MB ChB Newsletter – academic year 2015-16 No. 6

By | April 28, 2016

Introduction – this newsletter covers a range of fun and challenging activities. Good luck in your forthcoming exams!

In this newsletter:

  • The GMC visit
  • Student Achievements
  • Conferences and Events (incl. year 5 Ball)
  • Staff Achievements
  • Academy news
  • INSPIRE opportunities and conference
  • Academic volunteers needed
  • Student membership and career support from the Faculty of Public Health
  • takeAIM conference

The recent GMC visit

You would have had your head completely in the sand if you hadn’t been aware that the GMC inspected the medical school and two academies in the last two months. The GMC visited the medical school specifically on May 10th and 11th. After two gruelling days of questions, presentations and discussions, they left us, very favourable impressed.

In their feedback, they commented on the quality of the presentation to the GMC by your representatives, Chloe De Souza, Amy Samson and Andrew Armson. We were equally wowed by its interactivity and ingenuity and the clear demonstration of how well our students work with us. The Faculty and the Senior School Team are very grateful to them – they did you proud!

Student Achievements

2016 Duke Elder Undergraduate Prize Examination

The national annual undergraduate prize examination was sponsored again this year by the Royal College of Ophthalmologists. This examination is for medical students who have completed their ophthalmology undergraduate teaching, but is open to all current medical undergraduates.  The overall prize winner is offered the chance to visit St John’s Eye Hospital in Jerusalem (or a cash prize of £400!)

There were 483 candidates from across the UK, with 17 entered from the University of Bristol for this challenging examination. Three of our candidates achieved a pass: Daniel Akam, Daisy Bassey-Duke and Katie Hyde, and we are delighted to note that Daisy scored in the top 10% overall. So congratulations to them, and well done to everyone who took part. Anyone interested in the UoB Ophthalmology Society see https://ubosoc.wordpress.com/

Publication on suicides involving railways:
Congratulations to Anna Taylor (Year 4) who with colleagues in the School of Social and Community Medicine reviewed and published an important report on deaths from suicides on the railways from 2000-2013 (Taylor et al. BMC Public Health (2016) 16:270).

They found that the railway was used in 4.1 % of all suicides in England and Wales. While all suicides decreased from 2000 to 2007, there were small increases from 2008 until 2013 – entirely due to an increase in male suicides. Railway suicide rates increased over the entire study period mainly driven by increases in male suicides as female railway suicide rates remained steady over time. The highest age specific railway suicide rates were observed in middle aged men and women. There was a statistically significant increase in railway suicides in males from 2009 onwards. These findings are important and concerning, particularly due to the high economic costs and psychological trauma associated with these deaths.

GP Society 4th national conference

On Saturday 12th March the University of Bristol GP Society (GPSoc) held their 4th national conference. This year for the first time gave students the chance to submit abstracts for posters to be presented on the day.  The morning kicked off with a ‘portfolio career panel’ to illustrate the vast variety of pathways and specialist interests offered by a career in general practice. The opportunities showcased by the 4 speakers included: undergraduate teaching, GP training and appraising, general practice in the armed forces, medical journalism, CCG clinical leads in paediatrics, cardiology & sexual health, working abroad and LMC representation.

There was a real buzz in the reception room over refreshment and lunch breaks as speakers and delegates shared conversation, read or judged the poster presentations.

The student poster prize was awarded to Laureen Jacquet: for her poster entitled Diagnosis, assessment and treatment of eczema in primary care: cross-sectional study (co-authors: Daisy Gaunt, Kirsty Garfield and Matthew Ridd)

The day was brought to a close with keynote address delivered by Sir Denis Pereira Gray. Who drew upon key principles such as trust, reducing inequalities and continuity of care as well as his wealth of experience to present general practice as the ‘central discipline’ in medicine. All in all both students and speakers enjoyed an uplifting event and an influential day for the promotion of primary care amongst the national medical student community.  Alice James – GPSoc Chair 2015-16

Conferences and Events

In April, Eliane Blows and her choir entertained a select group of student and (a few) staff in St Pauls Church on St Pauls Rd, Clifton. This was an entertaining event with some great orchestral pieces and singing. Ben Crawshaw, presently in Year 2, is taking on the role of being Music Secretary next year.

Galenicals Choir

It would be very encouraging for him and the other members of the choir if staff or students came along to rehearse and perform in the very informal setting of St Paul’s Church. His contact details are on the Galenicals website – we rehearse every Saturday afternoon in the church and the quality of break-time nibbles is better than anything else you will find in Clifton at that time. Above is a picture from the recent concert: note the (much older) members of staff.

