The Faculty is delighted to announce that with the help of a $4 million National Health and Medical Research Council’s Australia Fellowship, Professor Paul Glasziou of Oxford University will join the Faculty academic team in early 2010.

Professor Glasziou will use his fellowship to undertake research to contribute new knowledge about the process and implementation of evidence-based medicine. This research will help to effectively close the gap between best available evidence and current clinical practice.

The recipients (pictured) of these prestigious fellowships have been recognised as having made an outstanding contribution to health and medical research and as a leading researcher in their field.

In 2003, the Bulletin Magazine named Professor Paul Glasziou one of Australia’s Top 10 Smartest People. Based at Oxford University’s Department of Primary Health Care, he is internationally renowned as Director of the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) and Editor of the Evidence- Based Medicine Journal.

“This grant program is making significant inroads to reversing the ‘brain drain’ by encouraging world renowned Australians, like Professor Glasziou, to return and share their expertise with our next generation of leaders,” said Faculty Dean, Professor Chris Del Mar.

“For our students to have access to the world’s foremost authority in the field is a coup for our medical faculty.”

Bond University’s resident EBM authority, Professor Jenny Doust, has worked together with Professor Del Mar and Professor Glasziou over many years, on numerous research projects and studies in EBM, and they have published research papers and books together.

Over the past few years, Professor Glasziou has been teaching at Oxford University, heading up the Centre for EBM, publishing over 100 scientific papers and authoring six books, all while still working part-time in general practice.

One of the Gold Coast’s top eye specialists Dr John Kearney recently hosted two Ophthalmology workshops at Bond University. The workshops were attended by an integrated group of final year medicine students from the Bond University and Griffith University Medicine Programs.

 “Integration of some academic activities I believe is in the best interests of our students’ broad learning experience, allows for pooling of some resources and promotes respect between institutions” explains Dr Kearney.

“The students have already been demonstrating their new skills with enthusiasm in the eye clinics. Their knowledge is much higher now after attending the workshop” observed Dr Kearney after the first workshop.

Due to the overwhelming success of the workshops and vast benefit to students it is anticipated to continue on an annual basis.

“Regularly holding the workshops will complement students’ formal training at each university and Eye Clinical experience in public and private clinics and operating theatres” said Dr Kearney.

Bond University’s Clinical Education and Research Centre at Robina Hospital is a step closer with early construction works commencing on the $287.7 million hospital expansion.

 The Centre will provide a state-of-the-art clinical teaching and research facility for Bond’s medical, physiotherapy and other health students within the 364 bed teaching hospital.

A new car park on the western side of the Robina campus is nearing completion, with the next phase of construction scheduled to commence soon after.

The new Centre will provide unique opportunities for collaboration between Bond University and Robina Hospital staff in areas of teaching and research.

Robina Hospital’s expansion, due for completion in 2012, is part of Queensland Health’s commitment to provide ongoing public health services to the growing Gold Coast population.

The second annual Moonlight Masquerade Charity Ball was held on Friday 30 January at Conrad Jupiters Casino. Hosted by the Medicine Ball Committee, the aim of the Ball was to raise funds for the Gold Coast based charity, Future for Kids Queensland.

The response to the ball was overwhelming and demonstrated the support of Bond University students to local charities even in the current economic downturn, with over $10,000 donated to Future for Kids Queensland. Congratulations to all who participated and made this event possible.

Bond University first year medicine students Emma Hogan and Kylie Ferguson are two of only 16 Australian medicine students to be chosen by the Australian Medical Students Association (AMSA) to attend the March Global Health Conference in Tunisia, North Africa.

The students are currently in the process of applying to local councils and rotary clubs for funding and are hoping to raise $3,000.

Kylie has worked as a paediatric speech language pathologist for seven years in various settings around the world, both for rural and indigenous communities. After feeling she could do more for her clients, she knew medicine was for her.

“I have always wanted to be a doctor but I felt that I couldn’t do enough in my present profession, as a doctor I hope to help children even more” said Kylie.

Emma has also spent time caring for others overseas. After completing her Bachelor of Science in 2005, Emma then travelled to Africa to live and volunteer in a rural community in central Kenya. Following this experience she decided that Medicine was her career path of choice.

