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News at Stirling

Cancer Care Research Centre Open Its Doors

Date released: Monday 30 April 2007

The University of Stirling’s Cancer Care Research Centre (CCRC) will open its doors to the public on Wednesday 2 May 2-6pm. The event is an informal opportunity to discover more about the Centre’s work, including its plans for the future.


CCRC was established in October 2003 with the aim of improving cancer care services throughout the UK. There is no other research centre in the UK which looks solely at cancer care from the patient's viewpoint.


The Centre has been setting up patient and carer advisory groups throughout Scotland to find out which areas in cancer care need to be changed for the better; to discover where cancer care services are working and to allow patients and carers to influence the direction of the Centre’s research. Its research focuses on four main areas:


• The impact of cancer on children and families;
• Cancer as a long-term condition;
• Discovering new ways of assessing and managing symptoms that promote the use of self-care (e.g. using mobile phones in innovative ways).
• Understanding the experiences of older people with cancer.


Bill Culbard, who was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2000 - just 15 months after getting married - but has since been given the all clear, is a member of the Stirling Patient and Carer Advisory Group. He said: "Being part of this group has really made me feel like I can make a difference to what research is carried out by the Cancer Care Research Centre. As a group we have even met with the head of cancer at the Scottish Executive to lobby them to take the findings seriously. Attending these meetings is how I use my experience as someone who has survived cancer to try and improve cancer care."


Christine Phillips is a former cancer patient and works alongside CCRC staff as a co-researcher - she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2001. She has been working with CCRC interviewing Health Board Chief Executives about patient and public involvement. She said: “There is no other research centre in the UK which prioritises cancer care from the patient's viewpoint. To do this successfully means putting patients at the centre of our work. CCRC is unique in its way of working with people affected by cancer - they are not just the "subjects" of the research - but are actively encouraged to guide what research the team do, present findings at conferences and comment on research findings.”

People affected by cancer interested in receiving training on becoming more involved in research are also invited to a meeting at the Cancer Care Research Centre (CCRC), Unit 2, Scion House, Innovation Park, University of Stirling, on Wednesday 16 May at 7pm.

The meeting will be an opportunity for people who are or have been treated for cancer and their family and friends to discuss and put forward ideas on what training CCRC should provide to help people affected by cancer get more involved in the Centre.

Dr Liz Forbat, senior researcher at CCRC, says: “It is essential to involve people who have been affected by cancer - either as patients or relatives/friends of someone with cancer - and make sure we learn from them when we do our research. We know that in the UK as many as one in three people will develop cancer. It is vital that we seek the views of patients and their family/friends’ on how they can get involved in research. We have set up 14 local advisory groups across Scotland to help us to develop our research plans. We regularly speak with members of these groups about their experiences and views of cancer services. The groups advise our research team on what we should be researching and what needs to change in Scottish cancer care.”

For further information contact: cancercare@stir.ac.uk or phone: 01786 849260. Alternatively visit CCRC’s website: www.cancercare.stir.ac.uk

Lesley Wilkinson (née Pollock)
Media Relations Manager
(01786) 467058

For further information:

 
contact us > > >
address

Dr Liz Forbat

University of Stirling

Stirling

FK9 4LA
Scotland

UK

telephone

Tel: +44 (01786) 849260


Stirling Climbs Up The Guardian's League Tables


Date released: Tuesday 1 May 2007

The University of Stirling has leapt up the Guardian’s UK University rankings in recent years. The 2008 University League Tables (published today) show Stirling in 38th place overall. Last year the University was ranked 43rd and the year before that 53rd.

Stirling also fares well in the subject rankings: Education is ranked 3rd in the UK and 1st in Scotland; Media Studies, Communications and Librarianship is ranked 1st in Scotland and Politics is ranked 3rd in Scotland.

The full league tables can be found on The Guardian’s website: http://education.guardian.co.uk/universityguide2008

Lesley Wilkinson (née Pollock)
Media Relations Manager
(01786) 467058

For further information:

 
contact us > > >
address

Lesley Wilkinson

University of Stirling

Stirling

FK9 4LA
Scotland

UK

telephone

Tel: +44 (01786) 467058