Celebrating the research community at Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board’s 2023 R&D conference

Over 200 delegates from across the NHS, industry, academia and the third sector came together in a celebration of research at Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board’s annual Research and Development Conference this week.

Attendees heard from a range of speakers at the event, which was opened by Cwm Taf’s Assistant Director of Research and Development, Professor John Geen, and included a keynote address from Professor Dean Harris, Consultant Colorectal Surgeon at Swansea Bay University Health Board.

The conference, held at the Vale resort in Hensol, saw research leaders covering topics such as children and young people’s social connections during inpatient mental health care; the effectiveness of virtual reality technology and mindfulness training in promoting emotional wellbeing among NHS staff, and whether genetic factors determine the response to thyroid hormone replacement, to name only a few.

Opening the conference, Professor Geen said: “This annual event is always of high importance to our Health Board and research partners. It’s a day to highlight how research is key to delivering high quality clinical services and patient care, staff development and informing evidence based change across health care.

“By bringing partners together; across industry, academia, the third sector and the NHS, it creates opportunity for discussing idea and progressing them through to fruition, making an impact that benefits the population we serve”

Laura Fleetwood, an Assistant Psychologist at Cwm Taf who spoke at the event, added: “It’s been really enjoyable – I think the range of research that we’ve seen from lots of different areas has been really interesting; thinking about how it’s impacting on different service areas, about what impact that makes on future research, I think everyone can engage in it – which is a really nice aspect to the day.”