Let’s Talk Health and Care

Professor Marc Griffiths and Professor Peter Brindle

This podcast series is linked to the Integrated Care Academy at UWE Bristol and covers various topics associated with workforce development, applied research with impact, health technology and positive societal change. Building relationships and being an interface between people, technology, education, research, culture and health care are core elements of the Integrated Care Academy at UWE Bristol. http://uwe.ac.uk/integrated-care-academy Contact us: ica@uwe.ac.uk

  1. 12/12/2025

    Let's Talk Health and Care Podcast Episode #12: Meeting young people where they are: The Empire Fighting Chance story

    In this powerful episode of Let’s Talk Health and Care, Marc Griffiths and Peter Brindle take listeners inside Empire Fighting Chance, a Bristol-based organisation transforming the lives of young people who have been, in their own words, 'knocked down by life'. Through boxing-inspired therapy, culturally competent support, and deep community connection, Empire Fighting Chance is reshaping how we think about mental health, violence prevention and youth engagement. Marc and Peter speak with Co-Founder Martin Bisp, Mariella and Elaine who share the origins of their unique model, the evidence behind their impact, and what traditional services can learn from meeting young people where they truly are. Together, they explore the challenges of working with young people affected by trauma, the urgent need for systemic change, including calls for an Office of Violence Prevention and the importance of empowering local communities rather than replicating top-down interventions. Listeners will also hear from a box therapist, who brings to life what therapy looks like in the gym environment, and a young person turned staff member, who shares their journey through adversity and how this approach helped them rewrite their story. Marc and Peter close this episode with some reflections on what health and care professionals can take from the Empire model: the value of culturally relevant support, the power of safe non-clinical spaces, and the need to be braver in commissioning innovative approaches for those who need them most. A compelling episode that challenges assumptions, highlights community-led innovation, and offers a hopeful look at what’s possible when we design services with young people, not for them.   Links: Empire Fighting Chance Uncovered: Identity-Based Mass Violence in Urban Contexts | IBMV

    52 min
  2. Let’s Talk Health and Care Podcast Episode #8: Revolutionizing Assistive Technologies with affordable innovation

    06/15/2025

    Let’s Talk Health and Care Podcast Episode #8: Revolutionizing Assistive Technologies with affordable innovation

    In this latest episode, we are joined by Dr Appolinaire Etoundi, Senior Lecturer and Researcher in Mechatronics at UWE Bristol. From pioneering low-cost prosthetic legs to developing AI-driven assistive devices, Appolinaire is reshaping how technology intersects with healthcare and his vision to create a centre that uses AI, 3D scanning and printing to tailor affordable prosthetics in real time is captivating. The driving force for the vision is entirely user-centred - a career shift motivated by being challenged by a gold medal winning Para Olympian to consider making joints for people rather than robots... His mission is to design technology that empowers and not excludes. Interesting fact: The temperature in a prosthetic leg socket can reach 47-49 Celsius after 90 minutes of walking! There is so much to be done to improve this and many other aspects of living with prosthetics.   Useful links:   Appolinaire’s university profile: https://people.uwe.ac.uk/Person/AppolinaireEtoundi Cybathlon 2024: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLbl2Q1xGuA Bristol Centre for Enablement: https://www.nbt.nhs.uk/bristol-centre-enablement   Selected publications: Bio-Inspired Knee Joint: Trends in the Hardware Systems Development https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/robotics-and-ai/articles/10.3389/frobt.2021.613574/full Experimental Verification of Kinematics and Kinetics in a Biomimetic Bipedal Robot https://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/mechanismsrobotics/article/15/1/014503/1140488/Experimental-Verification-of-Kinematics-and The Anthro-Thumb: a biomimetic hybrid soft robotic carpometacarpal saddle joint for the thumb, Frontiers in Robotics and AI https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/robotics-and-ai/articles/10.3389/frobt.2025.1496073/full

    35 min
  3. 05/13/2025

    Let’s Talk Health and Care Podcast Episode #7: Preventing the unthinkable: The Public Health approach to preventing child sex abuse

