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Researchers at NDORMS, a medical research department at the University of Oxford, aim to understand and develop new treatments for joint, muscle and inflammatory conditions like arthritis and psoriasis. Members of the public are invited to attend free, monthly Meet the Researcher events to hear about what we do. You can attend online via Zoom.
We share the topic of each upcoming event below and also in the OPEN ARMS mailing list – please sign up to stay in the loop.
What is involved
Each month, NDORMS researchers invite members of the public to hear about what we are doing to help patients with inflammatory and joint conditions. These talks are free, and take place online. Usually, there are two or three short talks by researchers with plenty of time for discussion and for you to ask questions.
Events take place from 1pm-2pm, every fourth Monday of the month except August and December. We also hold an Open Day where you can visit the department each year in May.
Upcoming events
Monday 24 November 2025, 1pm
James Edwards,Associate Professor of Ageing and Regeneration will present Getting Old Increases the Chances of Cancer, But How? (And why don't we study it more?).
Ageing is a strong risk factor for developing many cancers. This means that as we get older, we are more likely to develop tumours. However, the link between the two is only now being fully explored. There are known factors which drive the ageing process, and we are now testing ways in which these processes might be manipulated to prevent age-related diseases, including cancer. More importantly, we hope we can use our knowledge of Ageing factors, to better predict the type of people who might develop certain cancers in later life.
Muhammad Kassim Javaid, Professor of Osteoporosis and Adult Rare Bone Diseases will present Closing the gap for patients with kidney and bone diseases.
Breaking a bone after fall in adults aged 50 years and over often is the first sign of osteoporosis in women and men. Without treatment, the bones get weaker and break again, often leading to permanent disabilities. The good news is we have very effective treatments that strengthen the bones safetly. The bad news is for adults with weaker kidneys these treatments are less safe. This has led to most adults with weaker kidneys not being treated and left to fracture again. This study will lay the ground work to test if a specific osteoporosis medication can be used safely in these adults and define how well it prevents more broken bones.
Wanning Wang, DPhil in Clinical Epidemiology and Medical Statistics will presentReal-world study on blood-thinning treatments to prevent another stroke.
Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and disability. Current guidelines recommend that people who have had a stroke take aspirin together with another blood-thinning medicine (called a P2Y12 inhibitor, such as clopidogrel) for a short time. However, it is still unclear whether taking both medicines long-term is better than taking just one, and how this choice affects the risk of having another stroke or serious bleeding. Most earlier studies in this area have not included many women or people from diverse ethnic backgrounds. My study aims to address this gap by using real-world health records to examine the long-term risks and benefits of different blood-thinning treatments, with a particular focus on differences by sex and ethnicity. I will use primary care data from the United Kingdom covering the years 2014 to 2024. The study will focus on patients who had a stroke and were prescribed blood-thinning treatments.
As usual, there will be time for questions so feel free to prepare some before you join the meeting.
Previous talks have covered topics like knee replacement, what happens when people finish rehabilitation after a fall, and how ‘antimicrobial stitches’ can prevent infection after surgery.
You can find examples here:
Everyone is welcome!
You do not need any medical knowledge to join us - everyone is welcome!
If you have any access requirements or would like a hand getting set up on Zoom, please let us know by emailing openarms@ndorms.ox.ac.uk
