School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition - University of Aberdeen

How brilliant is this! 🌟

Our student Faith Willox was invited to lead her own workshop at the National Medical Student Widening Participation Conference in Glasgow, sharing strategies for getting through medical school finals without sacrificing your wellbeing.

Not only that, but Faith also served on the student sub-committee helping to organise the whole event. A real all-rounder!

Head to our blog to read about her experience in her own words 👇

Leading a workshop at the National Medical Student Widening Participation Conference I was delighted to be invited to lead a workshop at this year’s National Medical Student Widening Participation (NMSWP) Conference, held in Glasgow on 24th April 2026. My workshop focused on strategies for preparing for medical school finals while maintaining mental wellbeing, an area I am partic...

Heading to the Royal Highland Show? Make sure to visit The Rowett Institute tent! They are also kicking off Day One (tomorrow, Thursday 18 June) with a panel debate in the The Scottish Government marquee at 10:30am looking at the pressures building on national food security - and how the scientific research as part of SEFARI Gateway is helping bolster resilience.

Everything points one way: it's almost time for four full days of presenting our research to one of the most informed and engaged audiences of the year – at the 2026 Royal Highland Show.

Come along to our marquee a short walk from the main parade ring for your - this year in partnership with our SEFARI Gateway partners The James Hutton Institute.

Find out about:

🍄‍🟫 Mushrooms: sample dishes made using Lion’s Mane and Pearl Oyster to showcase work on using pulse production by-products and home-grown h**p instead of imported soyabean meal and hardwood sawdust pellets.

🌿 Sorrel: pick up a packet of seeds, grow your own crop of this versatile wild edible and tell us how you cooked with it as part of our citizen science project illustrating one answer to looming pressures on our land.

🌿 Home-grown h**p: how can a revival of a once-common crop boost food security by cutting imports used in animal feed, growing media and baked goods? Reformulated oat cakes should help paint the picture.

💜 Purple corn: try colourful low-sugar scones, baked specially to highlight this Andean staple with potential to improve gut health here at home.

🏺Rapeseed oil: help us rate new products infused with sage, rosemary and garlic as part of a project that produced the first such organic oil scientifically enhanced for both nutrition and oxidative stability

🪱 Worms: learn how these clever creatures can break down organic waste into nutrient-rich material as a sustainable alternative to peat and imported coco coir in Scotland’s commercial tree‑nurseries is one of our newest projects

🦠 Bacteria: which varieties from our major collection can be used to reduce reliance on farm antibiotics – curbing the dangerous spread of resistance– as well as saving farmers money and cutting emissions?

🥄 Oats: how can we protect this Scottish staple from challenges posed by a changing climate – find out and maybe win an engraved spurtle!

You can also learn more about where in the world your food comes from, our work on a treatment for people whose bodies can’t make fat and the latest from our collaboration with the Scotland Food & Drink Partnership Net Zero Commitment towards helping the sector play its part in hitting environmental targets.

Still hungry for more? Good news – that’s just HALF on what’s on show – visit The James Hutton Institute's channels to learn what they have on offer - including a delicious jam.

And we are joining forces for The Science of Security debate in The Scottish Government marquee tomorrow (June 18th) at 10:15 am - focused on research-rooted ways to bolster Scotland's food system resilience in a volatile world.

Brilliant news to share! 🎉 Dr Rosemary Hollick is set to lead the devolved nations group in a major new arthritis research initiative.

The LIFT programme, funded by Arthritis UK, will create a UK-wide network to bring the voices of people living with musculoskeletal conditions into research that directly affects them. Rosemary will be leading the work across Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, building on the fantastic PPI work already happening here in Aberdeen.

As Michelle Stevenson, who has lived experience of an MSK condition in rural Scotland, put it: "I didn't realise that vital research was happening on my doorstep until the team in Aberdeen reached out to me."

