Projects per year
Personal profile
Research interests
My research interests lie with the body's normal response to stress and also how chronic stress may predispose to psychiatric conditions. A further interest involves how the stress response adapts during early development. I have characterised the role of early environmental factors on the function of central monoamine neurotransmitters and associated behaviours.
Further work is addressing the roles played by neuropeptides in stress neurobiology. Nociceptin is an opioid-like peptide that stimulates the GPCR NOP, which is widely distributed in the brain and peripheral immune system. My research has investigated the role of nociceptin in the mammalian stress response, including regulation of basal and stress-induced HPA axis activity including inflammatory responses.
Teaching
I am the Programme Director for the Gateway Programmes in Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Science which are widening participation initiatives at the University of Bristol to increase access to the clinical professional courses. I am also the Unit Lead for the Foundations in Bioscience units of the Gateway programme.
My special interests are in nervous, endocrine and reproductive systems and I deliver teaching on the functional anatomy of these systems to the MBChB programme (year 1) and BSc Applied Anatomy (year 1). I also contribute to the teaching of the intercalated BSc in Functional and Clinical Anatomy, BVSc programme and postgraduate taught courses; MSc Reproduction and Development and the MSc Molecular Neuroscience. In addition, I am the Senior Tutor for the iBSc Functional and Clinical Anatomy programme.
I am the Faculty of Health Sciences Research Ethics Officer and co-chair the Research Ethics Committee.
External positions
External Examiner, University of Nottingham
1 Oct 2022 → 30 Sep 2026
External Examiner, University of Leicester
1 Sep 2017 → 31 Aug 2022
External Examiner, University of Manchester
1 Sep 2016 → 31 Aug 2020
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Projects
- 1 Finished
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Research and analytical skills for health sciences: Student-led evaluation of curriculum design for the Gateway Programme
11/10/21 → 10/10/22
Project: Research
Research output
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Bristol Gateway Programmes: Our perspectives of interprofessional education
Fulford, A. J., 9 Dec 2022.Research output: Contribution to conference › Conference Paper
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Developing Research Potential
Fulford, A. J., 5 Feb 2022.Research output: Contribution to conference › Conference Paper
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The functional anatomy of the spinal cord in common neurodegenerative disorders: a systematic review.
William Lunt & Fulford, A. J., 20 Dec 2022.Research output: Contribution to conference › Conference Abstract › peer-review