Some face-to-face events are returning. Check carefully for any requirements.

Jun
21
Fri
Surgical Grand Round: Mr Ravish Jootun and Mr Will Perry @ Lecture Theatre 1, Academic Centre, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford
Jun 21 @ 8:00 am – 9:00 am
Surgical Grand Round: Mr Ravish Jootun and Mr Will Perry @ Lecture Theatre 1, Academic Centre, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford

As part of the Surgical Grand Rounds lecture series, hosted by the Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences:

Mr Ravish Jootun will present “Towards 0% 90-day Colorectal mortality: Accepting a low floor in the anastomotic leak rate plus safe rescue using an early warning integrated model”

Mr Will Perry will present “University of Auckland’s Global Surgery Group: the Republic of Vanuatu – a growing collaboration”

Jul
2
Tue
Farmland birds, insects and wild flowers: a case for joined-up thinking? – Dr Alan Larkman @ St Margaret's Institute 30 Polstead Road, Oxford
Jul 2 @ 8:00 pm – 9:15 pm
Farmland birds, insects and wild flowers: a case for joined-up thinking? - Dr Alan Larkman @ St Margaret's Institute 30 Polstead Road, Oxford

Dr Larkman is a retired Oxford biologist who has been chairman of OOS for the last 5 years. His main interest is the precipitous decline in the UK’s small, seed-eating farmland birds over the last 50 years.

Sep
3
Tue
Track and Sign – the naturalist’s forgotten skill – Bob Cowley @ St Margaret's Institute 30 Polstead Road, Oxford
Sep 3 @ 8:00 pm – 9:15 pm
Track and Sign - the naturalist's forgotten skill - Bob Cowley @ St Margaret's Institute 30 Polstead Road, Oxford

The ability to accurately identify and interpret Track and Sign rests on a body of traditional knowledge that previous generations of naturalists would have regarded as fundamental. Sadly, now it is largely unknown and untaught, but with the upsurge of Citizen Science, it is perhaps more relevant than ever.

Sep
7
Sat
Like Riding a Bike @ John Henry Brookes Building
Sep 7 @ 10:00 am – 4:30 pm
Like Riding a Bike @ John Henry Brookes Building

A conference exploring how we can get people who used to cycle, or have never cycled, onto bikes, and the role of virtual reality cycling.

Come and join us for a day full of informative talks, interactive workshops, cycle tours, an expert panel and demos and rides on ebikes and adapted bikes!

Ticket price includes lunch and refreshments.Who is this event for?

Council officers, elected councillors, transport and environmental campaign groups (local and national), Cyclox members, community organisations interested in transport, active travel and health, local businesses and educational institutions, academic, other professional experts, and interested members of the public (whether you cycle or don’t cycle).

By the end of the conference you will know how to:

> Create an age friendly locality, as a low traffic neighbourhood
> Share best practice case studies of effective interventions for active travel linking soft and hard measures
> Communicate the benefits of eBikes and how they can get people back cycling
> Convey the opportunities virtual reality can play in increasing activity for people who are housebound
> Contribute to the post-conference guide to promoting uptake of cycling

The conference is organised by Cyclox, the cycle campaign for Oxford, and Oxford Brookes University; it follows on from the University’s cycle BOOM research and current Co-CAFE project (www.cycleboom.org , www.co-cafe.org).

Sep
27
Fri
Oxford Medical CE Marking Forum Interactive “Virtual” Seminar @ Register to get Zoom dial in details
Sep 27 @ 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Oxford Medical CE Marking Forum Interactive "Virtual" Seminar @ Register to get Zoom dial in details

Interested in medical device regulation? Get together with experts within the University and other researchers to discuss aspects of Medical Device Regulation relevant to your innovation. You can join us online at the comfort of your own desk!

Topic: Software classification

Who should attend? People interested in bringing a medical device to the market or interested in the medical device regulation.

