University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust works so closely with Bournemouth University that the Trust holds official "University" status — a partnership built on research, student placements, and staff training that ultimately improves patient care.
The two organisations run joint research projects, share expertise, and give BU students clinical placement experience inside a working NHS Trust. It's a two-way relationship: hospital staff and BU academics collaborate on studies that feed directly back into how patients are treated.
Recent joint projects show how varied this partnership is — from developing a portable device to detect skin cancer from chemical compounds released by the skin, to a study showing static cycling could help reduce NHS physiotherapy waiting lists for hip osteoarthritis, to research into how a baby's birth method shapes their gut bacteria. An annual BU–UHD Research Conference brings academics and healthcare staff together to share findings like these.
Modern healthcare needs far more than doctors and nurses. This partnership touches careers across:
Professor John Vinney, Vice-Chancellor of Bournemouth UniversityWe have a long history of working incredibly well with the Poole Hospital and Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trusts over many years – training staff, jointly publishing research and working together to enrich society and focus on societal benefit.
