College Connection

Congratulations

Annual University Excellence in Teaching/Supporting Student Learning Awards Congratulations to this year’s winners in the Awards for Excellence in Teaching or Supporting Student Learning.

There are two key parts of the scheme:n a Head of School’s award of £500n a ‘best of the best’ Head of College’s

award of £1000, with winners chosen from the Schools’ award-winners

Heads of School AwardsMs Beverley Merricks – College HubMr Phillip Tomson – DentistryDr Sarah Conner – CEMProfessor Paul Moss – CancerDr Peter Balfe – Immunity and Infection Dr Mel Calvert and Dr Alex Beeson – HaPS

The Head of College’s Award went to Mr Phillip Tomson, Dentistry.

2013 Rang Prize Congratulations to Dr Jamie Coleman, School of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, who has been awarded the British Pharmacological Society 2013 Rang Prize. Jamie has received the award in recognition of his ‘contribution to the teaching of clinical pharmacology and to the maintenance and development of clinical pharmacology as a discipline.’

Lord Cohen Medal The Committee of the British Society for Research on Ageing has awarded to Professor Janet Lord, School of Immunity and Infection, their highest honour, the Lord Cohen Medal for services to gerontology.

The committee unanimously made the award in recognition of her ‘many and varied contributions to the discipline not only as a scientist and mentor but also as an inspirational director of research and champion of the discipline in its broadest sense’.

HAS OSCARS Congratulations to Colin Thompson (Cleaning Services, Medical School) who was Highly Commended in the Leader of the Year Category in the Hospitality and Accommodation Services Oscars (OutStanding Customer Award Recognition Scheme) Awards evening. The ceremony honours individual and collective efforts of HAS staff who have gone the extra mile to ensure customers’ expectations are not only met, but exceeded.

Duke-Elder LectureCongratulations to Professor Philip Murray who was invited by The Royal College of Ophthalmologists to deliver the prestigious Duke-Elder Lecture at the 25th Anniversary Congress in May. The Duke-Elder Lecture Bronze Medal is awarded every two years in recognition for outstanding and ongoing international contribution to ophthalmology research.

BMJ Cardiovascular Team of the Year AwardA tool that has improved stroke and bleeding prevention across Europe and was developed by the University of Birmingham has been celebrated nationally by the BMJ Group in its annual awards.

Congratulations to Dr Deirdre Lane, Professor Gregory Y H Lip and colleagues in the Birmingham Atrial Fibrillation Team won the BMJ Cardiovascular Team of the Year Award for their work in developing the tool.Rare Diseases for the National Institute of Health Research Translational Research Collaboration Appointment

QE showcase eventMay saw the Queen Elizabeth Hospital hold its annual Showcase event highlighting some of the innovative and revolutionary research being undertaken, much of it in collaboration with the University. There were 33 different exhibition stands with a range of activities.

Prizes were awarded to the top three unique and interesting stands and the Centre for Liver Research from the College of MDS was awarded third place – which was a great achievement considering the stiff competition. ‘Feel the liver’, ‘can you measure a unit of alcohol’ and ‘hidden calories in your coffee’ were very popular, together with experiments showing how your liver is packed with digestive enzymes.

School of Immunity and Infection representation was also seen from Professor Janet Lord’s Healthy Aging research group, Dr Andrew Filer’s rheumatology research, and Dr Alastair Denniston and Matthew Edmunds’ Ophthalmology research.

9College Connection

College green impact success

The Green Impact Scheme is run by the University of Birmingham, the Guild of Students and the Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges (EAUC). The aim of the Scheme is to empower individuals by encouraging them to make small practical environmental improvements within the local work area that will help the sustainable environment and raise awareness.

Teams of staff are given access to an online workbook with bronze, silver and bonus criteria to complete and work towards.

A record 39 teams entered this year with 15 from the College of Medical and Dental Sciences and the awards were as follows:

Bronze awards Eco-smilers (Dental School) Green Rangers (Link Labs)MDS Wombles (Estates Office) The Research and Knowledge Transfer OfficeThe Green Lab Co (IBR 3rd floor) The Westies (IBR West 2nd floor)Earth Shakers (IBR West 1st Floor) Clinical Immunology ServiceNeeds More Recycling (NMR) were awarded a working towards bronze

Silver awards CEM Admin IBR 2nd FloorEnviro-mentalists (Public Health) CMDS teaching labsEducational Technology Team

Gold awards90 Vincent Drive CMDS teaching labs and the Green Rangers also got gold awards in the labs section.

The Educational Techology Team also picked up a special award for the ‘Best Energy Saving Idea’ for the iLearn scheme.

The scheme will be running next year and we hope to build on our success by entering even more teams. If you are interested in forming your own team or joining an existing team please contact the College Green Impact lead, Carol Benham on C.A.Benham@bham.ac.uk.

Teams from across MDS came together to celebrate their achievements in the recent Green Impact Awards.

College life

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Green fingers, wet feet and two awards at the ARUK garden!

Stephen Young, Andy Clark and Paul Bacon, from the Rheumatology Research Group (School of Immunity and Infection) helped out on the Arthritis Research UK garden at the recent RHS Chelsea Flower Show. The garden designed by award winning designer and BBC broadcaster Chris Beardshaw, was awarded a gold medal and won People’s Choice award.

Steve, Andy and Paul were all very active in handing out leaflets and explaining about the garden and ARUK – which was excellent publicity for this important charity.

Race for life success

Emma Robinson (Director of Operations) took part in the recent Worcester Race for Life, with her seven year old niece and her mum. They finished in 49 minutes – a wonderful achievement for Emma’s niece Connie who is only seven years old, and who was especially proud as she was racing for her cousin Olivia, who has recently successfully undergone treatment for Leukaemia.

Emma has her medal hanging in her office! If you would like to make a donation, please visit www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/elrobinson

100k walk for cancer research Abhilock Garg from the Centre for Liver Research completed the moonlight London to Brighton walk in May, which is over 100km. Out of just over 3000 entrants, only 1000 completed the walk. Abs was raising money for Cancer Research UK and achieved almost £600 in sponsorship.

Staff reach peaks in Snowdownia!

On Sunday 8 June, Paul Newby (CEM), Vicki Smith (CEM), Jane Hathaway (Immunity and Infection), and Ian Rose (CEM) from MDS walked and scrambled up Glyder Fawr and Glyder Fach in Snowdonia in ~25–30°C heat! Paul has his own walking blog at: walsallwanderer.blogspot.co.uk

Welsh 3000s challenge

Matt Edmunds, Paul Tomlins and Geraint Williams (School of Immunity and Infection), together with Joe Abbott and Alastair Denniston, eye surgeons based in Birmingham, have successfully completed the Welsh 3000s (15 peaks) challenge to raise money for Sight for East Africa.

Sight for East Africa (SEA) is a Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB) charity set up in 2007 to improve eye care in East Africa. This is achieved through a Vision 2020 link between QEHB and Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC), a large teaching hospital in Moshi, Tanzania.

The team completed the challenge in a first peak to last peak time of 20 hours and 30 minutes. You can still make donations on the Just Giving page.