SCS eNews: 2016-05-29

Monday, 30 May 2016

Alcohol campaigner and Monash University Associate Professor wins Woman in Medicine Award

Emergency medicine physician and leading public health campaigner Associate Professor Diana Egerton-Warburton has won the 2016 AMA Woman in Medicine Award, the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM) announced last week.

The Australian Medical Association presents the Award each year to a female medical practitioner who has made a significant contribution to the medical profession.

“This is a great honour and one that leaves me feeling surprised and delighted,” said Associate Professor Egerton-Warburton. “I am very aware of the extraordinary women who have received this award before me and I’m deeply honoured to be counted among them.”

“I want to thank all the staff at ACEM who have been my invaluable colleagues over the years and who do such outstanding work supporting emergency medicine and emergency physicians throughout Australia and New Zealand.”

Associate Professor Egerton-Warburton became an emergency physician in 1997.

She has taken leading roles in clinical and academic practice, teaching and patient advocacy over the course of her career and since 2011 has been Director of Emergency Medicine Research and Innovation at Monash Health.

As Chair of the ACEM Public Health Committee Associate Professor Egerton-Warburton has been involved in numerous projects aimed at driving positive change in the Australian healthcare system, including research into the effect of alcohol on emergency departments.

In 2014 she was lead researcher on a study that gained widespread public attention, revealing that one out of eight patients in Australian emergency departments attended as a result of the harmful use of alcohol.

“Diana is always motivated by her passion for delivering better healthcare to her patients,” said Professor Anthony Lawler, ACEM President. “This is evident through all her work, including her contributions to medical research and excellence in clinical and academic practice, her leadership roles in public health projects and her tireless work as a patient advocate,”

“She’s an inspirational emergency physician and this award is well deserved.”

The award is the latest in a series of recent honours for Associate Professor Egerton-Warburton.

Her contribution to the field of medical education and medical training was recognised in 2013 when she was awarded the ACEM Teaching Excellence Medal. In 2015 she was a co-recipient of the ACEM Edward Brentnall Award which is made annually to an ACEM Fellow or trainee for a published paper relating to public health or disaster.

In 2015 she was also co-recipient of the Silver Medal at the Victorian Public Healthcare Awards for her study of used IV cannula.

In giving the Award, the AMA noted that Associate Professor Egerton-Warburton had made excellent contributions to emergency medicine and public health as well as being involved with education and medical publishing.

Researchers shine at PSANZ

Dr Stacey Ellery and PhD student Nadia Bellofiore,
Embryology and Placental Biology Research Group
in The Ritchie Centre

Researchers and postgraduate students from The Ritchie Centre (Hudson Institute of Medical Research and Monash University) have shone at two of Australia’s biggest fetal and neonatal conferences, which both took place in Queensland last week.

A large cohort from the Ritchie Centre attended the 30^th annual meeting of the Fetal and Neonatal Workshop of Australia and New Zealand (FNWANZ, a sub-committee of the PSANZ) on Magnetic Island.

A large number of Honours and PhD students and early career researchers (ECRs) gave presentations at this event, including Nadia Bellefiore, Emily Cohen and Stacey Ellery, who won the Early PhD student; Late PhD student and ECR presentation awards respectively.

The FNWANZ event doubled as a a festschrift for Richard Harding from Monash University’s Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, who was one of the founders of the workshop.
This meeting was immediately followed by another milestone event – the Perinatal Society of Australia and New Zealand (PSANZ)’s 20^th Annual Scientific Meeting in Townsville.

Read full story here.

School of Clinical Sciences powerpoint slides and infographic flyer

Powerpoint slides and an infographic flyer highlighting information about the School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health are available for all staff when you need to present information about our School.

The powerpoint slides are attached here. The flyer is attached here. The Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences has also produced a flyer here. These are all available on the SCS intranet here.

If you have any questions, please contact Katherine Greenberg.

CID Seminar: Development of Novel Therapies for Autoimmune Myeloperoxidase-ANCA Associated Glomerulonephritis, TODAY at 12pm

Presented by Ms Andrea Godfrey, Postgraduate student, Centre for Inflammatory Diseases

Seminar Room 1, Translation Research Facility

Myeloperoxidase anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody associated glomerulonephritis (MPO-ANCA GN) is the most common cause of crescentic GN resulting from the development of autoimmunity to MPO. Despite current therapies, the disease has a 30%, three year morbidity or dialysis outcome with considerable toxicities. Hence development of therapeutic strategies with a high efficacy are important. Here, the novel therapeutic strategies described are aimed to; 1) re-establish antigen specific tolerance by re-presenting the nephritogenic MPO peptide conjugated chemically to apoptotic splenocytes and 2) enhance immunoregulation by administering human amniotic epithelial stem cells. Both these strategies have the capacity to improve kidney injury in experimental autoimmune MPO-ANCA GN.

