Whoopsie: double entry

Forgot to write my blog yesterday: "quel dommage!"

But just to show that I wasn't actually just goofing off somewhere...

Met with Disaster Management colleague Fang yesterday to plan the first draft of our paper for the conference in Florida next year. 

Have spent a lot of today reading details on various funding sites, including The British Academy, to whom I may be requesting help with conference travel costs.

Also spent time discussing marks with my co-assessor of MSc Health Psychology dissertation projects.  Some great studies:

• The experience of male breast cancer
• Assessing shared decision making in healthcare consultations
• The experience of women alcoholics
• The psychological impact of eczema
• Health information-seeking via the internet

We hope that some of our students will eventually submit their work for publication.

Psychosocial support needs in polycystic ovary syndrome

Nice visit to Stratford upon Avon today to speak at the Endocrine Nurse Update about psychosocial support needs in polycystic ovary syndrome.

I also heard some presentations that got me thinking.  While much of the biochemistry and physiology went over my head, I was struck by case presentations focused on endocrine cancers.

I thought I'd have a look at what work has been done on the psychosocial impact of these conditions (for example, multiple endocrine neoplasias), and indeed on supportive interventions. Although there have been calls for more work in this area, not much seems to have been published yet.  Perhaps one for a student on our MSc Health Psychology to look at researching for a dissertation project...

Picture: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/Stratford_Armouries_Elephant.jpg

A life on the ocean wave!

hmmm... Back after a few days holiday bobbing about in the Norfolk Broads.  I know it's probably raining there now but it still seems kind of appealing.

It's freshers week here, which means the streets of Coventry are vibrant/crawling with bright young things (depending on your point of view).

I am feeling ever so slightly smug as my sabbatical has started, meaning I am somewhat remote from the frenetic activities that herald a new academic year. 

I had a very fruitful meeting with PhD student today to discuss her plans for research on assistance dogs.  We are thinking about possible publications already.

Photo credits: Rope by Richardsons of Stalham, cardigan and trousers (just seen) knitted by the late Mrs Nimmons, Blackrock Road, Randalstown; hat - model's own.

"As a new user to the service..."Oh no I'm not!!!!!

You know how I'd almost finished my presentation for the Endocrine Nurse Update... 

Just needed to do the reference list.  About to do it this morning when disaster* struck. 

I've got in excess of 20,000 references in my RefWorks database - going back to student days in mid 1990's.  When I used EndNote, I always had a back up copy of the database, but now the University has ceased to support EndNote and switched to RefWorks, I don't have that facility.  On logging in this morning I was greeted as a new user (with no references) and invited to CREATE my database.  Horror...

I have been assured that RefWorks know about the problem, which appears to be affecting all Coventry University users.  I just hope they get it sorted out soon.

On a less frustrating note: did a telephone interview with a journalist today, about the work Glenn Furnell and I presented about the experience of Midlanders whose homes were flash flooded.  Have also seen three very interesting papers that have been published in the interim:

Carroll et al 2009 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18996730

Carroll et al 2010 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20618385

Mason et al 2010 http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a918846798~db=all~jumptype=rss


*I realise of course that the meaning of this word is somewhat context-specific ;-)