The Open University

Gender-responsive education and training to improve doctors’ well-being

4 December 2018

Dr Rajvinder Samra, a Lecturer in the Faculty of Wellbeing, Education & Language Studies at The Open University has provided insight into what the findings of the Global Health 50/50 report means in relation to educating and training the next generation of doctors. The Global Health 50/50 report highlights how many international global health organisations […]

Food banks in demand as pensioners highlighted as one of the most vulnerable age groups

29 November 2018

Britain’s largest food bank, The Trussell Trust has reported that it provided almost 160,000 three-day emergency supplies in December last year, a 49% increase on the monthly average. As this winter looks to be another busy year for food banks across the country, Dr Aravinda Meera Guntupalli, Senior Lecturer in Public Health at The Open University, […]

“Passionate about caring for people” – meet our Trainee Nursing Associates

20 November 2018

This autumn, seven healthcare assistants at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) in King’s Lynn (Norfolk) have embarked on an exciting new two-year apprenticeship programme via the OU. The Trainee Nursing Associate (TNA) programme is part of a national initiative to help bridge the gap between healthcare assistants and registered nurses. The role, which was introduced […]

Helping to bridge the nursing gap – training nursing associates in Norfolk

20 November 2018

The OU is part of an exciting new partnership to deliver further improvements to the care people in Norfolk and Waveney, while helping increase capacity within the NHS and social care workforce. The Trainee Nursing Associate (TNA) programme is part of the Norfolk and Waveney Sustainability and Transformation Partnership – an innovative scheme to further […]

Young people with life-threatening conditions need to talk about sex

15 November 2018

How do young people facing life-limiting or life-threatening conditions handle relationships and talk about sex? Making friends, exploring sex and developing relationships are an important part of becoming an adult. But young people with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions have limited opportunities to learn about relationships and sex. Family, carers and health practitioners can feel ill-prepared […]

Bicycle basket filled with colourful fruit and veg- Pinkyone via Shutterstock

Vegans: why they inspire fear and loathing among meat eaters

31 October 2018

Food critic William Sitwell has resigned as editor of Waitrose’s in-house magazine following a row over his astonishingly hostile response to a freelance journalist who proposed a series of articles on veganism. A statement from the food retailer said that John Brown Media – which produces the Waitrose & Partners Food Magazine – had announced […]

How to manage the digital-related stress of technology

9 October 2018

How can we avoid the stress and anxiety associated with the digital age? Dr Gini Harrison and Dr Mathijs Lucassen give us five tips. In a related article on the dark side of technology, we explored how research is starting to show that smartphone and multimedia use is related to anxiety and poor cognitive function. So, what can […]

New Research Study into Coupledom in Later Life

2 October 2018

As we celebrate the International Day of Older People on October 1st, researchers at The Open University are embarking on a study into one of the major worries for older couples- becoming separated if one of them has to go into a care home. The study, titled ‘Coupledom in later life: living together and apart’, […]

Feet of female - obese - on weighing scales

Could being born to an obese mother increase your risk of Alzheimer’s Disease?

31 August 2018

Figures suggest that 1 in 3 of those born* each year in the UK will develop Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) in their lifetime. The root causes of AD are not fully understood, however, scientists at The Open University (OU) are researching the link between this degenerative disease and those born to obese mothers. Senior Lecturer in […]

Lady Gaga’s Twitter blunder and why speculating about suicide after a celebrity death is problematic

13 August 2018

Lady Gaga’s apology “if I spoke too soon” about the tragic passing of Rick Genest – a Canadian artist, actor, and fashion model, also known as Zombie Boy – highlights how difficult it can be to talk about sudden and unexpected deaths. The superstar who has 76m Twitter followers, retracted tweets that referred to Genest’s […]

OU News

Category: Health