Date/Time: Tuesday 14 May 2024, 5.30pm

Venue: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University

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On Tuesday 14 May, three Postgraduate students from the Faculty of Medical Sciences will describe their quests at the cutting edge of science, and how their research will underpin the medical treatments of tomorrow, and improve our health and care in 'Three tales from the frontier of medical sciences research'.

Two of the students will be selected by a judging panel made up of medical experts. The third student will be chosen by you. Read a summary of each talk below and cast your vote now. Voting will close at 11.30pm on Monday 29 April.

Semi-finalists:

1. Patients as Collaborators in Medical Education: Enhancing Patients’ Active Involvement in Medical Training by Doyin Alao

The patient's voice is increasingly emphasised in medical education. To explore strategies for enhancing patients' active participation in medical training, I gathered insights from patients, students, and tutors. Potential interventions include raising awareness about medical training, improving processes for involving patients, and expanding patients’ roles during consultations. 

2. It’s all up in the air – looking for bugs in the dental clinic by James Allison

During the COVID pandemic, dentists were worried that their instruments, such as drills and scalers, produce fine water sprays (aerosols) which might spread infections in dental clinics. Hear about how dentists addressed this problem to make sure that safe dentistry could be provided for patients and staff.

3. Chemotherapy essential but harmful, how do we best treat cancer? By Laura Booth

Chemotherapy is an essential treatment for cancer, but the powerful chemical used can increase the risk of heart disease. This laboratory research helps understand how the chemicals used in chemotherapy are damaging the heart. The aim will be to ensure the treatments for young people with cancer do not mean serious health problems later in life.

4. The Gut, The Bad and The Ugly by John Clark-Corrigall

The gut is a diverse ecosystem of bacteria, fungi and viruses. Many of our bacteria are beneficial, protecting from pathogens, releasing chemicals and keeping us ticking on, some genuine good (gut) bacteria! Here we look at one probiotic and its interactions with the infamous Salmonella and whether those probiotic products protect.

 

5. Becoming Pregnant after a Baby Loss: Improving Inter-Pregnancy Care for Women with Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes by Ella Dyer

The intricacies of the ‘inter-pregnancy interval’ were explored using the concept of liminality to illuminate the ambiguous and disorienting 'in-between' state between baby loss and becoming pregnant again. Multiple layers of stigmatising processes cluster during this interval, creating significant challenges for women with diabetes who have experienced baby loss.

6. Atlas of the human body: mapping cells across life course and disease by Nusayhah Hudaa Gopee

I will present my work as part of the Human Cell Atlas initiative which aims to map all cells in the human body to understand normal development and disease. I will focus on newly identified roles of immune cells in the developing skin and utilising this to engineer better skin models.