Joining instructions: Further instructions on how to join the Zoom webinar will be made available to you after registration of the event

Oct
1
Tue
From Slime to Society – Professor Mark Fricker @ St Margaret's Institute
Oct 1 @ 8:00 pm – 9:15 pm
From Slime to Society - Professor Mark Fricker @ St Margaret's Institute

Slime moulds thrive in damp woodlands and normally spread over rotting logs eating bacteria and fungi. They are also unusual in being single giant cells that show remarkably sophisticated behaviour considering their humble form. This talk presents a little vignette of the science behind these curious beasts and how it has led to better understanding of other networked systems, and even the origins of civilisation.

Oct
14
Mon
“The technology trap – capital, labour and power in the age of automation” with Carl Benedikt Frey @ Oxford Martin School
Oct 14 @ 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm

In this book talk the Author, Carl Benedikt Frey, will discuss how the Industrial Revolution was a defining moment in history, but how few grasped its enormous consequences at the time. Now that we are in the midst of another technological revolution how can the lessons of the past can help us to more effectively face the present?

This talk will be followed by a book sale, signing and drinks reception. All welcome.

Safe and effective drugs: the need to use all the available evidence to inform the effectiveness of commonly used medicines @ Rewley House
Oct 14 @ 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm
Safe and effective drugs: the need to use all the available evidence to inform the effectiveness of commonly used medicines @ Rewley House

Professor Carl Heneghan will talk about his involvement in Tamiflu research that led to the discovery of 170,000 pages of clinical study reports, the subsequent development of Alltrials he was involved in and the current epidemic of publication and reporting bias that plagues much of the current research evidence.

Carl Heneghan, Professor of Evidence-Based Medicine, employs evidence-based methods to research diagnostic reasoning, test accuracy and communicating diagnostic results to a wider audience.

This talk is being held as part of the Practice of Evidence-Based Health Care module which is part of the MSc in Evidence-Based Health Care and the MSc in EBHC Systematic Reviews. Members of the public are welcome to attend.

Oct
18
Fri
Surgical Grand Rounds: ‘Talking to cancer patients – do not promise what you cannot deliver’ @ Lecture Theatre 1, Academic Centre, John Radcliffe Hospital
Oct 18 @ 8:00 am – 9:00 am
Surgical Grand Rounds: 'Talking to cancer patients - do not promise what you cannot deliver' @ Lecture Theatre 1, Academic Centre, John Radcliffe Hospital

As part of the Surgical Grand Rounds lecture series, hosted by the Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences, Professor Michael Griffin OBE will present ‘Talking to cancer patients – do not promise what you cannot deliver’.

Professor Michael Griffin OBE became President of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in 2018, when he was a Consultant Oesophagogastric surgeon at the Royal Victoria Infirmary. He developed the Northern Oesophagogastric Cancer Unit which is now the largest in Europe and North America. A Council member since 2009, he is Chair of the Joint Committee for Intercollegiate Examinations (JCIE) and Professor of Gastrointestinal Surgery at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. His clinical and research interests have been focused on early diagnosis and radical treatment of oesophagogastric cancers. He was awarded an OBE for services to cancer health care in 2013.

“Psychologically informed micro-targeted political campaigns: the use and abuse of data” with Dr Jens Koed Madsen @ Oxford Martin School
Oct 18 @ 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Data-driven micro-targeted campaigns have become a main stable of political strategy. As personal and societal data becomes more accessible, we need to understand how it can be used and mis-used in political campaigns and whether it is relevant to regulate political candidates’ access to data.

This book talk will be followed by a drinks reception and book sale, all welcome

Oct
21
Mon
Gene therapy for rare diseases @ Oxford Deaf and Hard of Hearing Centre
Oct 21 @ 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Gene therapy for rare diseases @ Oxford Deaf and Hard of Hearing Centre

Breakthroughs using gene therapy and gene editing are regularly in the news, but how close in reality are we to them to be used to treat actual patients? Professor of Molecular Therapy and Co-Director of the Gene Medicine Research Group, Steve Hyde sorts the fact from the fiction as he discusses how viruses are being re-purposed to treat rare diseases such as leukaemia, blindness and haemophilia.