Lunch will be served at 11.45am in the Seminar Room Foyer, level 2, TRF Building

(no food and drink in the seminar room)

CiiiD Tuesday seminar 31 May: Dr Michael Gantier

Held TODAY in the TRF Seminar Room 1 at 1.00pm.

Dr Michael Gantier will speak about nucleic acids and innate immune sensing.

SCS staff meeting Thursday 2 June 1pm

MHTP technical seminar, Monash Micro Imaging "Seeing is believing - visualising your research" 31 May

MHTP technical seminar is being hosted by the microscopy facility, - presented by Dr Kirstin Elgass and Dr Sarah Creed.

Tuesday May 31 from 10.30am - 11.30am, TRF Level 2 Seminar Room 2.

You’ve seen the outcome of your research on graphs but have you actually watched it as it happens?

Micro imaging gives you the power to visualise what is happening inside cells, tissues or even whole

animals. This seminar will outline how you can view your research in a whole new light using imaging

techniques. From basic confocal microscopy through to advanced techniques such as super resolution

and light-sheet imaging, learn how these different techniques can enhance your research outcomes.

Enquiries: Vivien.Vasic@hudson.org.au

Grand Rounds: “51 Shades of Grey - Point of Care Ultrasound Exposed”, 1 June

Unit: Emergency

Presenter: Dr Gabriel Blecher

Topic: “51 Shades of Grey - Point of Care Ultrasound Exposed”

Date: Wednesday 1 June 2016

Time: 12.30pm to 1.30pm

Venue: Main Lecture Theatre, Monash Medical Centre, Clayton.

“How to Guide Neurons and Control Metabolism”, 2 June

This week's Hudson Seminar will be held from 12-1 pm, Lecture Theatre 1, Monash Medical Centre.

The speaker will be: Prof Roger Poco, Veski Innovation Fellow, Head of the Neuronal Development and Plasticity Laboratory, Monash University.

Light refreshments to follow presentation outside the Lecture Theatre.

Associate Professor Roger Pocok is a veski Innovation Fellow and the Head of the Neuronal Development and Plasticity Laboratory at Monash University.

Roger received his PhD from the University of Oxford in 2004 and conducted his postdoctoral work at Columbia University in New York (2004-2009). He opened his first research group at the University of Copenhagen in 2010 where he worked on the functions of transcription factors and microRNAs in brain development. His work has been published in leading journals including Science, Nature Neuroscience and Current Biology.

Roger relocated his laboratory to Monash in January 2015 to help strengthen development neurobiology and to establish a C. elegans research hub in Australia.

Hudson Translational Workshop - June 16

‘Accelerating Innovation: Browse, connect & engage with Victoria’s world-class research infrastructure,’ 21 June

AusBiotech and Biomedical Research Victoria (BioMedVic) are pleased to launch Innovation Connect: a thought leader series bridging research and industry.

Innovation Connect is series of thought-leader events to be held in Victoria, to facilitate and encourage engagement between researchers and industry. The event series will feature topics of mutual interest.

We will keep you updated on coming events in the Innovation Connect series.

The first event, ‘Accelerating Innovation: Browse, connect & engage with Victoria’s world-class research infrastructure,’ will feature the Victorian Platform Technologies Network (VPTN) and demonstrate the sophisticated research infrastructure and expertise available to industry. The event will include a brief on the available research infrastructure and expertise, as well as case studies from industry to illustrate the impact and benefits of linking with the VPTN. Discussions will continue and new innovation connections will be forged over networking drinks.

When: Tuesday, 21^st June 2016
4:00pm registration
4:15 - 5:00pm presentations
5:00 – 6:00pm networking
Where: Monash Conference Centre, Seminar rooms 2 & 3, Level 7, 30 Collins St, Melbourne
Price: Free
RSVP: Thursday, 16^th June 2016

To find out more call 03 8344 2802 or visit the VPTN website. Register here.

2016 Senior Women's Shadowing Program - Applications Open

The University's Equal Opportunity for Women Committee is pleased to announce that applications are now being sought for the 20 16 Senior Women’s Shadowing Program.

Monash University has a long-standing commitment to gender equity and diversity and to increasing the representation of women in senior professional and academic roles.

