UCL celebrates 70 years of working with the NHS

To celebrate 70 years of the National Health Service, researchers and clinicians from across UCL have spoken about what the NHS means to them and how their work impacts the nation's health. In a series of short films launched today, academics describe how UCL works with the NHS in a number of different ways to improve patient care, and, by working with major teaching hospitals, to train the next generation of health professionals. "We're working with individuals who might be paralysed from spinal or brain injuries, or have had limbs amputated - some of the technologies we have developed use exoskeletons to allow individuals to walk again," said Dr Rui Loureiro (UCL Division of Surgery & Interventional Science). "We are also developing technologies to help the brain treat a missing limb as if it is back, so individuals can feel and control pain, and lead a more rewarding life. What is remarkable is how we are fast-tracking these technologies from lab to the bedside table. A movement that is truly embraced by the NHS." In her film, Professor Rachel Batterham (Head of the Centre for Obesity Research at UCL) explained, "Obesity and type 2 diabetes are two of the greatest problems facing the NHS, causing about 25,000 preventable deaths a year. My research is about understanding how the body controls appetite and blood sugar and the role of hormones from the gut.