Oct
23
Wed
Turtle Doves, trial plots and Trichomonas: understanding and conserving the UK’s rarest dove. – Dr Jenny Dunn @ Exeter Hall
Oct 23 @ 6:45 pm – 9:15 pm
Turtle Doves, trial plots and Trichomonas: understanding and conserving the UK’s rarest dove. - Dr Jenny Dunn @ Exeter Hall

Bernard Tucker Memorial Lecture – Joint with Oxford Ornithological Society

Nov
1
Fri
Surgical Grand Round: ‘Using research to change paradigms in diagnosing and managing early prostate cancer’ @ Lecture Theatre 1, Academic Centre, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford
Nov 1 @ 8:00 am – 9:00 am
Surgical Grand Round: 'Using research to change paradigms in diagnosing and managing early prostate cancer' @ Lecture Theatre 1, Academic Centre, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford

As part of the Surgical Grand Round lecture series, hosted by the Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences, Mr Vincent Gnanapragasam from the University of Cambridge will discuss ‘Using research to change paradigms in diagnosing and managing early prostate cancer’.

Nov
8
Fri
Surgical Grand Round: Public-private partnerships in elective surgery @ Lecture Theatre 1, Academic Centre, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford
Nov 8 @ 8:00 am – 9:00 am
Surgical Grand Round: Public-private partnerships in elective surgery @ Lecture Theatre 1, Academic Centre, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford

As part of the Surgical Grand Round lecture series, hosted by the Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences, Professor Chris Lavy from the Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences will present ‘Public-private partnerships in elective surgery’.

Nov
11
Mon
Erling Kagge – Philosophy for Polar Explorers @ Blackwell's Bookshop
Nov 11 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Blackwell’s is thrilled to be welcoming Erling Kagge to discuss his new book ‘Philosophy for Polar Explorers’.

Synopsis
Erling Kagge was the first man in history to reach all of the Earth’s poles by foot – the North, the South, and the summit of Everest. In ‘Philosophy for Polar Explorers’ he brings together the wisdom and expertise he has gained from the expeditions that have taken him to the limits of the earth, and of human endurance.

This is the essential guide to the art of exploration. In sixteen meditative but practical lessons – from cultivating an optimistic outlook, to getting up at the right time, to learning to find focus and comfort in solitude – Erling Kagge reveals what survival in the most extreme conditions can teach us about how to lead a meaningful life. Wherever we may be headed.

Erling Kagge is a Norwegian explorer who was the first in history to reach the ‘three poles’ – North, South and the summit of Everest. He now lives in Oslo where he runs a publishing house. He is the author of multiple books, including ‘Silence’, which is published in 38 languages, and ‘Walking’.

Tickets for this event are £5. Doors will open at 6.45pm when there will be a small bar available to purchase drinks. For more information, please contact our Customer Service Desk on 01865 333 623 or email events.oxford@blackwell.co.uk

Nov
12
Tue
“Migration: the movement of humankind from prehistory to the present” with Prof Robin Cohen @ Oxford Martin School
Nov 12 @ 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Migration is present at the dawn of human history – the phenomena of hunting and gathering, seeking seasonal pasture and nomadism being as old as human social organisation itself.

The flight from natural disasters, adverse climatic changes, famine, and territorial aggression by other communities or other species were also common occurrences.

But if migration is as old as the hills, why is it now so politically sensitive? Why do migrants leave? Where do they go, in what numbers and for what reasons? Do migrants represent a threat to the social and political order? Are they none-the-less necessary to provide labour, develop their home countries, increase consumer demand and generate wealth? Can migration be stopped? One of Britain’s leading migration scholars, Robin Cohen, will probe these issues in this talk

Please register via the link provided.

This talk will be followed by a book sale, signing and drinks reception, all welcome. Copies available at half price — £10 — to cash buyers only.

