Cambridge Festival - Ultraprocessed foods: what do we really know?
2024-03-25 18:00 - 19:00 UTC | Old Divinity School, St. Johns Street, Cambridge, CB2 1TP, United Kingdom
Ultra-processed foods are a hot topic, with growing calls for tighter regulation. But what do we really know about them? Are they all bad for us, and if so what can we do about it?

Book your tickets for this hybrid Cambridge Festival panel discussion chaired by Dr Jean Adams of the MRC Epidemiology Unit.
Our panel of experts, including Cathy Cliff (Soil Association), Dr Samual Dicken (UCL), Tom Foster-Carter (Cherrypick) and Dr Yanaina Chavez-Ugalde (MRC Epidemiology Unit), will examine what ultra-processed foods are and their potential health implications, and also discuss what policies and regulations could be implemented for ultra-processed foods, and whether they should be.
After the discussion the panel will answer questions from the audience.

Seminar – The role of wearables and reproducible science in personalised medicine
2024-04-17 13:15 - 14:15 UTC | Meeting rooms, Level 4 Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke’s Treatment Centre (ATC), Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0SL, United Kingdom
All are invited to the MRC Epidemiology Seminar:
The role of wearables and reproducible science in personalised medicine
Dr Dan Jackson, Newcastle University
This hybrid seminar will be held in the IMS meeeting rooms 1 & 2, Level 4, Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, and online.
Register to attend online.
About this talk
Dan co-founded the Open Movement platform (openmovement.dev), whose AX3 and AX6 devices have been widely used in movement research and population studies, including the UK Biobank. This has underpinned his recent work focused on movement sensing with wearable computing, including projects supporting people with conditions such as Parkinson’s and stroke. His other work involved systems to support exergaming and safe walking for people with degenerative conditions, sensor-instrumented environments that assist their users, video coaching, reflection within counselling, population weight-loss, and nutrition.
About Dr Jackson
Dan Jackson is a Senior Research Associate within the School of Computing at Newcastle University. After graduating Dan worked at Lexicle Ltd. to produce a state-of-the-art web-based 3D embodied conversational agent.
Now based in Open Lab at Newcastle, a cross-disciplinary research environment, he works on the development of research systems and prototypes, engineering solutions for projects that use a diverse range of technologies.
His primary research interests include human-computer interaction with a focus on the areas of ubiquitous/pervasive computing and technologies that support health and wellbeing.
Explore past seminars
All MRC Epidemiology Unit seminars and events where slides, audio or video are available can be found at www.mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk/past-seminars/
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Seminar – Population nutrition: upstream/downstream - Prof. Pablo Monsivais
2024-05-15 13:15 - 14:15 UTC | Meeting rooms, Level 4 Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke’s Treatment Centre (ATC), Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0SL, United Kingdom
All are invited to the MRC Epidemiology Seminar:
Population nutrition: upstream/downstream
Professor Pablo Monsivais, Washington State University
This hybrid seminar will be held in Institute of Metabolic Science seminar rooms 1 & 2, Level 4, Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, and online.
If attending online, please register at https://mrc-epid.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIqf-moqD4iEtOSgtPiXJanoInqfmdkhdG2#/registration
About this talk
In this presentation, Professor Monsivais will review two interdisciplinary projects aimed at identifying population-level determinants of diet and one project developing heart-healthy ready meals for use in research studies and interventions.
About Professor Monsivais
After doctoral and post-doctoral training in neuroscience and physiology at the University of Washington and University College London, Professor Monsivais returned to the University of Washington to retrain in nutrition and public health in 2004.
Between 2007 and 2011, he conducted behavioral and epidemiologic research on food choices, diet and health at the UW’s Centre for Public Health Nutrition in the School of Public Health, first as a postdoctoral fellow in behavioral sciences and then as an acting assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology. From 2011 to 2017 he was Senior University Lecturer at the University of Cambridge Centre for Diet and Activity Research where he led a research group focused social and behavioral epidemiology.
He is currently an Associate Professor at the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine based at Washington State University.
Explore past seminars
All MRC Epidemiology Unit seminars and events where slides, audio or video are available can be found at www.mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk/past-seminars/
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To sign up for future seminars and/or other alerts please visit www.mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk/subscribe/