The Senior Women’s Shadowing Program aims to enhance leadership capabilities of high potential female staff. Successful applicants will be matched with a member of the Senior Management Team and have the opportunity to shadow them for a total of six half days. Participants will be able to learn about leadership through observation and then discuss their shadowing experiences with other participants during Leadership Praxis Group sessions.

The Program targets women employed either at HEW 9, HEW 10 (or above), Academic Level D (Associate Professor) and Level E (Professor).

Applications close on Monday 20 June 2016 at 5pm.

Please go to the Staff Development Unit website for further information on eligibility, application process and the program’s objectives.

EMCR forum update

Over the past few months the EMCR Forum has taken your concerns about EMCRs success rates in grant rounds to the NHMRC and the ARC by meeting with their respective CEOs: Professors Anne Kelso and Aidan Byrne. Late last year we also met with advisors to the Minister for Education and Training and the Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science to discuss the needs of EMCRs.

Read full details here.

ECR Publication Prize - Only 1 week left to submit your nomination!

Nominations for the ECR Publication Prize will close at 5pm on Monday 6th June.

This means there is less than a week left to submit your nomination.

Several categories still have no nominated publications!

To submit your nomination please complete the nomination form and upload a pdf of your publication in the FluidReview site here

For any questions or difficulties submitting your nomination please contact Tania Wilmann at medicine.research@monash.edu

Note: Only Monash Staff are eligible for this opportunity; Adjunct staff and current PhD students are ineligible to apply.

myResearch Showcase 10 am Thursday 7 July - Invitation

The next phase of myResearch will go live on 12 July 2016 with the launch of the new system, Pure and the release of application forms for human ethics in Infonetica Ethics Review Manager (ERM).

We would like to invite you to a myResearch showcase on 7 July, 10-11.30am, Seminar Room 1, MHTP Translational Research Facility.

This showcase is open to researchers, Heads of School/ Departments and professional staff.

We will provide a demonstration of the new systems Pure and ERM to show the following features:

·        Overview of the system dashboards and features
·        Lodging a coversheet for a grant application
·        Approval/ rejection of the application by a Head of School/ Dept
·        Researcher profile
· Research outputs: importing, claiming and using ORCID

· Submitting an ethics application
· Receiving ethics committee feedback

Opportunity will be available for Q&A.

To attend this Showcase, please register here. Once registered, the event can be entered into your Google calendar via the link in the confirmation email.

Here is a short video that provides an overview of the new myResearch portal that the University is developing.:

https://drive.google.com/a/monash.edu/file/d/0B4NMNM47EervQUllODgwM0VBNmc/view

Invitation: myResearch Showcase (8 June)

You are invited to attend the next myResearch Showcase scheduled on Wednesday 8 June 2016 from 9:30 – 10:30am on Clayton campus.

This showcase is open to all researchers and professional staff.

The project team will demonstrate these features of the online system, Pure:

Researcher web profiles

Creation in Pure
Timelines for move from ROPES to Pure

Portal

Creating a CV in Pure

Grant application

Lodging a grant application

How to register
Please register here. Venue details available upon booking.

Can't attend in person?
The presentation slides and a recording of the demo will be made available on the myResearch google site following the event.

Joint Arts-Medicine Interdisciplinary Research Scheme - Affinity Workshop (28 June)

The Faculty of Arts and the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences are very pleased to announce the launch of a new joint SEED fund to promote interdisciplinary collaborations across both Faculties.

The Faculty would like to invite you to join us at the upcoming Affinity Workshop which will include brief presentations from both the Faculty of Arts and the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences to showcase current projects, new ideas and the potential for collaboration. Areas for discussion might include the Hazelwood Health Study, family violence, drug addiction, quality of patient care, bioethics, ageing, intercultural education and implications for GPs, and indigenous health.

We would encourage you to come along on Tuesday 28 June from 9.00am - 12pm at the Japanese Study Centre, 12 Ancora Imparo Way (formerly Bldg 54), Clayton Campus, and participate in the discussions.

Please find here attached the flyer with events details and running schedule of speakers. Kindly register for the event at Affinity workshop registration.

In addition to registering, please reply to this email with a link to your Monash profile and a one sentence summary of your research interests. This will be incorporated into a delegate pack.

Registration on the day of the Workshop will commence at 9.00am, with a start time of 9.15am sharp.

LabArchives (Electronic Laboratory Notebook) Roadshows for Graduate Research Supervisors and researchers

Sessions are aimed at introducing researchers to LabArchives and how it can be used.

It is important that supervisors of new graduate research student(s) attend one of the Roadshow sessions if they have not already done so. All interested research staff are also strongly encouraged to attend as this platform can be used more widely.