Nov
14
Thu
Evidence isn’t enough: The politics and practicalities of communicating health research @ Rewley House
Nov 14 @ 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Evidence isn't enough: The politics and practicalities of communicating health research @ Rewley House

The logic and principles behind the drive for evidence-based health care are so compelling that often the limitations of evidence go unacknowledged. Despite a strong evidence base demonstrating the health risks associated with higher body weights, and health professionals routinely instructing patients to lose weight to improve their health, the incidence of obesity is predicted to continue to rise. Calling on his research into the relationships between obesity, inequality and health, Oli Williams – a fellow of The Healthcare Improvement Studies Institute – will argue that when it comes to reducing the burden on, and improving, health care a more critical approach to the way we generate, select, apply and communicate evidence is needed.

Oli Williams completed his PhD in the Department of Sociology at the University of Leicester. He was subsequently awarded the NIHR CLAHRC West Dan Hill Fellowship in Health Equity which he held at the University of Bath. He later re-joined the University of Leicester in the Department of Health Sciences working in the SAPPHIRE Group and is now based at King’s College London after being awarded a THIS Institute Postdoctoral Fellowship. His research focuses on health inequalities, the promotion of healthy lifestyles, obesity, weight stigma, equitable intervention and co-production. He co-founded the art collective Act With Love (AWL) to promote social change. The Weight of Expectation comic is one example of their work, view others at: www.actwithlove.co.uk In recognition of his work on weight stigma the British Science Association invited Oli to deliver the Margaret Mead Award Lecture for Social Sciences at the British Science Festival 2018.

This talk is being held as part of the Qualitative Research Methods course which is part of the Evidence-Based Health Care Programme. This is a free event and members of the public are welcome to attend.

Nov
15
Fri
The Next Generation of Medical Devices @ Main Seminar Room, Earth Sciences
Nov 15 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
The Next Generation of Medical Devices @ Main Seminar Room, Earth Sciences

Join us to learn about the progress being made in biomaterials, the next generation of innovative solutions that aim to tackle current health challenges, and what it takes to start your own venture. The event will feature talks from two prominent individuals, Dr Nick Skaer (CEO of Orthox) and Dr Nick Edwards (Co-Founder of MedInnovate and Chairman of Satie8). Dr Skaer has over 25 years’ experience in life science and materials research, and 14 years as a medtech CEO, raising over £18m. Dr Edwards has over 30 years’ experience in supporting pharmaceutical companies as ex- Global Lead of Accenture’s Pharmaceutical R&D business and current Chairman of Prescient Healthcare Group. He is a Founder of MedInnovate and an investor and supporter of life-science start-ups as well as current Chairman of Satie8.

There will be a networking & drinks reception after the event.

The event is free as always. Spots are limited, so get registered today on:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-next-generation-of-medical-devices-tickets-76955848013

Nov
20
Wed
Pharma and Big Data: The Healthcare Revolution @ Department of Pharmacology
Nov 20 @ 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
Pharma and Big Data: The Healthcare Revolution @ Department of Pharmacology

This is an exclusive event brought to you by the SIU in partnership with the Oxford Pharmacology Society. The application of big data and genomics in healthcare is vast, with tremendous opportunities to revolutionise current methods of diagnosing and treating diseases. Although, patient specific data is a powerful tool that can accelerate the development and translation of novel drugs and therapeutics, there are limitations to overcome. This event will take a closer look at the role of industries, academics, clinicians and healthcare policy makers in encouraging the translation of ideas into real-world solutions and the challenges within each sector. To discuss this, we will be hosting Dr Jeffrey Barrett (CSO and Director of Genomics Plc), Dr Michelle van Velthoven (Sir David Cooksey Fellow in Healthcare Translation at the University of Oxford) and Dr Amitava Banerjee (Associate Professor in Clinical Data Science at University College London).
The event will be on the 20th November at 17h30pm – 19h00, in the Department of Pharmacology. There will be a free networking & drinks reception after the event.
The event is free as always. Spots are limited, so get registered today on https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/pharma-and-big-data-the-healthcare-revolution-tickets-80628276345

Dec
3
Tue
Dragonflies in Focus – Brian Walker @ St Margaret's Institute
Dec 3 @ 8:00 pm – 9:15 pm

The talk will provide an overview of dragonflies and their life cycles and habitats as well illustrating a number of species that occur in England including those that are currently colonising from the Continent and increasing in numbers.

