Institute of Skin Integrity and Infection Prevention

The Institute of Skin Integrity and Infection Prevention is delighted to announce that it is hosting its 2nd International skin conference at the University of Huddersfield on the 26^th and 27^th June 2017. The programme has a host of international speakers and promises to be an exciting and well attended event. Visit the Journal of Wound Care website at www.jwcskinintegrity.com/home for details on submission of a free paper or poster. The registration fee is £200 for attendance at both days .

Professor Karen Ousey, Director

The management of wounds in general, and the challenge of chronic wounds and associated assessment of tissue viability in particular, represent approximately 5% of the current NHS England budget. In addition to the economic burden of wound care, the cost of treating related Health Care Associated Infections (HCAIs), particularly surgical site infections (SSIs), has been estimated to represent a further £1bn. The rise of resistant and emergent organisms, such as MRSA, related to misuse and over-use of antibiotics is another clinical area of concern. These annual costs of wound management and HCAIs are probably underestimates, but they are likely to rise with our ageing population and continuous technological advances, and the expectation of successive governments to provide a quality NHS service for all who access health care. The area of regenerative medicine, embraced by the study of tissue viability, has the potential to provide new therapies, theranostics and Biologics involving the design and delivery of predictive small molecule research for the consumption of a wide range of end-users. The Institute of Skin Integrity and Infection Prevention (ISIaIP) places the University of Huddersfield at the forefront of research and teaching in this area.

Aim of the Institute

The aim of the ISIaIP is to promote a fully integrated, complete and coordinated, applied science to clinical practice, ethos; including investigation into the function of the skin as a barrier against medications, wound dressings and antimicrobials, design and development, clinical evaluation of products and devices and exploration of quality of life indictors for patients and their significant others.

Vision of ISIaIP

The overall vision of the Institute is to provide translational research which fundamentally improves quality of life for patients through a “bench to bedside” approach entrenched in scientifically rigorous methods with a clinical focus.

Areas of work‌

1. Innovative collaborative research
2. Contract research with industry
3. Consultancy
4. Exploration of Quality of Life indicators
5. Post Graduate Research & Education

These areas are supported by 6 guiding pillars

1. Applications of metrology
2. Biologics
3. Biophysical modelling and biomedical statistics 
4. Health related Quality of Life outcomes
5. Infection prevention and treatment
6. Innovation of assisted technologies

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