£1.2M to Establish an Advanced Medical Image Analysis and Visualization Unit in Wales

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There is unrelenting pressure today for changes to accepted medical practice, particularly as a consequence of legislation such as the European working time directive, and the Calman reforms. In addition, patient safety has been highlighted as a key issue to be addressed by medical process and technology

A collaborative effort from four major universities in Wales, namely Aberystwyth, Cardiff, Swansea and Bangor has succeeded in securing just over £1.2M investment from the WAG National Institute for Social Care and Health Research (NISCHR) to establish an Advanced Medical Image Analysis and Visualization Unit. The bid was led by Prof. Nigel John at Bangor University, and Dr. Xianghua Xie from the Computer Science department is the collaborator at the Swansea University. Some £275K is going to be invested in Swansea to employ two postdoctoral research assistants for three years on Medical Image Analysis.

The main goal of this Biomedical Research Unit (BRU) is to leverage on the world leading expertise in Wales in the area of medical image analysis and visualization to facilitate a translation change in support of medical practice. The BRU will provide unique access to state-of-the art technology that will have significant added value for diagnosis, treatment, rehearsal, education, and training applications. The BRU will be operated by the Research Institute of Visual Computing (RIVIC), a successful pan Wales research collaboration involving Aberystwyth, Cardiff, Swansea and Bangor universities. Project links already exist with NHS partners and many are already working together within a related NISCHR Infrastructure Support Group. The new BRU will be able to assist in all of the clinical areas highlighted in the Science Policy for Wales.

The research unit will employ researchers who are expert in the scientific foundations and application of medical image analysis and visualization techniques. They will be able to draw on the existing expertise and be part of multi-disciplinary collaborations set up with clinical partners. Research work will include collaborating with NHS partners throughout Wales.  

Advanced Medical Image Analysis