Dec
4
Wed
“Nano comes to life” with Prof Sonia Contera @ Oxford Martin School
Dec 4 @ 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm

In this book talk, Professor Sonia Contera will talk about how Nanotechnology is transforming medicine and the future of biology.

Please register via the link provided. This book talk will be followed by a drinks reception, book sale and book signing, all welcome.

Leadership for diversity and inclusion – lessons from the UK civil service @ Saïd Business School
Dec 4 @ 5:45 pm – 6:45 pm
Leadership for diversity and inclusion - lessons from the UK civil service @ Saïd Business School

Inaugural event in our new events series focusing on responsible leadership: Driving Diversity and Inclusion Seminar Series.

Progress on diversity in the UK civil service and why it matters. How the dial only really shifted on gender, and why the focus is now on inclusion and addressing bullying and harassment. What the good leaders are doing?

Dame Sue Owen will give a talk followed by a Q&A with the audience moderated by Sue Dopson, Rhodes Trust Professor of Organisational Behaviour, Fellow of Green Templeton College, Deputy Dean of Saïd Business School.

Event Schedule:
17:15 – Registration opens
17:45 – Event starts
18:45 – Drinks reception
19:45 – Close

Jan
13
Mon
On the Trail of the Leopard @ OU Museum of Natural History
Jan 13 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
On the Trail of the Leopard @ OU Museum of Natural History

Tara Pirie recalls her three years living in a tent, while tracking and gathering data on these elusive, but beautiful big cats. She is now one of the world’s leading experts on Leopard ecology and conservation.

Jan
20
Mon
Conflicts of Interest in Medicine: Why it’s time for a UK Sunshine Act @ Rewley House
Jan 20 @ 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm
Conflicts of Interest in Medicine: Why it's time for a UK Sunshine Act @ Rewley House

Should doctors with commercial interests lead research on their products? Should we forget ‘conflicts’ and discuss ‘declarations of interest’ instead? Who should hold and maintain conflicts of interest registers for doctors? Should practicing doctors work with the pharma industry as well as serve on guideline committees? Should researchers with extensive financial interests be disqualified from studies of their own products?

The Physician Payments Sunshine Act requires US manufacturers to collect, track and report all financial relationships with clinicians and teaching hospitals. Professor Heneghan will discuss the failings with the current system of reporting of conflicts in medicine, what’s been tried so far, and why it is time for a UK Sunshine Act.

Carl Heneghan, Professor of Evidence-Based Medicine, employs evidence-based methods to research diagnostic reasoning, test accuracy and communicating diagnostic results to a wider audience.

This talk is being held as part of the Practice of Evidence-Based Health Care module which is part of the MSc in Evidence-Based Health Care and the MSc in EBHC Systematic Reviews. Members of the public are welcome to attend.

Jan
21
Tue
“A world without work: technology, automation and how we should respond” with Daniel Susskind @ Oxford Martin School
Jan 21 @ 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm

New technologies have always provoked panic about workers being replaced by machines.

In the past, such fears have been misplaced, and many economists maintain that they remain so today. Yet in A World Without Work, Daniel Susskind shows why this time really is different. Advances in artificial intelligence mean that all kinds of jobs are increasingly at risk.

Susskind will argue that machines no longer need to reason like us in order to outperform us. Increasingly, tasks that used to be beyond the capability of computers – from diagnosing illnesses to drafting legal contracts – are now within their reach. The threat of technological unemployment is real.