Cambridge Diabetes Seminar 2024
2024-08-18 - 2024-08-24 | Clare College, Trinity Lane, Cambridge, CB2 1TL, United Kingdom
Cambridge Diabetes Seminar 2024
When: Sunday 18 August to Saturday 24 August 2024
Where: Clare College, University of Cambridge
Cost: No registration fee, no attendance fee; no accommodation fee
Closing date for applications: Friday 15 March 2024

Click here for full information about CDS 2024 and how to apply

About Cambridge Diabetes Seminar 2024
The Cambridge Diabetes Seminar (CDS) provides a unique opportunity for participants from a range of backgrounds including clinical, research and public health, to engage in discussion, debate and collaboration on prominent issues in diabetes epidemiology. It aims to provide all those attending with a common goal to become better equipped in the epidemiological and public health aspects of diabetes and helps to foster international networks.
A resident Faculty of international experts provide most of the lectures and take the tutorials. A visiting, non-resident, Faculty will give additional lectures. The lectures cover a broad range of subjects including the diagnosis, classification and descriptive epidemiology of type 1 and 2 diabetes (and pre-diabetes), an introduction to field techniques and methodological problems of exposure measurement in diabetes surveys and the scope for prevention (primary, secondary and tertiary prevention) of diabetes as well as the planning of intervention programmes. Other topics that are covered include the epidemiology of the complications of diabetes, the principles and practice of screening and the evaluation of interventions.
Debates are also held on hot topics within the diabetes field. Participants will give a short presentation of their ongoing research interests or about research they wish to plan. The Faculty are happy to provide informal feedback and friendly critique on the research proposals, which can help to improve the work.
The numbers of places available for this training Seminar are limited. A selection committee will consider all applications and places offered will take into account candidates who are likely to benefit most from attending the Seminar, also factoring in a fair distribution by country/world region.
Please note that places will not be based on a first come, first serve principle, so all applications submitted by the closing date (15 March) will be given equal consideration.
Accommodation and Travel
Full board single accommodation (with en-suite facilities) during the Cambridge Diabetes Seminar will be provided free of charge at Clare College, which is where all the Seminar sessions will also take place.
Those chosen for the course will be expected to fund their own travel to and from Cambridge. We recommend that you begin the process of securing funding for this as soon as you know if you have been accepted.
There are a limited number of travel bursaries available upon application for those eligible who cannot identify other funding. To qualify for a travel bursary please include a supporting letter from your supervisor, Head of Department or equivalent, indicating the amount requested with justification. Please note that for any travel support, only economy class travel and maximal use of public transport for domestic travel is expected. The travel bursary, if approved, will be given after the seminar, not in advance.

Seminar - 20-minute neighbourhoods as an urban design concept to improve health and reduce health inequalities - Dr Jon Olsen
2024-11-20 13:15 - 14:15 UTC | Meeting rooms, Level 4 Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke’s Treatment Centre (ATC), Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0SL, United Kingdom
All are invited to the MRC Epidemiology Seminar:
20-minute neighbourhoods as an urban design concept to improve health and reduce health inequalities: reflections from Scottish and international context
Dr Jon Olsen, Senior Research Fellow, MRC/CSO Social & Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Glasgow
This hybrid seminar will be held in Institute of Metabolic Science seminar rooms 1 & 2, Level 4, Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, and online.
If attending online, please register at https://mrc-epid.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMsd-qurDIvG9IQKfrxyJL8fwsv1qHGzCD5
About this talk
The seminar will explore the potential of 20-minute neighbourhoods in promoting health equity through urban planning. This concept emphasises the creation of local living, and amenity diverse and walkable communities where essential services are accessible within a 10-minute walk from home (and 10-minute return, equating to 20 minutes). By prioritising active travel and reducing dependence on motorised transport, 20-minute neighbourhoods and local living strategies have a range of co-benefits that encourage healthier lifestyles and more sustainable behaviours.
The seminar will draw on Scottish and international examples, including a baseline assessment of the policy in Scotland, a UK analysis of urban design, density and travel behaviours, and an international policy evaluation, illustrating how the concept is being implemented and its potential to improve health and reduce health inequalities.
About Dr Olsen
Dr Jon Olsen is a health geographer who leads the Mobility in the Urban Environment workstream within the Places and Health Programme at the MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit. His research focuses on the application of novel geospatial approaches to exploring the impact of planning policy for health and urban mobility.
Explore past seminars
All MRC Epidemiology Unit seminars and events where slides, audio or video are available can be found at www.mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk/past-seminars/
Sign up for future seminars
To sign up for future seminars and/or other alerts please visit www.mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk/subscribe/

