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News article

Research Showcase celebrates York St John’s advances in health and care improvement

Published: 09 July 2024

  •   Featured
  •   Research
People gathered in the foyer of a building looking at research posters

The Institute for Health and Care Improvement (IHCI) held its inaugural Research Showcase event on 25 June 2024 in the University's Creative Centre. Attracting over 90 delegates from across the University and beyond, the Showcase brought together expertise from researchers, practitioners and healthcare partners. The event highlighted the breadth and impact of research related to health and social care; from burnout in hospital staff to maternal mental health, child nutrition to the masking of grief. Research was showcased through presentations, workshops and posters by staff and students from across the University. 

Launched in 2023, the IHCI aims to find solutions to critical issues facing health and social care today. The Institute draws on expertise from across the University, working in close collaboration with NHS partners and participants in the community. Research conducted by the IHCI falls into three main themes: Promoting and preserving health and wellbeing; Advancing policy and practice in health and social care; and Reducing inequalities in health and care. 

Professor Garry Tew, Director of the Institute for Health and Care Improvement opened the Research Showcase drawing on the significance of the research being undertaken by the Institute and wider University colleagues. He said: 

“The Research Showcase is a key annual event in the Institute’s calendar. It provides excellent conditions for sharing ideas and generating new collaborations. The organising team received an impressive range of presentation submissions, which highlighted the wide range of health and care related research projects being undertaken across the University.” 

Ros Kane, Professor of Nursing and Public Health at the University of Lincoln, gave the keynote presentation, addressing the importance of supporting underrepresented professions to progress on to careers in research, Professor Kane said:  

“I was thrilled to share my insights and experiences in supporting underrepresented health, social care, and public health professionals as they pursue research training and related activities. Over recent years, there has been a growing range of opportunities, and it is crucial that professionals from diverse backgrounds are aware of these possibilities and receive support to apply for and engage in them. 

“Practitioners play a vital role in identifying research and innovation priorities. Their first-hand experiences and contextual observations while working with patients and the broader population provide valuable insights. Similarly, educators working in academic settings should be encouraged to develop their research skills alongside their pedagogical practice. I hope my presentation sparked inspiration and provided ideas on how to achieve these goals.” 

The event featured a variety of presentations covering both upcoming and ongoing research.  

10-minute presentations: 

  • The Impact of Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) in children's mental health - evidence from 'The Impact of DCD in the UK Study' (Charikleia Sinani) 
  • Redefining autism from personal perspectives: informing multi-specialty clinical practice (Stephanie Petty)
  • Understanding capabilities, opportunities, and motivations of walking for physical activity among adults with intellectual disabilities using interviews, focus groups and photo elicitation methods (Sophie Westrop)
  • Who is most at risk of burnout? A profile analysis of burnout in Allied Health Professions (Vicky Pursey)
  • Athlete burnout, biomarkers, and mental and physical health consequences: A three-wave mediation study (Robyn Slater)
  • Masking your grief - because you feel you have to. Family’s experiences of support following the death of a parent (Alex Wray) 

3-minute presentations: 

  • Improved physical health in middle older aged golf caddies following 24 weeks of high-volume physical activity (Alex Beaumont) 
  • PhD Study into the incidence, impact and implications of ADHD among paramedic students (Antony Stones) 
  • The use of action learning sets in one charity’s development of leadership and safeguarding. An account of practice (Sue Shippen)
  • Multidimensional perfectionism and orthorexia: A systematic review and meta-analysis (Verity Pratt)
  • An inquiry into how we could individually and collaboratively improve knowledge and practice in residential social care settings for autistic adults as they age (Manar Matusiak)
  • Ageing well in rural communities survey (Ruth Kay)
  • Empowering families through co-creation, imagination and creative writing (Abi Curtis, Tom Dobson and Jane Collins) 
  • Developing an intervention to help nurses improve the assessment and care of the sexual health needs of men with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Sara Ma) 
  • The experiences and perceptions of first contact practitioners in primary care a systematic review (Jon Thompson and Fi Macintosh) 
  • Application of head-related policies in boys’ professional football academies in England: A figurational analysis (Bright Nduka) 
  • Investigating the novel chemotherapeutic drug Apaziquone (EO9) in solid tumour cancers with a focus on NQO1 activity (Connor Earnshaw) 
  • Workplace physical activity, sitting time, and menopause symptoms (Sophie Carter) 

Staff and students from York St John’s London campus presented examples of their impactful research in public and global health. Their presentations covered: 

  • The intersectionality of disability and women's sexual behaviour: Methodology operationalisation (Obasanjo Bolarinwa) 
  • Maternal mental health and undernutrition in children (Manisha Singh)  
  • Health workforce research: an art or a science? (Ritika Tiwari) 
  • Prevalence and factors associated with teenage pregnancy in Akyemansa District, Ghana (Francis Arizie) 
  • Review of barriers impacting affordability and availability of elderly care homes in Nigeria (Christopher Ufene) 

The day also included an inspiring presentation from the University’s Converge team, which emphasised the life-changing significance of their free educational courses for adults who have experienced mental health issues. Running since 2008, Converge has now been adopted by other universities who share the programme’s vision to open up HE provision to facilitate change.  

Finally, the Showcase highlighted recent successes of the IHCI, including the delivery of a National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) internship programme, which has seen the appointment of 3 undergraduate students in nursing, occupational health and physiotherapy with an interest in a career in research. Sara Ma, a nursing lecturer at York St John, presented a summary of NIHR-funded research that will lead to better sexual health support for men who live with inflammatory bowel disease. Sara is the first nurse from York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to lead and secure an NIHR award and will work with some of the world’s leading experts in men’s health on the research. 

Find out more about research undertaken by the Institute for Health and Care Improvement. 

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