So how can we all thrive in a world with less work? Susskind will remind us that technological progress could bring about unprecedented prosperity, solving one of mankind’s oldest problems: making sure that everyone has enough to live on. The challenge will be to distribute this prosperity fairly, constrain the burgeoning power of Big Tech, and provide meaning in a world where work is no longer the centre of our lives.

This talk will be followed by a drinks reception, book sale and signing, all welcome.

Feb
4
Tue
David Stern: Neural Evolution of Context-Dependent Fly Song @ Oxford Martin School
Feb 4 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Flexibility and rigour in the “unconscious tradition of compromise” – the first five years of the National Plant (and habitat) Monitoring Scheme – Dr Oli Pescott @ St Margaret's Institute
Feb 4 @ 8:00 pm – 9:15 pm
Flexibility and rigour in the "unconscious tradition of compromise" - the first five years of the National Plant (and habitat) Monitoring Scheme - Dr Oli Pescott @ St Margaret's Institute

Warburg Memorial Lecture – Joint with BBOWT
Volunteer-based botanical monitoring has been a mainstay of British and Irish botany for decades, but only recently has a recording scheme for plant communities been established. Dr Pescott outlines the history of this new National Plant Monitoring Scheme, with a particular focus on the challenges and rewards that have been associated with establishing this novel approach in the UK.

Feb
10
Mon
Overdiagnosis and Lung Cancer Screening @ Rewley House
Feb 10 @ 5:00 pm – 5:30 pm
Overdiagnosis and Lung Cancer Screening @ Rewley House

Overdiagnosis is the diagnosis of “disease” that will never cause symptoms or death during a patient’s lifetime.

Recent results of the NELSON Lung Cancer Screening Trial reports reductions in lung-cancer survival but not overall survival – The desire to detect disease even earlier means Overdiagnosis is on the rise, however, the interpretation of screening trial results is problematic and often gives rise to significant uncertainties that go unanswered.

Carl Heneghan, Professor of Evidence-Based Medicine, employs evidence-based methods to research diagnostic reasoning, test accuracy and communicating diagnostic results to a wider audience.

This talk is being held as part of the Evidence-Based Diagnosis & Screening module which is part of the MSc in Evidence-Based Health Care and the MSc in EBHC Medical Statistics. Members of the public are welcome to attend.

Feb
11
Tue
“Pyrrhic progress: the history of antibiotics in Anglo-American food production” with Dr Claas Kirchhelle @ Oxford Martin School
Feb 11 @ 5:15 pm – 6:15 pm

In this book talk, Claas will review central findings of his research on the past 80 years of antibiotic use, resistance, and regulation in food production with introduction by Prof Mark Harrison, Director of Wellcome Centre for Ethics and Humanities.

Mass-introduced after 1945, antibiotics helped revolutionise food production. Farmers and veterinarians used antibiotics to prevent and treat disease, protect plants, preserve food, and promote animals’ growth. Many soon became dependent on routine antibiotic use to sustain and increase production. The resulting growth of antibiotic infrastructures came at a price. Critics blamed antibiotics for leaving dangerous residues in food, enabling bad animal welfare, and selecting for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in bacteria, which could no longer be treated with antibiotics.

Pyrrhic Progress analyses over 80 years of evolving non-human antibiotic use on both sides of the Atlantic and introduces readers to the historical and current complexities of antibiotic stewardship in a time of rising AMR.

This talk includes a drinks reception and nibbles, all welcome

Feb
12
Wed
Gender diversity: How far have we got? @ Saïd Business School
Feb 12 @ 5:45 pm – 6:45 pm
Gender diversity: How far have we got? @ Saïd Business School

Sir Martin will review the theory and practice of genuine gender equality in the workforce, including personal experience of leadership challenges in implementing gender balance leadership.

Martin was appointed President of Boeing Europe and Managing Director of Boeing UK and Ireland in June 2019. He was permanent secretary at the Department for International Trade from 2016 to 2017, and before that he spent six years as permanent secretary at the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills.