Our Kid Gets Under The Skin Of Manchester's Medical History

Main Category: Medical Students / Training
Also Included In: Public Health;  Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 13 Oct 2008 - 3:00 PST

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Our Kid: Medical Manchester, 1948 - 2008
22 October - 29 November 2008
The foyer at Manchester Central Library

A larger than life size figure is set to reveal the dramatic changes in Manchester's medical history like never before. A new installation, with a multi-media exhibition at its heart, traces the regions past medical breakthroughs and blows the lid on what healthcare could be like in the future.

Opening on 22 October at Manchester Central Library, and celebrating 60 years since the founding of the NHS was announced in Manchester, Our Kid is made up of several digital screens, packed with facts, figures and short films which follow the changes in healthcare over the last 60 years, and look to the possibilities of healthcare in the future.

Our Kid also incorporates films made by young people from Manchester who worked with local experts to imagine what healthcare might be like in 2048.

Taking their cues from the generations of developments in healthcare, teenagers made their own public information style films, showing medicine and healthcare in 2048 to be more preventative, personalised and research-based. Some of the futuristic ideas include a brain clinic where bad memories can be hidden from your consciousness; growing replacement body organs from stem cells, and a GP appointment via an interactive video wall. Our Kid will include a selection of memorable public information films from 'Coughs and Sneezes' in 1948 to the unforgettable AIDS campaign of 1987, a drama from Parrswood High School looking at healthcare in Manchester over the last 60 years, and interviews with scientific experts who look to the amazing advancements that might become possible in neuroscience, skin regeneration and psychiatry over the coming decades.

Alongside the installation a new graphic novel by artist Al Davison will be on display. Alisa's Tale (A Short Story) is a refreshingly honest story from the perspective of a teenage girl who has dwarfism. Local young people - some with restricted growth and some of average height - were involved in this project, participating in drama workshops and keeping diaries to highlight the issues faced by teenagers in 2008.

Manchester is known as the place where the NHS was announced and the North West region is home to several medical firsts - first NHS patient in 1948; first hip replacement in 1962; first test tube baby in 1978 and the first NHS IVF Clinic in the UK in 1982. Today the city is home to the first and only Biomedical Research Centre in the country to specialise in Genetics and Developmental Medicine.

A programme of free public events will run alongside the installation at venues across the city, highlighting Manchester's pivotal role in biomedical research. These include:

-- 60 years of progress: Leukaemia
-- Manchester: Giving birth to IVF
-- Public debate - 'No jab, no school': When should the state dictate our health decisions? Chaired by Quentin Cooper at URBIS
-- Tuberculosis: An unwelcome return

Professor Dian Donnai, Executive Director of Nowgen, is emphatic about the contributions made by health professionals in Manchester: "Our Kid is an exciting way for us to tell an important story of the history of the NHS in the North West. Without the groundbreaking research undertaken by the NHS, lots of the medical breakthroughs which we take for granted just wouldn't have happened. Our Kid gives us an opportunity to let people, especially the younger generation, into an exciting area of healthcare, to celebrate some of the pioneering achievements and of course have some fun.

Through this exhibition we see the tremendous achievements of the last 60 years. Healthcare is changing from a 'one-size-fits-all' approach to more personalised and preventative care. That Manchester continues to be a world leader in specific areas of research is exciting and impacts upon everybody within our region. Our Kid celebrates these achievements and generates interest in the future of healthcare for all."

Our Kid coincides with Manchester Science Festival which runs throughout the city from 25 October to 2 November 2008.

For further information visit http://www.nowgen.org.uk Manchester Central Library
St. Peter's Square
Manchester
M2 5PD
Open Monday - Thursday 9am - 8pm and Friday and Saturday 9 - 5pm.

1. 'Our Kid: Medical Manchester|1948 -2008' is a project run by Nowgen - A Centre for Genetics in Healthcare, and sponsored by the Central Manchester and Manchester Children's University Hospitals NHS Trust.

The Nowgen Centre
29 Grafton Street
Manchester
M13 9WU

2. Films used within the installation have been made in association with Cornerhouse and WFA Media & Cultural Centre.

3. 'Our Kid' Events programme:
To book a place please contact the Events Team at Nowgen
Telephone: 0161 276 5956
E-mail: bookings@nowgen.org.uk
Or book online: www.nowgen.org.uk/events

-- 60 years of progress: Leukaemia
27 October 2008
12.15 - 1.30pm
The Nowgen Centre
FREE ADMISSION - booking advised, lunch provided
There have been dramatic improvements in survival rates in leukaemia patients over the last 60 years. Manchester researchers have played a pivotal role in making this happen. Expert speakers will provide an historical perspective on leukaemia treatment and show why Manchester remains at the forefront of cancer research.
Confirmed Speakers:
Dr Emm Barnes, Wellcome Research Associate and Outreach Officer, The University of Manchester
Professor Tony Whetton, School of Cancer & Imaging Sciences, The University of Manchester

-- Manchester: Giving birth to IVF
28 October 2008
12.15 - 1.30pm
Manchester Museum - Kanaris Theatre
FREE ADMISSION - booking advised, lunch provided
Manchester medics were the pioneers of in-vitro fertilisation (IVF). The first test-tube baby was born here and Manchester had the first fully funded NHS IVF clinic in the UK. Local experts will describe the development of the technology over the years and present the latest IVF research.
Confirmed Speakers:
Professor John Pickstone, Wellcome Research Professor, The University of Manchester
Professor Brian Lieberman, Medical Director, Manchester Fertility Services

-- No jab, no school: When should the state dictate our health decisions?
28 October 2008
6.00 - 8.30pm
Urbis
FREE ADMISSION - booking advised
Drinks and light refreshments from 6.00 pm, bar open from 8.30pm
Radio 4 presenter Quentin Cooper will chair this topical event amidst the continuing debate surrounding the MMR vaccine. What influences our decisions about vaccination? To what extent should the state make choices on our behalf? Hear from different experts drawn from science, health psychology and the media, and have your say. Confirmed Speakers:
Dr David Baxter, Consultant in Communicable Diseases, Greater Manchester Health Protection Unit
Professor Theresa Marteau, Professor of Health Psychology, King's College London
Dr Ed Sykes, Science Media Centre, London

-- Tuberculosis: An unwelcome return
29 October 2008
12.15 - 1.30pm
The Nowgen Centre
FREE ADMISSION - booking advised, lunch provided
TB was one of the most common diseases 100 years ago. Research breakthroughs made TB a rarity in the UK, but still it has not been eradicated. Local researchers will describe the latest research in Manchester aimed at tackling the re-emergence of the disease.
Confirmed Speakers:
Professor Michael Worboys, Director of The Centre for History of Science, Technology and Medicine at The University of Manchester
Dr Lydia Tabernero, Senior Lecturer in Structural Biology, The University of Manchester