Session 1 - Tuesday 31st May, 3:30-4:15pm - Lecture Theatre S10, 16 Rainforest Walk, Clayton Campus

Basic Research LabArchives Champion, A/Prof Jose Polo (ARMI), to showcase Notebook

Session 2 - Monday 13th June, 1-1:45pm - Lecture Theatre S10, 16 Rainforest Walk, Clayton Campus

Basic Research LabArchives Champion, Prof Colby Zaph (Biochemistry, SOBS), to showcase Notebook

Session 3 - Monday 20th June, 2-2:45pm - Lecture Theatre S10, 16 Rainforest Walk, Clayton Campus

Basic Research LabArchives Champion, Dr Antony Vinh (Pharmacology, SOBS), to showcase Notebook

SPS Session Tuesday 28th June, 12-12:45pm - Colloquium Room 653, Level 6, 18 Innovation Walk (Blding 17), Clayton Campus

Clinical Research LabArchives Champion, Ms Kellie Hamill (BASE Facility, SCS), to showcase Notebook

2017 Australian Academy of Science Mike Smith Student Prize - NOW OPEN

The Mike Smith Prize for History of Australian Science or Australian Environmental History is now open. The prize is for the best essay based on original unpublished research whilst enrolled as a student at any tertiary educational institution in the world.

Essays should be 4,000-8,000 words (exclusive of endnotes), written in English and following the Australian Academy of Science’s journal style.

The award is a cash prize of $3,000. Minor prizes may be awarded at the panel’s discretion.

The deadline is 9am AEST on Tuesday 4 October 2016.

For further information, including how to apply, please visit the Australian Academy of Science’s website.

St Petersburg University Scholarships

Please find attached here a letter from St Petersburg University, passed on by Australia’s Embassy in Russia, inviting Australians to apply for Russian government-funded scholarships across undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate programs.

Applications close on 15 June 2016.

MCCC 2016 Research Travel Grant - Applications now open!

Monash Comprehensive Cancer Consortium's Research Travel Grant Program supports cancer researchers at all career stages to travel interstate or overseas, to present quality cancer research projects to a cancer audience, enhance their research profile and build professional research networks.

MCCC is offering up to $2,000 in travel grants for eligible applicants.

To be eligible, applicants must be:

1. Employed by one of the MCCC's partner organisations:

Monash University
Hudson Insitute
Alfred Health
Cabrini Health
Monash Health
Peninsula Health
Southern Melbourne Integrated Cancer Services

2. Actively involved in a funded pre-clinical, clinical or health services cancer research project

3. Planning to travel between September 2016 and September 2017.

Eligible travel expenses include airfares, transfers, accommodation and travel insurance.

Closing date: Friday 1 July 2016 5pm.

Download the flyer (link here)

View the guidelines and apply (link here)

Request for Applications from the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Australia: Due 22 July 2016

Please see below for an announcement regarding requests for applications via a Letter of Intent (LOI) for an Innovation Award from the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Australia. Applications close Friday 22 July at 5pm.

The LOI will be reviewed by an independent panel of experts. Shortlisted applicants will be notified in late August and invited to submit a full application in October.

What is the Innovation Award?

The Innovation Award is open to the best and brightest researchers, regardless of whether they are currently in the field of type 1 diabetes research or completely new to it. JDRF Australia are seeking innovative proposals describing cutting-edge innovation falling outside current type 1 diabetes research paradigms supported by collaborative teams.

This award provides project funding of up to $1.5M for a period of two to three years.

What does innovation look like to JDRF Australia?
Innovation is:

the generation of a novel idea;
extending existing knowledge into a new and distinct area or application;
the novel use of research tools or technologies; and/or
the novel use of clinical tools, therapies, or strategies;

that addresses a critical barrier and/or will accelerate progress towards preventing, treating or curing type 1 diabetes.

More information is available at: http://www.t1dcrn.org.au/for-researchers/for-researchers---innovation-award-request-for-applications

The FY16 Defense Appropriations Act provides $12 million (M) to the Department of Defense (DoD) Lung Cancer Research Program (LCRP) to support innovative, high-impact lung cancer research. As directed by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, the Defense Health Agency, Research, Development, and Acquisition Directorate manages the Defense Health Program Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation appropriation. The managing agent for the anticipated Program Announcements/Funding Opportunities is the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP).

FY16 LCRP Program Announcements and General Application Instructions for the following award mechanism is posted on the Grants.gov website.

Areas of Emphasis: The FY16 LCRP encourages research projects that specifically address the critical needs of the lung cancer community in the following Areas of Emphasis:

• Identify or develop noninvasive or minimally invasive tools to improve the detection of the initial stages of lung cancer.