    In this episode, we are joined by Professor Kieran McCartan, Professor of Criminology here at UWE Bristol, and an expert in applying public health strategies.  Our focus in this episode is exploring a subject that is as challenging as it is crucial: the prevention of child sex abuse. Child sex abuse affects more children than most people realise and highlighting the urgent need for effective prevention strategies is the focus of this episode. Trigger warning: This podcast episode mentions the sexual abuse of children in the context of how we work together to prevent it. It affects all communities, 1 in 5 girls and 1 in 7 boys worldwide. Talking about child sexual abuse is important and part of the solution. If listening to the podcast has affected you and speaking to someone would help or if you simply want to learn more, the NSPCC website is a good place to start, please go to www.nspcc.org.uk/   Wider resources related to this podcast episode: Journal articles: McCartan, K. F., & King-Hill, S. (2024). Developing a Framework for the Prevention of Sibling Sexual Behaviour. Child Abuse & Neglect https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2024.106849 McCartan, K., & Kemshall, H. (2023). Incorporating Quaternary Prevention: Understanding the Full Scope of Public Health Practices in Sexual Abuse Prevention. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 67(2-3), 224-246.  https://doi.org/10.1177/0306624X211049204 McCartan, K. F., & Richards, K. (2020). The Integration of People Convicted of a Sexual Offence Into the Community and Their (Risk) Management. Current Psychiatric Reports. 23, 52. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-021-01258-4 Books: McCartan, K. F., Eason, A., Senker, S., Adiss, N., &Porter, C. (in press, 2025). Developing an epicrim approach in working with people convicted of a sexual offence: prevention, treatment and integration. Palgrave Macmillan. (This is the new  King-Hill, S., McCartan, K. F., Gilsmann, A., Beavis, J., & Adams, A. (2023). Understanding and Responding to Sibling Sexual Abuse. Palgrave MacMillan. Uzieblo, K., Smid, W., & McCartan, K. F (2022). Challenges in the Management of People Convicted of a Sexual Offence: A Way Forward. Palgrave MacMillan. Reports: McCartran, K. F. (2024). Scoping review of international approaches to child sexual abuse and exploitation prevention interventions by law enforcement. ECPAT International. McCartan, K. F., Constant, S., & Beg, Z. (2023). Technical guidance on the development of registers for people convicted of a sexual offence. ECPAT Senker, S., Eason, A., McCartan, K. F., & Pawson, C. (2023). Issues, challenges and opportunities for trauma-informed practice, HM Inspectorate of Probation. Kemshall, H., & McCartan, K. F., (2022). Desistance, recovery, and justice capital: Putting it all together. HM Inspectorate of Probation. McCartan, K. F. (2022). Adapting out thinking on theory and practice in working with people convicted of a sexual offence. HM Inspectorate of Probation. HM Inspectorate of Probation. Podcasts: Lets talk Forensic Psychology podcast (Oct, 2024) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaE348X0BnU&t=876s UWE Change makers on collaborative work on Child Sexual Abuse prevention with NSPCC Together For Childhood. https://soundcloud.com/uwebristol/changemaker-podcast-together-for-childhood?in=uwebristol/sets/changemaker-podcast Interviewed for HMI Probation on 3 key pionts for probation focusing on trauma informed practice and recover captial. https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprobation/research/reflections-from-research/ Blogs King-Hill, S., & McCartan, K. F. (2025). White Lotus: ‘the show’s depiction of sibling sexual behaviour is incredibly harmful’. The Conversation Uk, April. White Lotus: ‘the show’s depiction of sibling sexual behaviour is incredibly harmful’ – expert opinion McCartan, K. F., & King-Hill, S. (2025). The use of TV drama ‘adolescence’ in schools: why simple solutions to complex problems don’t work. UWE Research and Enterprise Blog, April. https://blogs.uwe.ac.uk/research-external-engagement/the-use-of-tv-drama-adolescence-in-schools-why-simple-solutions-to-complex-problems-dont-work/ King-Hill, S., & McCartan, K. F. (2024). Tackling and preventing inter-partner abuse in young people through evidence based relationships and sex education. The Conversation Uk, dec. Good sex and relationships education can help teens understand when behaviour is abusive or controlling Association for the Treatment & Prevention of Sexual Abuse) https://blog.atsa.com/

    45 min

About

This podcast series is linked to the Integrated Care Academy at UWE Bristol and covers various topics associated with workforce development, applied research with impact, health technology and positive societal change. Building relationships and being an interface between people, technology, education, research, culture and health care are core elements of the Integrated Care Academy at UWE Bristol. http://uwe.ac.uk/integrated-care-academy Contact us: ica@uwe.ac.uk