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Tuesday 19 July 2016

Monash researchers secure international medical congress

Professor Bertram and Professor Wallace
Professor Euan Wallace and Professor John Bertram co-chaired the successful Melbourne bid to host the World Congress on Developmental Origins of Health and Disease.
It was recently announced that Melbourne had won the bid to host the 11th World Congress on Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, 20-23 October, 2019.
The proposed theme for the congress is “transforming the future from the first moment of life,” which is exactly what the 800-1000 estimated delegates will wish to achieve. The Aim of DOHaD is to combat non-communicable diseases by establishing healthy behaviours early in life.
Local, national and international scientists, as well as clinical researchers, obstetricians, paediatricians, public health professionals and policy leaders will gather under the Exhibition Centre roof to discuss how early life (conception, pregnancy, infancy and childhood) is not only a time to mitigate immediate risks to health, but how it is also a critical period to promote health and prevention of diseases later in life.
The thought behind the congress is that many of the non-communicable diseases that plague society (type 2 diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, some forms of cancer, mental illness etc.) can be reduced with invention in early life.
There is substantial evidence that indicates that promoting a ‘healthy start to life’ can reduce the risk of both early and later non-communicable diseases with wide social and economic benefits.
The story behind the bid
Professor John Bertram and Professor Euan Wallace co-chaired the successful Melbourne on behalf of the DOHAD Society of Australia and New Zealand. They had assistance from a local organising committee, as well as letters of support from government and academia.
Professor Wallace is the Head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Monash University, and is also the Director of Obstetric Services, Monash Health, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Monash Medical Centre. Professor Bertram is the Head of the Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology at Monash University and a Group Leader in the Development and Stem Cells Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute.


Donated baby simulation model will upskill health workers in rural India

Dr Malhotra
A generous donation by a major manufacturer of medical equipment and medical training products will enhance a teaching and research program in neonatal resuscitation in India.

Recipient of the 2016 RACP Eric Burnard Fellowship, Dr Atul Malhotra is developing an educational program for health workers in rural Punjab to recognise perinatal asphyxia (oxygen deprivation) and hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE).

“Laerdal Australia has donated an ex-demonstration model of a neonatal resuscitation baby simulator for the education training programs I will be running later this year in Punjab,” said Monash University researcher and Monash Children’s Hospital neonatologist, Dr Malhotra.

Laerdal Medical manufactures products for first aid and emergency medicine, including CPR manikins and patient simulators.

Dr Malhotra’s program will include a "train the trainer" workshop for local health leaders in neonatal resuscitation.

“I intend to leave this simulation model behind for the trainers so that they can continue training staff after I have left.”

“The trainers will be working under the supervision of local collaborator, Associate Professor Tarundeep Singh, School of Public Health, PGIMER, Chandigarh.”

As well as training medical leaders, Dr Malhotra will run a workshop for local skilled birth attendants in primary health centres in rural Punjab.

“This simulation model will be critical for the "hands on" skill development of birth attendants to learn vital resuscitation skills such as bag/valve mask ventilation and chest compressions—it also facilitates running "mock" team scenarios of neonatal resuscitation.”  

Laerdal is a partner in the global public-private alliance, "Helping Babies Breathe", a training program that teaches the essential skills of caring for healthy babies and assisting babies that do not breathe on their own after birth. 


Andrology Australia at risk

Add caption
Message from Professor Bryan Williams, Hudson Institute Director and CEO
I am sure you are all aware that Professor David de Kretser is retiring at the end of the month. Last week we held a dinner for some of David's closest friends, family and colleagues to celebrate his extraordinary achievements and contributions to medical research and the impact he has made throughout his career.

I would like to thank the staff and students who helped make this evening such a great success.
David was instrumental in creating what is now the Hudson Institute and although he is retiring, his time with the Institute will not end. He will continue as Emeritus Director and Distinguished Scientist and you will most likely see him from time to time on our precinct continuing to engage in his scientific pursuits.
One of David's notable achievements was the establishment of Andrology Australia which aims to raise awareness and understanding of men's reproductive health and associated conditions. After 16 years, the Federal Government has now withdrawn funding from Andrology Australia - placing this important national resource at risk. At last nights function we circulated a petition initiated by Prof Rob McLachlan, Andrology Australia Director, asking that the government reinstate funding. I would be grateful if you could show your support for Andrology Australia (and our colleague Rob) by adding your signatures. The petitions are now with Shallu at Hudson Reception; please help with this important cause.

Support Jim Harris run and raise money for Berry Street

Dr Jim Harris from the Lupus and Arthritis Research Group will run 10 km as part of Run Melbourne, to raise money for Berry Street (http://www.berrystreet.org.au)

Jim has already raised $574 but has a target of $1000.  So please give to help him reach his goal!!

You can donate here:   https://runmelbourne2016.everydayhero.com/au/jim#/?_k=aoqjjh


Australian Medical Students' Orchestra inaugural concert, 31 July

The Australian Medical Students’ Orchestra (AMSO) is launching its inaugural season, culminating in a charity concert on Sunday July 31st. For the first time, the orchestra will bring together 90 future doctors with a passion for music from around the country. Led by Melbourne conductor and cellist Michael Dahlenburg, the orchestra will perform at the Australian National Academy of Music at the South Melbourne Town Hall.

The orchestra, founded this year by several Monash Medical students and made up of medical students from 15 universities across Australia, will perform a thrilling program of Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov and Fauré under the esteemed baton of Michael Dahlenburg.

Program
Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 5
Rimsky-Korsakov - Capriccio Espagnol
Fauré - Masques et bergamasques


The concert is open to the public and being held at 4pm, Sunday 31st July, at the South Melbourne Town Hall, 210 Bank Street, South Melbourne. Tickets are $30/$15, and are available online and at the door. Proceeds are going to the Afghanistan National Institute of Music and Very Special Kids 



MONASH PSYCHIATRY ACADEMIC DAY 2016, 11 August

Academic Day showcases the multi-disciplinary research activities across the discipline of psychiatry.

Thursday 11 August, 8.30am-4.30pm
Monash Health Translation Precinct, TRF Seminar Room 1
Level 2, Monash Medical Centre

Please RSVP to Andrea Peres (andrea.peres@monash.edu) by 5 August.

Program attached here.

Music for the Valley - Monash Medical Orchestra's annual Gippsland tour, 13 August

With much thanks to the School of Rural Health, we will be continuing our annual tour of the Gippsland community, bringing music and warmth to many hearts to our friends in the east. 



Save the date - R U OK? Day is on Thursday 8 September


Grand Round Presentation - Nephrology Unit - 20 July

Unit:                NEPHROLOGY Unit               
Presenters:     Associate Professor John Kanellis and Dr Bill Mulley
Topic:     "Tackling the Immune System in Kidney Transplantation"
Date:               Wednesday 20th July 2016
Time:               12.30pm to 1.30pm

Venue:            Main Lecture Theatre, Monash Medical Centre, Clayton

Challenges in the analysis of registry data, 9 August

A/Prof Arul Earnest
1-2pm, Tuesday 9 August. MHTP, TRF Seminar Room 3                           
Presented by Associate Professor Arul Earnest from the Biostatistics Consulting Platform in conjunction with the Monash Centre for Health Resaerch and Implementation (MCHRI)  “Challenges in the analysis of registry data”. 
Due to the longitudinal and observational nature of data collection in registries, there can be many challenges in the analysis of such data, including missing data, spatial and temporal correlation in the data. This talk will highlight some potential remedies including multiple imputation techniques and Bayesian spatio-temporal models.

Arul is an Associate Professor with the Biostatistics Unit and senior Biostatistician with the Registry Sciences Unit in the Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine. For close to 20 years, Arul has provided consultative and collaborative methodological input to various collaborators. The outcome for some of this work has been more than 125 publications in a variety of peer-reviewed international journals, including BMC Health Services Research, BMJ and JAMA. He is the author of the upcoming book “Essentials of a Successful Biostatistical Collaboration”. Arul was awarded the status of Chartered Statistician (C.Stat) by the Royal Statistical Society in London in 2003. He enjoys teaching courses on biostatistics and research methodology.

MIME Wearable and Point of Care Biodiagnostics Workshop, 15 August

You are invited to a seminar about Wearables and point of care biodiagnostics on Monday, 15 August. 

Professor Wenlong Cheng has organised this seminar, which will focus on he latest developments in wearable technologies designed for point of care. 

Further details regarding the seminar and RSVP information are available in the attached flyer here

Hudson Seminars 2016 Winter Program

Hudson Seminar Winter program available here.

myResearch now live and accessible

The myResearch platform is now on-line and accessbile to all researchers using a single Monash University sign-on, which means that you do not need to login again if you are already in My Monash.  The two modules available are: (1) Pure - this is the application, award, research output, and profile system; (2) Infonetica ERM - this is the ethics and compliance application and management system.

Some staff are experiencing difficulty in logging-in to the system. If you receive an error message when trying to login, please close the browser window and try logging-in again. Other options are to clear the cache and login again, or use a different brower. If none of those work, please try opening a private window.
A basic checklist for getting started with Pure:
1. Check and edit your external profile;
2. Check your data: research outputs, projects and activities;
3. Add or create your ORCID ID;
4. Link your projects, research outputs, and activities;
5. Familiarise yourself with how to lodget a funding application for internal approval;
6. Check your e-mail notification settings.
Please visit: www.monash.edu/myresearch for quick tips, user guides, and FAQs.

