{jcomments off}The Western Health and Social Care Trust Health Improvement Department has produced a series of factsheets which focus upon men and cancer.  These look at prostate cancer (www.mhfi.org/WHSCTprostatecancer.pdf), testicular cancer (www.mhfi.org/WHSCTtesticularcancer.pdf), skin cancer (www.mhfi.org/WHSCTskincancer.pdf) and bowel cancer (www.mhfi.org/WHSCTbowelcancer.pdf).  These factsheets are clear, colourful, easy to read / understand, and can also be displayed as posters.  Therefore, they will be useful to anyone who works with men.

{jcomments off}Most men and women in their forties and fifties in Ireland do not know the fats of life!  This September, the Irish Heart Foundation's Heart Month campaign ‘The Fats of Life’ is all about fat and cholesterol.  Different fats in the food we eat affect the lipids, or fats, in our blood i.e. cholesterol.  In turn, having a healthy cholesterol is vital to preventing heart attack or stroke - still the leading causes of death in Ireland.  Only 18% of Irish adults have healthy cholesterol levels without the use of cholesterol-lowering medication.  If you would like to be added to the mailing list or to get more information on this campaign, contact Ellen McMeel at Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

{jcomments off}Men Against Cancer (MAC) is a free self-referral clinic for males.  It is supported by local businessmen and run by Belfast City Hospital Uro-oncology clinical nurse specialists.  The clinic provides information on men’s health; in particular urological cancers for investigations and early diagnosis.  The service is designed to encourage men to take responsibility for their health by providing a relaxed and private environment where they can become better informed of health issues such as prostate and testicular cancer.  Clinics are held on Tuesdays, from 5.30pm - 7.30pm, in Urology Day Care, Level 3, Belfast City Hospital Tower Block.  Men who wish to attend can make an appointment by telephoning 02895 040786.  The details which need to be provided when scheduling an appointment are full name, address, date of birth and GP’s name.

{jcomments off}Following the event ‘Men, In/fertility and Assisted Reproductive Technologies’, hosted at De Montfort University in April 2012, a selection of papers presented at this event were published as a symposium collection in the September 2013 issue of Reproductive BioMedicine Online.  The guest editors for the symposium were Prof Lorraine Culley, Dr Nicky Hudson (De Montfort University) and Dr Maria Lohan (Queen’s University Belfast).

{jcomments off}In July 2010, blind adventure athlete Mark Pollock fell from a second story window.  He cracked his skull, his chest and torso filled with blood, and his back was broken in three places.  He had no feeling from the waist down.  For six months after the accident, Mark lay in hospital.  As his mind battled to accept reality and find positivity, his body was further hit with recurring infections.  Mark lost three stone and, with it, he almost lost the will to go on.  But he was not beaten.  Mark’s supporters created the Mark Pollock Trust and Run in the Dark to fund his ambition to walk again.  Now Mark is using his body for research - as he walks in Ekso robotic legs and follows an aggressive physical therapy programme.  You are invited to help raise money for the Mark Pollock Trust and Wings for Life - the global spinal injury research charity - by entering this year’s ‘Run in the Dark’.  This will take place on Wednesday 13th November 2013, at 7.30pm, in Dublin, Cork and Belfast.  There are both 5K and 10K runs on offer.  For more information, visit: www.runinthedark.org

{jcomments off}The National Children’s Bureau NI (NCB NI), Public Health Agency (PHA) and Northern Ireland Association for Mental Health (NIAMH) invite you to a seminar titled: ‘Down but not out: Youth Depression and Suicide’.  This event will focus upon the promotion of positive mental and emotional wellbeing among young people, and the guest speaker is Ian Manion (PhD, CPsych), Executive Director, Ontario Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health.  This seminar will take place on Thursday 3rd October 2013, from 10.30am - 1.00pm, in NCB’s offices at Albany House, 73-75 Great Victoria Street, Belfast.  To register, contact Owen Whitford at Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by Friday 27th September.

{jcomments off}Open Access (OA) is the immediate, freely available, online access to research outputs.  These outputs include peer-reviewed journal articles, conference papers and datasets of various types.  The restrictions to use - commonly imposed by publisher copyright, patents or other mechanisms of control - do not apply.  This seminar is part of Open Access Week - a global opportunity to learn more about the benefits of OA - and is being co-hosted by the Institute of Public Health and the Regional Library in Dr Steevens’ Hospital.  It will take place on Tuesday 22nd October 2013 in St. Patrick’s University Hospital, Dublin.  To register your interest, contact Louise Bradley at Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  /  Tel: 01 478 6307.

{jcomments off}A new special issue of the Journal of Family Issues (August 2013) explores men’s roles in matters related to family planning, conception, abortion, adoption and preparing for childbirth.  The issue arose from a panel at the International Sociology Association World Conference in Buenos Aires in 2012.  The guest editors of the collection are Dr Maria Lohan (Queen’s University Belfast), Prof William Marsiglio (University of Florida) and Prof Lorraine Culley (De Monfort University).