HSRU News and Events

NEWS...

Recently completed projects

  • REFLUX Trial 5 year followup: This NIHR funded study is a multi-centre randomised trial comparing a policy of relatively early laparoscopic surgery with a continued best medical management policy for people with more severe gastro-oesophageal reflux disease.  810 people with GORD were recruited from 21 centres across the UK.  After 5 years follow-up, laparoscopic fundoplication continues to provide better relief of GORD symptoms with associated improved health related quality of life. Complications of surgery were uncommon. Despite being initially more costly, a surgical policy is highly likely to be cost-effective. For further information please contact Seonaidh Cotton; s.c.cotton@abdn.ac.uk, tel: 01224 438178.

New projects

  • WISEOWLS: An investigation of Ways to Intervene and Support Engagement of Older adults Weight Loss Study:  There is a significant body of work looking at weight loss in adults below the age of 65 years, however there has been very little research into planned weight loss in older adults.  The WISEOWLS project will explore the acceptability and feasibility of potential weight loss interventions in older obese adults.  For further information, please contact Kirsty Kiezebrink; k.kiezebrink@abdn.ac.uk, tel: 01224 438163.

Staff news

  • Congratulations to Marion Campbell who has been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.  For more information, please see http://www.abdn.ac.uk/staffnet/news/2431/
  • We welcome Vikki Entwistle, Professor of Health Services Research and Ethics, and Shaun Treweek, Professor of Health Services Research, to HSRU. 
  • We also welcome Professor Jane Banaszak-Holl who will be in the Unit from April – June on the James Petrie Fellowship for 2013, awarded by the UoA Development Trust.  She is Associate Professor of Health Management and Policy at the University of Michigan. 
  • We say goodbye to Augusto Azuara-Blanco who is taking up a professional position at Queen’s University, Belfast, and Mayret Castillo who is moving to a Research Fellow post at the Royal College of Physicians in London.  We wish them all the best. 
  • We also welcome back Suzanne, Katie and Pawana from maternity leave this month.
  • Jonathan Cook has started a 6 month secondment (as part of his MRC Fellowship) to the University of Oxford.
  • We are currently recruiting several posts: secretary / PA to provide support to CHaRT; a part-time Administrator to support the Unit Business Manager; a statistician, and a Trial manager for the TISU trial.

Success in RAE for HSRU

Staff from the Unit made a major contribution to the University of Aberdeen's submission to Unit of Assessment 7 (Health Services Research) in the recent Research Assessment Exercise (RAE 2008).

The Health Services Research return was the highest scoring return for the University of Aberdeen and was joint top of the UK league in health services research. RAE confirmed that 80% of the research submitted was judged as interntionally excellent / world class, with all the work identified as of international quality.

EVENTS...

DOC methodology workshops

HSRU's Delivery of Care (DoC) Programme runs a series of workshop in innovative methods related to research in the organisation and delivery of health services. The hour-long workshops provide research staff in HSRU, and the wider Institute of Applied Health Sciences, with interactive development and training opportunities. The workshops take place within a small-group environment. The audience is encouraged to engage with the topic through an invited presentation and an activity. The presenters are typically internationally recognised leaders in their field.  

The theme for the current seminar series is 'Dissemination and Implementation'.  The timetable is shown below: 

Monday, 11 February 2013 - Solving terminology issues in KT science to advance KT interventions research - Dr Heather Colquhoun (Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ontario, Canada)                   

Monday, 11 March 2013 - Assessing research impact issues, challenges and ways forward - Dr Sarah Morton (Centre for Research on Families and Relationships, University of Edinburgh)

Tuesday, 23 April 2013 - From craft industry to mass production?  Methodological challenges for new approaches to assessing research impact - Dr Claire Donovan (Health Economic Research Group, Brunel University)

Tuesday, 4 June 2013 - Tailored implementation intervention methods: a combined IAHS / DOC seminar - Professor Richard Baker (University of Leicester).  Please note this workshop will be held at Med Chi.

All workshops will be held in Room 115 on Level 1 of the Health Sciences Building - Foresterhill, from 12.45pm to 2pm.  For more information or to provide suggestions for future workshops please contact:

Dr Katie Gillies (k.gillies@abdn.ac.uk) or

Dr Niina Kolehmainen (n.kolehmainen@abdn.ac.uk)