“I hope to find myself back in Africa one day as a practicing doctor to give back to those living in developing countries who are in need” said Emma.

The Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine hosted a student organised Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training workshop (ASIST) from 18-19 January. Organised by Phase 3 student Omar Mansour, the workshop focused on teaching the necessary skills to medical students to assist in dealing with the fragile situation of a person who is contemplating or threatening suicide.

“The ASIST workshop is for medicine students who want to feel more comfortable, confident and competent in helping to prevent the immediate risk of suicide” said Omar.

19 students participated in the two-day, highly interactive, practical and practiceoriented workshop which is anticipated to be held each semester. In line with Bond’s small class size philosophy, the number was capped at 20 students per workshop to allow for an intensive and personalised experience.

“Medical students sometimes feel that they do not know how to deal with a delicate situation involving suicide. I believe it is very important to have basic level of skills to deal with suicide” said medical student Omar.

Professor Chris Del Mar, who opened the workshop, says “This suicide prevention weekend was a wonderful example of students taking initiative and setting up an educational activity for students that seems really worthwhile.”

Omar is actively involved in several other initiatives including Asian Medical Students’ Association and has recently returned from the East Asian Medical Students Conference (EAMSC) held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

“Part of my role as Regional Chairperson AUSTRALIA for the EAMSC has been to engage Bond medical students in international conferences and learning opportunities” said Omar.

Omar was the first Bond medical student to attend an international student conference and has since attended over ten conferences including making an address to the World Health Organisation Regional Pacific Meeting and being invited to attend the general assembly to the European Students’ Conference.

In January, the Faculty's inaugural medical cohort completed their elective, where students can opt to complete a rotation in a clinical setting, or take part in a research project. The elective is a fantastic opportunity for students to gain experience in a location or speciality they are particularly interested in.

The majority of students undertook a clinical rotation, with many taking the opportunity to travel far and wide, with students completing their electives anywhere from Perth, Australia, to Japan, London, India and Ghana.

One student, Abha Shah was lucky enough to complete her elective under the supervision of Prof Fiona Wood, Director of RPH Burns Unit, WA and 2005 Australian of the Year. During her elective, Abha gained a good understanding of burn patholophysiology and the latest technologies used in burn management (e.g ReCell- pioneered by Professor Wood herself), an introduction to plastics and reconstructive surgery and burns, plus gained more operating theatre experience. Spending eight weeks with Prof Wood was a fantastic experience for Abha and she encourages other students to seek out where they would really like to go and take the initiative to make sure it happens.

In December 2009, the Faculty will celebrate the graduation of the inaugural medicine cohort. Throughout each edition this year, we will highlight student achievements and final preparations underway for this cohort.  Next edition we will highlight the students’ Phase 4 Block 1 rotations where students are based at local hospitals.

First launched in 2006, the Faculty hosts an annual Professional Development Series in Children’s Services consisting of regular evening and weekend workshops. The aim of the sessions is to provide professional support to interested children’s services staff, early childhood educators and parents within the community.

For more information or to be added to the mailing list, please contact Lisa Northcott on 07 5595 4141 or email lnorthco@bond.edu.au. The next session is planned for 25 March, Let’s get musical, presented by Rhonda Davidson-Irwin.

The Faculty congratulates Professor Jenny Doust on her appointment by the Minister of Health to the prestigious Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC). This Committee has world-wide recognition as one of the finest ways of deciding which pharmaceuticals governments should subsidise, using not just evidence-based criteria, but also health-economics criteria.

The PBAC has a long history of providing advice to Governments on the medicines for listing on the PBS and its success is critical to the timely access to medicines that people need at a cost they as individuals and the community as a whole can afford. The sustainability of the PBS is a critical public health policy and the challenges facing the committee as both demand and cost rise is increasing.

A team of academics from Bond University’s Faculty of Health Sciences & Medicine has been chosen from a nation-wide tender process to design a revolutionary method to uncover doping – a practice that has lured many athletes seeking that elusive edge.

The Bond University project has received financial backing from the Anti-Doping Research Program within the Commonwealth Department of Health to complete studies that examine how growth hormones affect gene expression.