Graduation Ball

Scenes from the Ball – beautiful table layouts – the theme was “Best of Bristol”

On Friday evening, March 18th, most of the graduating class of Bristol Medical School 2016, with escorts and some staff assembled in the Passenger Shed, beside Temple Meads Railway Station. The room had been thoughtfully and exquisitely decorated for the event. Place settings were perfect with a little clothes peg with one’s name on it to denote one’s place – some struggled with this. The starter course of Italian meats, peppers and olives was cleverly laid out on elevated ash boards as we sat down. Main course and desserts were very well prepared and presented and the sneaky bottles of toffee vodka didn’t last long. It was a resounding success and so our congratulations to the graduation ball team: Olivia Buckeldee, Emily Dale, Manon Daniels, Kieran Palmer and Chloe Wilson for doing such a wonderful job.

Staff Achievements

Congratulations to Dr Andrew Blythe and Dr Jess Buchan, Dr Andrew Stanton (Lead for Senior Medicine and Surgery)  and the past Bristol clinical teaching fellows Georgia Woodfield, Benedict Lyle Phillips, Victoria Taylor, Amy Hawkins who between them who have written two new text books for medical students. Published this month Essential Primary care is designed for medical students to use throughout their 5 years of study.

To be published in June Practical Prescribing is targeted particularly for students preparing for their prescribing safety assessment in year 5.

A third book in the Essential series was written by Prof Jonathan Stern (Head of School of Social and Community Medicine)  Essential Medical Statistics which will be particularly useful to students studying evidence based medicine and epidemiology.  Bristol students can get a  20% discount on the new title by applying the discount code FCH4 here: http://eu.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-EHEP003472.html

 

Bath Academy – Change of Dean

Clare Taylor, an Emergency medicine consultant, has been the Academy Dean in Bath for 6 years; she has now decided to step down. She will be greatly missed by staff and students and we would like to extend our thanks to her for the innovative leadership she has bought to Bath Academy.

Bath Academy – New Dean

After a competitive application process, Dr Alastair Kerr, a Care of the Elderly physician, was appointed in her place. We look forward to working more closely with him and wish Clare “bon voyage!” 

Bristol South – a fond farewell

Sue Bamford has been a welcoming and smiling face in the Bristol South academy for many years. She has just retired and we wish her well and are very grateful for her loyalty and effort over the years.

 Academic Volunteers needed for the Sutton Trust Summer School

The UK Student recruitment team are looking for academic staff members to create and deliver a medicine or dentistry taster session for a group of 20 Year 12 students that lasts from 1 – 3 hours. This summer school is a week-long on-campus residential for students interested in medicine or dentistry who attend low performing schools or live in areas where not many people progress on to university. All students have shown the academic ability to study at Bristol and the aim of the session would be to give them a taste of what the study of these subjects are like at university. The summer school runs from 9.30 – 5.00 from the 11th – 15th July and so there are many time slots available. Please contact Tom.Prince@bristol.ac.uk if you would be interested in delivering a session.

INSPIRE news

Are you interested in finding out about intercalating? Have you already intercalated and would like an opportunity to talk about this and present your findings?  The 2016 national conference for intercalators will be held in Exeter on Saturday 15 October – with free coach travel from Bristol.

Poster competition! Oral presentation prizes!

To register (£10) and to submit an abstract- http://medicine.exeter.ac.uk/bmbs/inspire/

See ad for further details or contact j.tarr@exeter.ac.uk

 

FPH Annual Conference and Public Health Exhibition 2016

Public health in a cold climate: Melting hearts and minds with evidence 14-15 June 2016, Brighton
fph.org.uk/fph_annual_conference_and_public_health_exhibition_2016

Student membership and career support from the Faculty of Public Health (FPH)

The Faculty of Public Health (FPH) is the standard setting body for specialists in public health and the professional home for 3,300+ professionals working in public health. Members come from a diverse range of professional backgrounds, are employed in a variety of settings, usually working at a strategic or specialist level. Our mission is to promote and protect the health and wellbeing of everyone by playing a leading role in assuring an effective public health workforce, promoting public health knowledge and advocating for the very best conditions for good health.

By joining us as a Student Associate students can connect to the professional home of public health and will be kept informed of our work as we support their professional development and campaign on public health issues. They’ll also gain opportunities to participate in this work through our specialist networks and events – including our Annual Public Health Conference.

Find more information here:  further: http://www.fph.org.uk/fph_student_associates

 

Do you have something to share? Send it to susan.pettinger-moores@bristol.ac.uk