That's exactly what LIFT is about, making sure no one is left out of the conversation. 💙

Read the full story:

University of Aberdeen to lead devolved nations group in major arthritis research initiative The LIFT (Listening, Involving and Forging Trust) programme in musculoskeletal (MSK) research is a five-year, multi-partner initiative funded by Arthritis UK in partnership with Orthopaedic Research UK and the Kennedy Trust. The programme will establish a national Patient Voice Network to make patie...

Professor Karolin Hijazi, Chair in Oral & Maxillofacial Medicine, was invited to the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) Parliamentary Roundtable at the House of Commons on 18 May 2026, which brought together AMR researchers, clinicians, cross-party parliamentarians, UKHSA, BSAC and patient advocates to translate research into policy action. Many thanks to Dr Rasha Abdelsalam Elshenawy for leading and convening the session and to the University of Hertfordshire for hosting the important event.

During the session, Prof Hijazi had the opportunity to speak to the group about her research on biocide stewardship and how hospital decolonisation practices can drive AMR in low-MRSA settings and provide recommendations for better stewardship for biocides in current UK guidance.

The group’s discussion produced five policy recommendations which will underpin a policy brief with key recommendations for future AMR policy, antimicrobial stewardship, and health-system implementation.

Register here to receive the outputs (policy brief, key findings): http://abdn.io/2g7

🪄 Event happening on Thursday 18 June!

The School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen is taking over Aberdeen Art Gallery for The Magic of the Mind, an evening of illusions, psychology, neuroscience, robotics, virtual reality and magic to amaze, challenge and fascinate.

From impossible illusions and live brain science to robots, mind-reading magic and experiences that seem to defy reality, every corner of the gallery will reveal something unexpected, spectacular and unforgettable for all ages.

The event is organised in collaboration with the School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, the School of Engineering, the Aberdeen Magical Society, and Aberdeen Art Gallery as part of the School’s 130-year celebrations.

📍 Aberdeen Art Gallery
📅 Thursday 18 June, 7-10pm
🎟️ Free entry (booking required)

Read more and register to attend ➡️ http://abdn.io/2fS

🧠 A powerful new interview with Prof Lora Heisler explores the mindset behind breakthrough science and the importance of trusting early data, even when it challenges established thinking.

💬 "If people are telling you ‘that can’t possibly be right’ but you have preliminary data supporting something, have the courage to go after it,” she explains.

🎙️ The conversation revisits key discoveries in brain control of blood sugar, the evolution of GLP-1 based obesity treatments, and why bold, high-risk questions can lead to major scientific advances.

🌍 A fascinating look at the future of neuroscience and metabolic research - and the mentors and moments that shaped it.

🔗 Read more: http://abdn.io/2fD
🎧 Listen to the podcast here: http://abdn.io/2fC

🎓 Aberdeen Alumni – Invest in Your Future with the Alumni Postgraduate Scholarship

Did you know Aberdeen graduates with Home or RUK fee status can cap tuition fees at just £7,000 when progressing to a postgraduate taught degree? 💡

Whether you’re looking to deepen your expertise 📚 or switch into a new field 🔄, this is a fantastic opportunity to boost your career prospects and earning potential.

✨ Key details:
✅ No separate application required
✅ Automatically applied for eligible students
📍 For eligible postgraduate taught programmes starting Sept 2026 or Jan 2027
🌍 International alumni may be eligible for alternative funding options.

🔗 http://abdn.io/2fu

🧠 New research from the The Rowett Institute suggests that an unhealthy diet during adolescence could have long-lasting effects on how the brain makes food-related decisions — even after switching back to a healthy diet.

Using a mouse model, researchers found that a high-fat diet during adolescence led to more habitual, less flexible food-seeking behaviour in adulthood.

🔬 The study, led by Dr Fabien Naneix, also revealed important differences between males and females, highlighting how s*x differences can shape brain and behaviour responses to diet.

These findings suggest that early eating habits may have a lasting impact on decision-making and could help explain why long-term dietary change is often challenging.

Read more: http://abdn.io/2fp