Global Health Innovative Technology (GHIT) Fund Product Development Platform - Request for Proposals

The Global Health Innovative Technology Fund (GHIT Fund) is a non-profit organisation focused on promoting the discovery and development of new health technologies, including drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics for infectious diseases prevalent in developing countries. The GHIT Fund aims to advance Japan’s wealth of health technology innovation for the discovery and development of new technologies for developing world patients and populations affected by infectious disease. To this end, the GHIT Fund will catalyse R&D partnerships between Japanese and non-Japanese organisations and support these partnerships through GHIT Fund investments.

Interested applicants must complete the Intent to Apply form (available at https://www.ghitfund.org/afag/grant/en) and submit this to the GHIT Fund via Editorial Manager® no later than 10:00am (Tokyo time) on 28 July 2016.

When submitting your Intent to Apply form on the Editorial Manager®, please list all the collaboration partners participating in the project; the name and details (including email address) of at least one representative from each organisation must be indicated.

Applicants who successfully submit the Intent to Apply document will receive a confirmation email. GHIT Fund staff will then perform an initial partnership and scope eligibility assessment. Only eligible applicants will be invited to submit the full proposal and will receive the proposal templates from the GHIT Fund.

Further information about the scheme is available at https://www.ghitfund.org/assets/attach/GHIT-RFP-PD-2016-002.pdf


Expression of interest for SCS Safety Officer and Lab Manager casual position

An expression of interest (EOI) is sought for a part-time, casual role as Safety Officer and Lab Manager for the School. At this stage, the role will be 0.5 FTE to the end of this year, but there may be scope to extend the role in terms of both FTE and duration. Please contact SCS School Manager, Eugene Fredericks (eugene.fredericks@monash.edu) for more details. The EOI will close at 5:00 pm on Friday 29th July.


Internal Vacancy - Casual Technical Assistants - The Ritchie Centre

Casual workers wanted in Embryology and Placental Biology Laboratory.
Duties include:
1. Processing human blood and urine samples ~2-3h / day Wednesday and Friday.
2. On call (rotating roster - can be out of hours) processing of human birth samples (placenta, cord blood and maternal blood and urine) ~2h / birth.
Some experience handling human tissues and excellent pipetting skills are required. Training in standard operating procedures will be provided. Positions available for immediate start. 

Hourly rate - TAP 2 Step 3 - $24.94 plus 25% casual loading


Pleases email your CV to Hayley.Dickinson@hudson.org.au no later than this Friday 22 July 2016.

SCS staff performance conversations - only 5 places left!

You are invited to register for this half day workshop – Performance conversations. The aim of this program is to ensure that as an academic performance supervisor you understand the University’s performance development process and can facilitate effective and meaningful performance conversations with your staff.

During the session a range of resources, practical techniques and skills to encourage improved performance will be covered, including the use of the academic performance standards, feedback and strategies to effectively manage unsatisfactory work performance.

This workshop is open to paid academic staff employed through the School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health.

Session details

Date: Thursday 4 August
Time: 9:00am – 12:30pm
Location: Surgery seminar room on Level 5 (Block E at MMC)

To register please email selda.evci@monash.edu by COB Friday 22 July 2016.

Your Facilitator:

Dr Lyn Stavretis is the principal of Performance Wise Consulting® and an accomplished facilitator and coach with over 26 years freelance consulting practice supported by management practitioner and academic qualifications.

Lyn regularly conducts workshops for Monash around performance, career and development conversations in a university context, as well as working with a range of other organisations in these content areas.


Engaging new migrant populations—a lesson in humility

Kate Sievert et al. published in The BMJ.

Read article here.

Adherence to Non-Invasive Ventilatory Support

Gillian Nixon published in Caring for the Ventilator Dependent Child.

Read chapter here.

BET-inhibition induces apoptosis in aggressive B-cell lymphoma via epigenetic regulation of BCL-2 family members

 Jake Shortt et al. published in Molecular Cancer Therapies.

Read article here.

A call for researchers to join the META-MICROBLEEDS Consortium

Velandai Srikanth et al. published in The Lancet Neurology.

Read article here.

Human fetal growth restriction: a cardiovascular journey through to adolescence

Arvind Sehgal et al. published in the Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease.

Read article here.

Effect of betamethasone, surfactant and positive end-expiratory pressures on lung aeration at birth in preterm rabbits

Stuart Hooper et al. published in the Journal of Applied Physiology.

Read article here.

Association of time to chemotherapy and survival in six cancers: a systematic literature review and recommendations for clinical practice

Stephen Opat et al. published in Internal Medicine Journal.

Read article here.

Effect of weight loss induced by energy restriction on measures of arterial compliance: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Alexander Rodriguez et al. published in Atherosclerosis.

Read article here.