Theme Lead Dr Beryl Oppenheim will be showcasing the work of the NIHR SRMRC’s microbiology team at a special, free, event on Tuesday 3rd February.
The relaxed, informal Café Scientifique evening starts at 7 pm upstairs in the Jekyll and Hyde pub on Steelhouse Lane in Birmingham City Centre, where you can find out more about cutting edge research into hospital infection control and prevention over a pint.
Dr Oppenheim will be giving a short talk about how she and her team are using new technologies to find out how patients acquire germs and how to stop them. After you’ve had chance to re-charge your glass, there will be a lively discussion around her work.
Event organiser Lynsey Rutter from Birmingham Museums explained: “This is a great opportunity for Trust members to find out about some of the work which goes on ‘behind the scenes’ to benefit patients at QEHB.
“Our Café Scientifique evenings are always informal, informative and enjoyable and I promise you there will be no PowerPoint presentations as we’ve banned them!”
Dr Oppenheim added: “It’s well known that patients acquire various bacteria and viruses in hospital and that in some cases this can go on to cause infections, which can require further treatment, prolong hospital stay or even cause more severe consequences.
“What is usually not known is exactly how the patient acquired the germ, so all the preventive measures need to be very general and we are not always sure whether they are actually working.
“Come and join me and find out how, as a result of a unique collaboration between University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Birmingham (UoB), we were able to try out whole genome sequencing on a range of bacteria causing hospital-acquired infections.
“This technique was able to give a forensic level of detail about lines of transmission of these bugs and what measures might be helpful to interrupt the chains of transmission.”
For more information about the event please click here. No registration is necessary.
We look forward to seeing you there!
