The Shadow Secretary of Health and Social Care the Rt Hon Jonathan Ashworth MP is to speak at a University conference aimed at helping people improve their health and wellbeing in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Member of Parliament for Leicester South is the keynote speaker at the Intelligent Behaviour Analytics (IBA) Global Leadership Conference 2021 organised and hosted by Birmingham City University, to be held at the University’s Royal Birmingham Conservatoire on Wednesday September 8.
The title for this year’s conference is ‘IBA Global Leadership Conference; the road to resilience in a COVID-19 World’ and the event will explore individual experiences of the pandemic and the influence that effective Leadership can have in such pressured situations.
Featuring a panel of leading academics and specialists from medicine, music, healthcare and life coaching, the event also includes ‘Student Voices’ - thoughts and reflections of international students drawn from the University’s Faculty of Health, Education and Life Sciences and the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire itself.
Birmingham City University Deputy Vice Chancellor Professor Peter Francis, who will open the conference, said, “Wellbeing and good mental health is understandably at the forefront of our minds post-Covid. Leaders across industries have an important role to play in ensuring we address challenges created by the pandemic as well as adapting to a newer, more productive and considered ways of working. The IBA conference will set out ways in which we can lead, with wellbeing at the core of our approach, and Birmingham City University looks forward to welcoming both speakers and attendees.”
With a mixture of online and live presentations, the conference will build on shared experiences to promote tips and techniques that anyone can use to develop their resilience in the face of adversity, manage anxiety and bolster their health and wellbeing in the long-term.
In addition to the Shadow Health Secretary’s keynote speech, the conference will include a panel discussion offering different perspectives of the COVID crisis with input from those at the frontline delivering essential healthcare during the pandemic. The conference will also cover an IBA designed health and wellbeing pilot programme at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, which was tailored for musicians to help them improve their performance but is also applicable to anyone who wishes to work on their resilience and boost their self-confidence.
In addition, a special module ‘Understanding and Managing Behaviour of Self, Teams and Organisations’ developed by the University and included within the MSc ‘Leading and Transforming in Healthcare’ course, which proved especially popular with students during the pandemic and which, like the Conservatoire’s wellbeing programme, has helped students keep their personal health and thoughts in balance throughout the crisis. Plans are already in place to develop some of the bespoke module content and roll it out as a wellbeing tool for anyone to use and the conference will act as the first step in this process.
Professor Paul Coulter, a Consultant in Palliative Medicine, one of the panellists at the event who has contributed to the Palliative care COVID guidelines in Scotland, and who was also nominated for Inverclyde Doctor of the Year for his support to training doctors on the frontline in COVID, said “Being a doctor who works at the coalface and seeing the challenges in light of this pandemic, it is essential that solutions are found to support the health and well-being of health care professionals. This conference can help us refocus and look at ourselves in a more holistic manner.”
The IBA Global Leadership Conference 2021, ‘The road to resilience in a COVID-19 World,’ is taking place from 1030 to 1200 on Wednesday September 8, at The Bradshaw Hall, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, 200 Jennens Road, Birmingham, B4 7XR, UK.
