Network Members may be interested in attending the following conference:

Monday 21 - Wednesday 23 July 2003
Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, United Kingdom

This is the fifth of a successful series of International Conferences on Neural Networks and Expert Systems in Medicine and Healthcare (NNESMED) previously held in Plymouth, England in 1994, in Pisa, Italy in 1998, and on Milos Island, Greece in 2001. It is also the First International Conference on Computational Intelligence in Medicine and Healthcare (CIMED). The latter is the proposed future title of the conference, which is intended to reflect the full range of artificial and computational intelligence techniques being applied to medicine and healthcare, of which neural networks and expert systems are now but just two.

NNESMED and CIMED are focused on the application of intelligent computational methods and systems to support all areas of biomedical, clinical and healthcare practice, making it a strongly interdisciplinary conference, bringing together healthcare specialists, clinicians, biomedical engineers, computer scientists, communication and computer network engineers, and applied mathematicians. It traditionally follows a single-track format to ensure that all presentations, whatever the mode of
delivery, may be attended. The language of the conference is English.

For More Details visit the CONFERENCE WEBSITE

Network members may be interested in applying for a DOH National Training Fellowship Award. These are part of the NHS awards scheme, which includes Primary Care, Public Health, Clinician, Clinician Scientist, Nursing and Allied Professions, Complementary and Alternative Medicines and Information Scientists Awards.
There are two levels of award. Doctoral, which will enable successful applicants to undertake a PhD, and post-doctoral awards for those who have already completed a PhD.
The call for applications is likely to be made in June 2003, and if you are interested, the Network may be able to assist potential applicants in finding appropriate supervisors. If you want to discuss this, contact Paul Beatty. Full details of the awards are available on the DOH website at http://www/doh.gov.uk/research

The Society for Computing and Technology in Anaesthesia in association with the IPEM and IEE are holding their autumn Conference in Liverpool, 13-15 November 2002. 'Being SMART in Anaesthesia' is a three day programme featuring invited speakers, tutorials and workshops. Further details are on their web site at: http://www.liv.ac.uk/%7Eclfs12/SCATA_lpool/autumn_conf.htm

Following on from discussions at the recent Strategic Workshop and Management Group Meetings, it was decided that we should contact our membership and ask people to recommend to us completed Ph.D, M.Phil, or M.Sc theses that would be of interest to the physiological monitoring and measurement community.

These thesis will be then be assessed and if suitable, the author will be asked to reformat the introduction, conclusions and literature search/bibliography so that they comprise a 'stand alone' document' which will be placed on the Network's website. We are planning to pay an honorarium of £150 to the author of each thesis that is accepted and received in a suitably reworked format.

This initiative will hopefuly create a valuable web-resource for the physiological measurement community. If you are a supervisor or author of a suitable thesis, please feel free to contact us.

The PMPM-Network's recent Strategic Workshop was attended by delegates from all over the UK and from a wide range of disciplines and research interests. Delegates enjoyed a series of presentations from key practitioners on a variety of aspects of Physiological Measurement and Monitoring including anaesthesia, cardiology, home monitoring, and data and signal processing methods. The proceedings from the Workshop will be available on the website shortly.

The PMPM-Network's is pleased to announce that Consultant Geriatrician, Professor Mike Horan from Salford Royal Hospital has agreed to join the Network's Management Group.
A list and details of the current Management Group Members can be found on our 'Management Group' page.

The PMPM-Network's Strategic Workshop is your opportunity to find out about the state of play in physiological monitoring and measurement. The event is a must for all professionals working in the field and it will provide a valuable networking opportunity with delegates attending from a wide variety of institutions and departments.

The Workshop programme is spread over two days and will cover a variety of topics which have been determined by the responses from our membership questionnaire. Active participation from delegates will be encouraged with time built in to allow for a series of facilitated discussions and break out sessions running in conjunction with the main talks. We are fortunate to be able to draw on the wide-ranging expertise and experience within our membership and will be publishing a detailed programme with speakers very shortly.

In order to maintain the workshop style of the event, delegate places are limited. If the event is oversubscribed, priority will be given to individuals who have already joined the Network.

CLICK TO JOIN THE NETWORK NOW

A number of our members have suggested that a diary page would be a useful addition to the website. Please let us know about your forthcoming events and meetings and we will include them.
VISIT THE DIARY PAGE
TELL US ABOUT AN EVENT

The Management Group would like to wish all our Members a Happy New Year and thank everyone for their support and participation since our launch in September. 2002 is going to be a pivotal year for the Network. We are continuing to concentrate on new member recruitment and we would like to thank those Members who have been active in that area. We are looking forward to the first Strategic Workshops on the 18th and 19th June in Manchester and hope that many of you will be able to join us there. Details of the Workshop themes and booking information will be circulated towards the end of February/beginning of March 2002.

Dr Emma Braithwaite from Oxford Biosignals Ltd has joined the Network Management Board. Emma interests include intelligent signal processing, particularly within the medical and patient monitoring domains. She is a member of the IEE Medical Focus Professional Network Advisory Committee and chairs the UK Engineering in Health Programme. Her appointment is in line with our aim to develop links between the research community and industry.

The date of the first Network, workshop has been decided. It will be taking place on the 18 and 19 June, 2002 at the Chancellors Conference Facility, University of Manchester. Workshop themes and registration instructions will be announced in the New Year.

September 2001 sees the launch of a new EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Science Research Council) Life-Sciences Network. The Patient Monitoring and Non-invasive Physiological Measurement Network (PMPM - Network) is based within the Division of Imaging Science and Biomedical Engineering Department at the University of Manchester.

Current research into patient monitoring and physiological measurement is somewhat fragmented and uncoordinated due to its multidisciplinary nature. The problems generated by research in these areas require methods and solutions gathered across a wide range of physical and computing science which makes the dissemination of new ideas and methods problematic. The Network intends to set up an enabling and sustainable community which will unify research threads and help coordinate the research activities of members. In the Spring of 2002, the first of a series of strategic research workshops will be held, at which groups of researchers will identify areas for generic research and produce research plans. The Network also intends to provide cross-platform implementations of measurement and signal processing techniques along with certified data sets to assist in evaluating the new methods. Eventually, services offered by the Network will include providing on-line literature reviews and distance learning materials for education in the new techniques.

Membership of the Network is FREE and is open to academics, clinicians, student researchers and those involved in the medical engineering industry.

Further information and joining details are available on the PMPM Website at www.pmpm-network.man.ac.uk