Cambridge Festival - Fibre - what gets you going?
2025-03-22 11:00 - 16:30 UTC | Cambridge Academy for Science and Technology, Robinson Way, CB2 0SZ, Robinson Way, Cambridge, CB2 0SZ, United Kingdom
How much fibre is in the food you eat?
In this drop-in interactive Cambridge Festival activity, part of the open day at the Cambridge Academy for Science and Technology, we’ll invite you to guess the fibre content of a variety of foods.
We will explain why dietary fibre is important for health, and how scientists at the MRC Epidemiology Unit measure how much fibre people in the UK are eating, as part of the National Diet and Nutrition Survey.
We’ll also bring our Fortune Telling Molecules activity, where you can pick five cards, spin the wheel, and find out how analysing the fat molecules circulating in the bloodstream can help predict the risk of developing diseases such as type 2 diabetes.

Cambridge Festival - Promoting Play in Preschoolers, why it matters for health and wellbeing
2025-03-25 20:00 - 21:00 UTC | Online, United Kingdom
This talk has been cancelled by Dr Hesketh due to unforseen circumstances.

Play is protected as a fundamental right for children by the United Nations (Convention on the Rights of the Child), but children in recent years are spending less time playing and more times with screens.
The types of play children engage in changes as they grow, and in this online talk Dr Kathryn Hesketh will focus on play during the preschool period (0-5 years) including recent findings from her research. She will explore the different types of play children engage in, and how play is linked to young children’s health, development and wellbeing.
She will also discuss how we can support play for our preschoolers, through fun and games for families.
Unfortunately Dr Hesketh has had to cancel this talk due to unforseen circumstances.

Cambridge Festival - What does research tell us about maintaining a healthy weight?
2025-04-03 18:00 - 19:00 UTC | Online, United Kingdom
Live NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) webinar for the Cambridge Festival: What does research tell us about maintaining a healthy weight?
Have you ever wondered why some people have a large appetite and never gain weight, while others try to eat healthily but find it difficult to lose the pounds? Can health research unlock the secrets on to how to maintain a healthy weight?
Being overweight is a major health problem in the UK, it is estimated 1 in every 4 adults and around 1 in every 5 children aged 10 to 11 are living with obesity. It can lead to health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, problems with bone health and can increase the risk of some cancers.
Cambridge researchers are working to understanding how overweight affects our health and how we can maintain a healthy balance.
Hear from Professor Nick Wareham, Director of the MRC Epidemiology Unit, Co-Director of the Institute of Metabolic Science, Honorary Consultant at Addenbrooke’s Hospital and Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Cambridge and Dr Amy Ahern, Programme leader & Principal research associate for the prevention of diabetes and related metabolic disorders in high-risk groups. The speakers will discuss their latest research, and you will have a chance to put your questions to the team.
Professor Miles Parkes, Director of the NIHR Cambridge BRC will open the event and will give an overview of how research takes shape on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus.
This talk is aged for 16+ and all are welcome.
Registration is required, book a free ticket online.

Webinar: Customising Intake24 for your dietary intake research
2025-10-08 13:00 - 14:00 (Europe/Paris) | Online, United Kingdom
All are invited to the webinar:
Customising Intake24 for your dietary intake research
Wednesday 8 October, 1 PM – 2 PM (UK)
Watch a recording of the webinar (YouTube)
About this webinar
Intake24 is an online, automated dietary recall tool, currently used in the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey. Intake24 has been through a programme of updates to enable easier customisation for research projects and surveys.
In this webinar Polly Page and Toni Steer, along with other members of the Cambridge Intake24 team, will showcase features of the updated version of Intake24 and, using some recent real life projects as case studies, demonstrate what kinds of customisation are possible.
This seminar is aimed at those who are interested in adapting and using Intake24 in their research or survey programmes.
Registration (free) is required: https://mrc-epid.zoom.us/meeting/register/S8ZEmHkdRZC8uBXjce9-jw
Intake24 was originally developed by Newcastle University, initially with funding from Food Standards Scotland and is licenced under the Open Government Licence. Intake24 is developed and maintained by Cambridge and Monash Universities.
