IMSR is hosting a series of free online events on Saturday, 19th June 2021 as part of our first online ‘We Are IMSR Festival’. This is a mini-festival of events bringing together researchers from across all four major themes in the IMSR. Expect endocrinologists, maternal health experts, quantitative scientists and metabolism researchers, and more! They will all be collaborating to share their work with the public, and you are invited to join us!
IMSR will also be running with local schools in June as part of the festival too. This includes a half-day Science Masterclass on June 18th, supported with funding from the Society for Endocrinology. This will be a hybridf event with activities taking place live at the school as well as over Zoom! We are excited for both our school events and our general public events and we will share updates on how these events went next month!
Please do join us for our public programme, details below!
We Are IMSR Community Festival – Public Programme, 19th June
IMSR is hosting our mini-festival of online events this June, including specific activities with schools as well as events open to the public. Join us on Saturday 19th June for a number of different events, including:
The Role of Diet in Diabetes [9.30 am – 10.45 am] Register for this free event HERE.
Research has shown that eating a healthy balanced diet can both prevent and manage diabetes and its complications. But what is a healthy, balanced diet and how does food play a role in the development of diabetes? Join researchers in the Institute of Metabolism & Systems Research (IMSR) at University of Birmingham for an easy-to-understand overview and informal discussion of the role of diet in type 2 diabetes and gestational diabetes (which can develop during pregnancy). In particular, we will discuss what diabetes is and highlight new research looking at the best diet for managing diabetes, how the brain senses food, and how different types of fat contribute towards the health of insulin-producing cells of the pancreas. This is a free event and all are welcome. The event may be of particular interest to those with diabetes, however, content will be suitable for all to understand.
Power of the Patient Voice [11 am – 12 noon] Register for this free event HERE.
At the Institute of Metabolism & Systems Research (IMSR) at the University of Birmingham, we are committed to engaging and involving patients and their support networks in our research. We firmly believe that lived experience perspectives can be invaluable in prioritizing and improving the quality of research. IMSR frequently works in collaboration with patient charities that play a vital role in advocating on behalf of patients and their families. For this event, we invite you to meet a number of charities and lived experience representatives collaborating with IMSR researchers. You’ll find out more about their work and we will also discuss what else can be done to better coordinate research advocacy efforts in general. We are pleased to be joined by:
- Jo Grey, CEO of AMEND and Professor Wiebke Arlt
- Lorraine Williams, Director of The Thyroid Trust, artist Vicky Roden and Professor Chris McCabe
- Kristine Stacke, Trustee of Verity and Dr. Punith Kempegowda
PCOS Awareness: How do we engage others by working together? [12.30 pm – 1.30 pm] Register for this free event HERE. 
Join us for a special 1-hour workshop in collaboration with some of the DAISy-PCOS Leaders and Kristine Stacke, a charity representative from Verity – The UK PCOS Charity, as well as researchers working on the DAISy-PCOS research project in the Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research (IMSR) at the University of Birmingham. We will discuss what polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is and why it is important to engage other people on this important topic. In particular, we’ll explore Awareness Months and Events: We’ll discuss what motivates people to take part in awareness-raising events and we’ll even dream up ideas for how to engage others by working together in friendly and informal breakout discussions. This is a free, event and all are welcome. We would particularly like to encourage people with polycystic ovary syndrome to join us, as we would love to hear your views and ideas for how to raise awareness and engage wider society on PCOS.