The partnership between Bournemouth University (BU) and University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust (UHD) has reached another milestone – three years of official partnership working – for the benefit of staff, students, patients, and the people of Dorset.
Over the last year, both organisations have worked together to host successful public health and research events, have led programmes to develop staff and enabled new research studies to be launched and published.
The number of joint research studies continues to increase, each one bringing new insights into understanding our health and shedding new light on the effectiveness of different treatments. This included a study into how different parts of the brain interact with each other after a cold-water dip, helping to explain why people often feel more upbeat and alert after swimming outside or taking cold baths.
Two very successful research-focused events were also key highlights of the third year of the partnership. The sold out, public health talk with Professor Sir Jonathan Van Tam was a success, while another research conference and further health talks are planned for the coming 12 months.
Placements remain a vital part of many clinical and non-clinical courses. Some 1,796 BU students have benefited from hands-on experience in the workplace through placements over the last year, as well as giving UHD staff vital support across a range of different departments including pathology, physiotherapy, and communications.
Dr Ruth Williamson, Consultant Radiologist at UHD and Visiting Professor at Bournemouth University, said, "The vision for our partnership was to work together across all four faculties of the university. A huge thank you to everyone who has given their time energy and intellect to bring our two organisations closer together to benefit patients and residents in Dorset and beyond."
Professor Anand Pandyan, Executive Dean for the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences at BU, added, “As our partnership matures it has been uplifting see the impact of the work directly benefiting the people of Dorset and beyond and the workforce within the region. I would also like to personally thank the staff at UHD for enriching the training our students and for the contributing to research supervision.”
