International Conference to promote Health Services Research in Wales

Swansea University’s Institute of Life Science is today (December 05, 2007) hosting a prestigious international conference that will promote health services research in Wales, funded by the Welsh Assembly Government. 

The conference, taking place in the Grand Theatre in Swansea, has reached capacity, with 100 guests attending from across the United Kingdom and Ireland.

It focuses on methods of carrying out research that will make a difference to health policy and practice, issues that are central to the aims of the conference partners: Qualitative Inquiry Cymru (QUIC); the All Wales Alliance for R&D in health and social care (AWARD); and the Clinical Research Collaboration Cymru (CRC Cymru).

Key speakers include:• Professor Max Bergman, who is flying in from Switzerland to deliver the first plenary talk.  • Professor Angela Coulter, of the Picker Institute - Europe, who will ensure that the conference retains a strong focus on the patients’ perspectives.• Professor Cathy Pope from the University of Southampton, who will highlight the importance of learning from research, and how to put together findings from research that has been carried out using different approaches• Dr Alicia O’Cathain, from Sheffield, who will discuss her recent research findings about teamworking in research

The conference aims to raise the profile of research in Wales by focussing on the cutting edge topic of how to mix different research methods effectively to achieve robust findings that will be taken seriously by policy makers and practitioners. This will ultimately improve the way that health care is delivered. 

It will also help to build the skills of researchers in Wales and to attract research funding into the region, thereby ensuring that Wales performs well in the international health research arena, producing research to improve patient health and care.

Workshop sessions during the afternoon will stimulate lively debates. The conference will also include an exhibition of stands and research posters that have been selected through an anonymous competitive process. A prize for the best poster will be awarded at the end of the day.

The School of Medicine at Swansea University is one of the UK’s fastest growing research led Graduate Entry Medical schools. Its interdisciplinary research is focused around the new Institute of Life Science, a £50 million partnership between the Welsh Assembly Government, IBM and Swansea University to discover radical new ways to treat disease and deliver health care, while contributing to the economic development of the region.

For further information on the School of Medicine please contact Sabiha Hussain on 01792 602281 or email: sabiha.hussain@swansea.ac.uk