“The effects of growth hormone in the body are long lived, even though its actual presence is not,” Dr Gray said.

“We’ve seen the long-term consequences illustrated with the German athletes involved in the systematic, state sponsored doping scandals of the 70s and 80s; many of whom now have on-going health problems as a result.

“It is not possible to measure the amount and concentration of growth hormone, so we have taken a more lateral approach,” Dr Gray said.

“Essentially, we’re studying the immune system to determine what specific impact the use of growth hormones has on the footprint of cells.

“Our work is based on the fact that, while genes themselves don’t change, the way they are expressed fluctuates throughout one’s life; some genes can be turned up, some can be turned down.

After a year of preparing her literature review and PhD proposal, PhD student, Sheree Hughes-Stamm is about to begin the practical research of her research project on improving DNA typing methods in natural and mass disasters.

 “This project aims to improve the quality and quantity of the template DNA available for samples recovered from commonly compromised mass disaster and missing person’s” explains Sheree Hughes-Stamm.

“The high amounts of decomposition as a result of heat and time highly degrades the DNA making the identification process longer and harder, and often sometime impossible” said Sheree.

Through exploring the breakdown of bone and teeth in different environmental settings and levels of degradation, this project will allow forensic scientists to identify previously unidentifiable remains bringing closure to families affected by disasters.

“I will use the samples donated by the John Flynn Hospital and expose them to different environmental factors, and bury them in a fenced corner of the Pimpama cemetery to allow them to decompose over varying lengths of time” said Sheree.

The Health Sciences and Medicine newsletter is a quarterly publication available both in hard-copy and electronic versions.  Update your subscriptions details today online at the Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine website.  The next edition will be available in June.

Blue Sky Lecture Series

Children’s Services Professional Development Series

Year 11 Headstart Day, Monday 20 April

Evidence Based Practice Workshop, Saturday 9 May

Bond University Science Week

Bond University Open Day, Sunday 23 August

Academic calendar dates

NEW PROGRAM: MASTER OF HIGH PERFORMANCE SCIENCE
This challenging new program, the first of its kind in Australia, is intended to produce high quality graduates who have an excellent understanding of high performance athletes, their coaches and the organisation and administration of elite sport.

The Master of High Performance Science will provide students with well grounded educational processes in the behavioural and cognitive sciences, high performance sciences and technology. The curriculum has deliberately focussed on an evidence-based approach to inform practice.

The Master of High Performance Science is intended to position graduates for employment as assistant coachs/high performance coordinators, talent identification consultants, advisor performance services, and elite program coordinators. It is hoped that these graduates will be highly sought after by professional and elite sporting organisations. A formal launch for the program is currently being planned for later this year. For more information on this program, please visit www.bond.edu.au/hsm

APPLICATIONS UPDATE
Applications for the Bachelor of Medicine Bachelor of Surgery 2009 intake have closed with first round offers currently being made to students.  Applications for the 2010 intake will open later this year for postgraduate applicants and early in 2010 for undergraduate applicants.

Applications for the Doctor of Physiotherapy 2009 intake have also closed with second round offers currently being made to students.  Applications for the 2010 intake will open later this year.

Applications for May and September 2009 semesters are now open for all other programs.

More details are available online, www.bond.edu.au/hsm.

ANDREW LOVIS
The Faculty is pleased to welcome Mr Andrew Lovis, Faculty Business Director to the team. Andrew has significant business management experience within the health industry and has relocated from Adelaide with his family to take up with position. Andrew has held business management roles for the Australian Technical College (Adelaide South), Specialist Anaesthetic Services Pty Ltd and was a business consultant for the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Research foundation. 

POPI SOTIRIADOU
After hearing about the high standards of graduate satisfaction and staff to student ratio, Popi decided to accept an offer from Bond University to be the Assistant Professor of Sports Management. The current Treasurer of Sport Management Association of Australia and New Zealand (SMAANZ), Dr Sotiriadou’s research has gained such acceptance that she has been invited to consult the ASC and Cycling Australia on sport development.  The Faculty welcomes Popi to the team.