If you are a student of health promotion or public health, are working in these areas, or have an interest in the influence of gender on the health of men and boys, then here’s an event which is of relevance to you!  Steve Robertson (Professor of Men, Gender and Health / Co-Director of The Centre for Men's Health at Leeds Beckett University, Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Men's Health, and qualified nurse and health visitor) is delivering a lecture in the Nursing Building Boardroom, Waterford Institute of Technology, Cork Road Campus, on Thursday 4th February 2015 at 2.15pm.  It will last for an hour.  Steve will be speaking on the topic of: ‘Men’s Health: Implications for Health Promotion and Public Health’.  For more information, contact Dr Paula Carroll in WIT at Tel: 051 834141.

State of Mind Ireland invites you to a free conference which will focus upon Sport, Recovery and Mental Fitness.  This event will take place on Thursday 18th February 2016, in the Titanic Centre Belfast, and is the first State of Mind Ireland conference in Northern Ireland.  State of Mind Ireland is a partnership between University College Cork (UCC), the Centre for Recovery and Social Inclusion and the Health Service Executive, and seeks to raise public awareness of mental health issues and positive coping strategies - utilising social media to show how to access help and to build community resilience via participation in sport, recreation and creative cultural activities.  Speakers will include Dr Sharon McDonnell and Barry McGale (University of Manchester), Fionnbar and Elma Walsh (Live Life Campaign, State of Mind UK and Ireland), Dr Phil Cooper and Danny Sculthorpe (Experts by Experience), and Dr Wesley O'Brien (All-Island All Active and UCC).  To register your interest to attend, email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by Wednesday 10th February 2016.  To find out more about State of Mind, visit:  www.stateofmindireland.com

The Department of Education in Northern Ireland has commissioned research into the post-primary school experiences of 16-21 year old people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or transgender (LGB&T).  The survey gives young LGB&T people the opportunity to share their post-primary school experiences.  The closing date for responses is Noon on Monday 25th January 2016, and the survey can be accessed at: www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/DELGBTyoungpeople

Limerick Sports Partnership is inviting applications for free places on a 'Connecting with Young Men' workshop that they are hosting on Wednesday 24th February 2016, from 9.30am - 5.00pm, in the Woodlands House Hotel, Adare, Co. Limerick.  The aim of this workshop is to assist a broad range of practitioners to effectively connect with young men on mental health and wellbeing issues.  It focuses on the engagement process (i.e. WHY and HOW to build relationships with young men), rather than offering a new mental health programme (i.e. what to offer them).  To book a place / get further details, contact Mairéad Fitzgerald, Sports Development Officer, Limerick Sports Partnership at Tel: 061 333600 or Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Belfast Men's Health Group invites you to their first event of 2016 - a chance for service providers and users to find out about both the Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) screening programme and Physical Activity Referral Pathways for men.  This session will take place on Thursday 25th February 2016, from 10.00am to Noon, in the Maureen Sheehan Centre, Albert Street, Belfast BT12 4HL.  Refreshments will be provided and there will be stands promoting the work of the AAA and Pathways programmes.  To book a place, contact Kevin Kennedy at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Every year, the Men’s Health Forum in Ireland (MHFI) convenes an all-island Planning Group for Men’s Health Week.  Organisations are invited to attend a number of meetings (some face-to-face and some via video-conference between Dublin and Belfast) to discuss the week and help to shape it.  The first meeting of this body will take place on Monday 18th January 2016, from 10.30am - 1.45pm (including lunch), in Dundalk, Co. Louth.  If you would be interested in contributing to the planning process, email Colin Fowler at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

In 2014, the National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA) performed an audit on the services and information produced by the Irish Cancer Society (ICS).  A number of recommendations were made.  One suggested action was to conduct joint research on accessing and understanding cancer information for people with limited health literacy and numeracy - in order to inform the future development of risk reduction programmes within ICS.  The aims of the health literacy and cancer research call are to understand: what facilitates men over 40 years of age, from lower socioeconomic groups, to engage with ICS; what are the barriers to these men engaging; how and where do they want to get cancer prevention information.  The call is now open, and the deadline for submission is Wednesday 13th January 2016 at 5.00pm.  For more information, see: www.cancer.ie/research/funding/health-literacy-and-cancer-research-grant#sthash.iqW6iQAO.dpbs

Despite the many serious health problems facing men, few countries have national strategies to deal with these issues.  Ireland, however, was the first country in the world to adopt such a strategy, and the National Men’s Health Policy 2008-2013 was a significant development in the relatively short history of ‘men’s health’.  In an article published in ‘Trends in Urology and Men’s Health’, Peter Baker reviews this development in Ireland, and looks at how effective these policies have proved to be in some other countries.  To read his article, visit: www.trendsinmenshealth.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2015/11/Mens-Health-Policy.pdf