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IBMS West Midlands

IBMS West Midlands Region serves as a channel of communication between IBMS Council, the Institute office and its local members. The region and branch network has an important role to play in supporting local biomedical scientists, promoting the profession, implementing policy, building up local networks and organising meetings. The region covers the branches of Birmingham, Coventry and Warwickshire, North Staffordshire and Oxford.

IBMS West Midlands annual report 2011

IBMS West Midlands Region serves as a forum so that local members can communicate its thoughts, ideas and concerns to the IBMS Council, via its council member, Mary Macdonald.

The committee has met, via telephone conference, on two occasions this year. There has been continuing concern relating to Modernising Scientific Careers and remains a standard agenda item for committee meetings. However the main concern is how the IBMS supports the profession locally, in terms of its members and future members, and how it communicates with all and continues to seek ways to engage the members more fully. With this in mind the region will to support a symposium in 2012 along with the Central Cellular Pathology Society (CCPS) CELLibration event in October. The region has also sponsored the student awards which were presented by the new IBMS Chief Executive, Jill Rodney at its annual general meeting in November 2011.

The committee objective for this year is once again to engage the members more fully by seeking get more members actively involved.

Birmingham Branch

I am pleased to report this year that the Birmingham Branch has continued to be very active. We have held five committee meetings all held in a variety of locations across the region. We have also successfully organised two discussion group/social events, in this IBMS congress year with an annual quiz evening and a talk on Terror Bugs- Inside and Out, presented by Dr M Khechara.

The IBMS Birmingham Branch with particular support of John Foster and his highly efficient team were happy to provide help and support again to the IBMS congress at the NIA in September, which proved to be another successful event.

Central Cellular Pathology Society (CCPS)

The CCPS has accomplished continued success over the last 12 months.

Conferences 27th- 28th October 2012 – Midlands CELLibration
Hanover International Hotel, Hinckley
The national bi-annual conference organised by the CCPS has been booked for the usual venue, though now excludes the Friday night registration and trade show in order to minimise delegate fees, hopefully making it accessible to greater numbers of staff in the current economic climate. A full scientific and educational programme has yet to be confirmed.      

Meetings
Future meetings for 2012 are yet to be confirmed but will include the annual quiz in January, a meeting at Birmingham Children’s Hospital in March and Wolverhampton University in June. The following events were provided by the CCPS over the last 12 months:

18th February 2011
Cadbury Club, Bourneville, Birmingham CCPS Annual Quiz

7th June 2011
Wolverhampton University Student poster presentations – Honours projects (Wolverhampton University). 4 student oral presentations – Honours projects (Wolverhampton University). Presentation from the Brain Research Group (Wolverhampton University). Book vouchers were provided as gifts to presenting students.

13th September 2011
Birmingham Children’s Hospital CCPS AGM Overview of Cytogenetics in Childhood AML (Birmingham Women’s Hospital) One step nucleic acid amplification in sentinel node biopsies (Heartlands Hospital)

Nigel Coles January 2012

Contact IBMS West Midlands

Chair
Nigel Coles
T 0121 623 6889
E nigel.coles@bwhct.nhs.uk  

Secretary
Simon Brown
T 0121 507 5348
E simon.brown8@nhs.net

Treasurer
Helena Kilgariff
T 0121 507 5906
E Helena.kilgariff@nhs.net

Regional Council Member
Ms Mary Macdonald
T 01905 760192
E mary.macdonald@worcsacute.nhs.uk

West Midlands Cellular Pathology Society Rep.
Dr Gary Reynolds, PhD CSci FIBMS
T 0121 414 2246 (work)
E g.m.reynolds@bham.ac.uk

Birmingham Branch

Chair
Mary Macdonald
E mary.macdonald@worcsacute.nhs.uk

Treasurer
Helena Kilgariff
T 0121 507 5906
E Helena.kilgariff@swbh.nhs.uk

Secretary
Vera Howells
E vera.howells@worcsacute.nhs.uk

Publicity Officer
Jayne Parkes
E jayne.parkes@nhs.net