HealthUEA launches
By: Communications
HealthUEA, the University’s third strategic research theme, launches a new web presence and awareness campaign this week celebrating the remarkable health research taking place here at UEA and across the Norwich Research Park.
From revolutionising heart disease diagnosis with 4d imaging technology to developing health interventions to support pregnant people to stay smoke-free, the campaign highlights examples of remarkable UEA collaborations, ground-breaking advancements, and health interventions with impact.
Following the successful development of ClimateUEA and CreativeUEA, this third important strategic research theme for the University, was created as a response to an awareness of growing health challenges at the local, national, and global level. The theme will play a crucial role in supporting and sharing health-related research, promoting collaborations and interdisciplinarity, and further developing UEA’s established profile in the field.
Critical health issues such as antibiotic resistance, long-Covid and the spread of new infectious diseases, the mental health crisis, healthcare accessibility, and the effects of global heating, to name just a few, continue to offer significant challenge to those working to improve healthcare for all.
UEA, where innovative health research takes place across all four faculties, is well placed to answer these challenges. Researchers bring diverse expertise to tackle health issues. For example, we are using laboratory models to transform our understanding of health and disease; establishing the impact of nutrition and physical activity on health outcomes; improving mental health support for adolescents; advancing workplace wellbeing, and utilizing the power of art, stories, and drama to yield new ways of understanding ourselves and our health.
Led by Prof Ian Clark, a Professor of Musculoskeletal Biology in the School of Biological Sciences, HealthUEA aims to bring researchers together and foster a collaborative and interdisciplinary approach to research, working with the community and external partners to deliver impactful solutions.
Prof Ian Clark said: “I'm privileged to lead HealthUEA. It will both shine a light on the great health research already happening in Norwich and bring together researchers with diverse expertise to add value to health outcomes.”
A series of short films have also been created for the launch, to introduce the benefits that HealthUEA will bring to the University and highlight some of the great health-related research already being carried out by UEA academics.
You can view these, along with more information on the HealthUEA webpage, and one of these films, featuring Prof Ian Clark, is below:
Additionally, HealthUEA aspires to increase collaborative projects with world-leading partner institutes across the Norwich Research Park, including the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital. The geographical proximity of all partners gives the site unique research opportunities.
UEA is also proud to be a civic university, listening to local voices and developing partnerships and projects to improve the health of citizens in our region; initiatives such as the Norwich Institute for Healthy Aging, the UEA Health and Social Care Partners, the Norfolk Initiative for Coastal and rural Health Equalities (NICHE) and the Citizens Academy, where we empower the local community to participate in research, to ensure their voices shape the future of healthcare.
Prof Brian Reid said: “Following the great success of ClimateUEA and CreativeUEA over the past few years, it’s hugely exciting to be launching a third strategic theme around something that impacts on all of us: health.
“HealthUEA will provide us with greater opportunities to showcase our inspirational, world-leading health research and to further promote our work across faculties and with partner organisations. I hope as many colleagues as possible take the time to watch the promotional videos and to register for the HealthUEA workshops in the new year.”
Prof Konstantinos Chalvatis, ClimateUEA Chair, said: "At ClimateUEA, we are excited about the HealthUEA launch because of the significance of climate change's health-related impacts. We have identified the intersection between health and climate research as one of our priority growth areas and are looking forward to working with experts across NRP to improve our understanding of the impacts and our preparedness to respond effectively."
Prof John Gordon, CreativeUEA Chair, said: "The launch of HealthUEA further strengthens UEA’s strategic approach to interdisciplinary research and its capacity to connect across themes. At CreativeUEA, we look forward to collaboration with HealthUEA to support our university’s leading work in areas such as the medical humanities, and in developing innovative participatory-creative research methods."
So, whether you're a researcher or a potential partner looking to collaborate, HealthUEA would like to hear from you. Register for their mailing list on the HealthUEA website and follow them on Twitter/X and LinkedIn to keep updated on events and news. To get in touch regarding collaboration, please contact health@uea.ac.uk.
Related Articles
Patients find it useful to receive quit smoking help while at hospital A&E
Giving out vapes at A&E boosted patients’ confidence to switch away from smoking, according to new research.
Read more
New analysis uncovers significant decrease in mental health staffing during austerity
The NHS mental health workforce decreased significantly during austerity, with notable disparity in staffing levels across the country, according to a new review.
Read more
UEA to host new unit for gastrointestinal study
Norwich will be the home of a new state-of-the-art health unit into the study of gastrointestinal infections, thanks to a £1.8m funding boost for the University of East Anglia (UEA) and a further £1m for the Quadram Institute Bioscience (QIB).
Read more