Talha Qaiser, a PhD student in the Tissue Image Analytics (TIA) lab, successfully defended his PhD thesis titled "Topology and Attention in Computational Pathology" on Thu the 13th of June 2019. The thesis was supervised by Prof Nasir Rajpoot and involved collaborations with the University Hospital Coventry & Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust (Prof David Snead, Dr Yee Wah Tsang), Department of Mathematics (Prof David Epstein), Warwick Medical School (Prof Paul Thornalley) and the Universities of Nottingham, Birmingham, Osaka and Hiroshima.

We are deeply saddened to confirm that Josh Hill, a second year student studying Data Science has passed away in hospital overnight on Monday 10 June, following a fall in the Mathematical Sciences Building.

Head of Statistics Professor Barbel Finkenstadt said:

“The whole department is deeply saddened and distressed by the death of this lovely, gentle and kind young man. Our thoughts are with Josh’s family.”

If you would like support during this difficult time, please contact Wellbeing Support Services. You can call the team on 024 76 575570, ext. 75570 or visit https://warwick.ac.uk/services/supportservices or https://warwick.ac.uk/services/healthsafetywellbeing/well-being/employeeassistanceprogramme for more details.

Congratulations to the XMaS Science Gala team, comprised of Natacha Borrel and Monica Ciomaga Hatnean, who have made it onto the shortlist for the 2019 University Awards.

The winners will be announced at the Staff Summer Party on 24 June.

Warwick colleagues select some of the most important elements to them from the Periodic Table, an idea first presented by Russian chemist Dmitrii Mendeleev 150 years ago this month.

• Dr Munehiro Asally, Dr James Stratford and colleagues, showed that bioelectrical signals from bacteria can be used to rapidly determine if they are alive or dead.
• The findings offer a new technology which detects live bacteria in minutes instead of waiting for lab-test results which can take days.
• When 'zapped' with an electrical field, live bacteria absorb dye molecules, causing the cells to light up and allowing them to be counted easily.
• This rapid technique can detect antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Press Release

To celebrate International Women in Engineering Day and 100 years of the Women's Engineering Society (WES), the School of Engineering will be hosting WES member, Sally Friswell from Arup Engineering who will be giving a talk about her experiences and career path in Engineering.

WMG at the University of Warwick has launched an exciting new fusion science degree, accredited by the National School of Healthcare Science as part of Health Education England, and is designed specifically to train people for a brand new, and first of its kind health role within the NHS - Digital Healthcare Scientist.

The BSc degree, which has been developed in partnership with University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust, will be open as both a full-time undergraduate course, and a Degree Apprenticeship.

Graduating students will be eligible to apply for membership of the Academy for Healthcare Sciences under the new heading of Digital Healthcare Science. This represents the formation of a new healthcare professional and a new branch within the Academy, the first for many years.

The course has been designed with the aim of augmenting the existing workforce in the NHS and breaking down silos, adopting a fusion science approach: taking into consideration aspects of digital science, academic and professional development, clinical decision making, physiological science and behavioural science. Students will learn in an integrated way, applying knowledge, and ensuring that no subject is taught in isolation from any other.

Four fusion sciences: Behavioural Science, Healthcare and Physiological Sciences, Digital Healthcare, and Shared Clinical Decision-making, will be interwoven throughout the programme giving students a breadth of scientific training.

Professor Ed Peile, from the University of Warwick comments:

“Rarely do patients and health service users have a single problem. They have multiple, often complex, problems affecting their health and wellbeing. Thus, the help they need is not confined to a single discipline. They need broad, holistic, scientific professionalism.

“The ‘Fusion Science’ approach developed here is specifically designed to ensure that the new Digital Healthcare Science workforce can meet these needs”.

Tim Jones, Executive Director of Workforce & Innovation at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust comments:

“This is an exciting new degree which will help us train people for a significant new role in the NHS. University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust is also offering six full-time undergraduate students the opportunity for a paid summer vacation placement at the end of the first year of study.”

Berne Ferry, Head of the National School of Healthcare Science, adds:

“The National School of Healthcare Science has been closely involved in initiatives to develop a health workforce fit for the digital future. This includes the use of digital technologies and computer science in all areas of healthcare from artificial intelligence and bioinformatics to patient-focused apps and devices. We are delighted to see universities such as Warwick working quickly and responsively with the health service to develop exciting new programmes to meet these needs.”

The programme would suit students who are interested in medical and healthcare sciences, life sciences, data sciences or psychology. For more information on where to apply please call +44 (0) 2476 525724

ENDS

11 JUNE 2019

NOTES TO EDITORS

The programme would suit students who are interested in medical and healthcare sciences, life sciences, data sciences or psychology. For more information on where to apply please call +44 (0) 2476 525724

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Alice Scott
Media Relations Manager – Science
University of Warwick
Tel: +44 (0) 2476 574 255 or +44 (0) 7920 531 221
E-mail: alice.j.scott@warwick.ac.uk

We announce with regret that Dr Jack Cohen died on 6th May 2019 at the age of 85. Jack was a joint Consultant to the Mathematics Institute and Ecosystems Analysis and Epidemiology Unit in the Biology Department of Warwick University from 1996-2000, and an Honorary Professor in the Mathematics Department.

Congratulations to our Dean of Medicine, Professor Sudhesh Kumar, who has been awarded an OBE for services to medicine and diabetes care in the Queen's Birthday Honours.