• Identify, develop, and/or build upon already existing tools for screening or early detection of lung cancer. Screening may include, but is not limited to, imaging modalities, biomarkers, genetics/genomics/proteomics/metabolomics/transcriptomics, and assessment of risk factors.

• Understand the molecular mechanisms of initiation and progression to clinically significant lung cancer.

• Identify innovative strategies for prevention and treatment of early and/or localized lung cancer.

• Understand predictive and prognostic markers to identify responders and nonresponders.

• Understand susceptibility or resistance to treatment.

• Understand contributors to lung cancer development other than tobacco.

The FY16 Defense Appropriations Act provides $15 million (M) to the Department of Defense Peer Reviewed Alzheimer’s Research Program (PRARP) to support research which addresses the long-term consequences of traumatic brain injury (TBI) as they pertain to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related dementias (ADRD). The research impact will benefit the military, Veteran, and civilian communities. The PRARP’s mission is therefore devoted to (1) understanding the association between TBI and AD/ADRD; and (2) reducing the burden on affected individuals and caregivers, especially in the military and Veteran communities. As directed by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, the Defense Health Agency, Research, Development, and Acquisition (DHA RDA) Directorate manages the Defense Health Program (DHP) Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E) appropriation. The managing agent for the anticipated Program Announcements/Funding Opportunities is the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP).

The PRARP is providing the information in this pre-announcement to allow investigators time to plan and develop applications. FY16 PRARP Program Announcements and General Application Instructions for the following award mechanisms are anticipated to be posted on the Grants.gov website in July 2016. Pre-application and application deadlines will be available when the Program Announcements are released. This pre-announcement should not be construed as an obligation by the government.

FY16 PRARP Overarching Challenges and Focus Areas:

The Fiscal Year 2016 (FY16) Defense Appropriations Act provides $7.5 million (M) to the Department of Defense Epilepsy Research Program (ERP). The ERP supports research that will explore the causative links between TBI and epilepsy, with the hope that one day post-traumatic epilepsy will be preventable. As directed by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, the Defense Health Agency, Research, Development, and Acquisition (DHA RDA) Directorate manages and executes the Defense Health Program (DHP) Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E) appropriation. The managing agent for the anticipated Program Announcements/Funding Opportunities is the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP).

The ERP is providing the information in this pre-announcement to allow investigators time to plan and develop applications. The FY16 ERP Program Announcement and General Application Instructions for the following award mechanism are anticipated to be posted on the Grants.gov website in July 2016. Pre-application and application deadlines will be available when the Program Announcements are released. This pre-announcement should not be construed as an obligation by the government.

The Fiscal Year 2016 (FY16) Defense Appropriations Act provides $3.2 million (M) to the Department of Defense Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Research Program (DMDRP) to support innovative, high-impact Duchenne muscular dystrophy research. As directed by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, the Defense Health Agency, Research, Development, and Acquisition (DHA RDA) Directorate manages and executes the Defense Health Program (DHP) Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E) appropriation. The managing agent for the anticipated Program Announcements/Funding Opportunities is the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP).

FY16 DMDRP Program Announcements and General Application Instructions for the following award mechanisms are posted on the Grants.gov website.

The Jack Brockhoff Foundation draws on income from a perpetual fund to resource projects, people and infrastructure in Victoria. It grants funds in response to need and opportunity to build social capital, and to address ill-health, disadvantage, vulnerability and inequality to improve the overall well-being of community in Victoria.

One or two year grants of up to $70,000 per annum will be considered, although cost-effective smaller applications will also be welcome.

Research conducted in any discipline relevant to disease, health and well-being outcomes will be considered. Multi-disciplinary and multi-institution applications will be considered. Research arising from these grants is expected to yield two or more peer-reviewed scientific articles in quality journals.

The Department of Medicine will be running its 3 Minute Thesis Competition on 21st June 2016 to determine the finalists to go through to the School of Clinical Sciences 3 Minute Thesis Competition in August.

The Competition will be held at 11:00am-1:00pm on Tuesday 21 June, in the TRF seminar rooms (ground floor). Lunch will be provided after the event. Prize winners (including a People's Choice award) will be announced and presented with their prizes during lunch.

All Department of Medicine staff and students are expected to attend to support our students. This is also a fantastic opportunity to hear about the breadth of research in our Department.

Reminder to Department of Medicine PhD students:

This is a compulsory event for PhD students enrolled in the Department of Medicine at Monash Health between July 2012 and 31 December 2015. It is optional for all other students as you may be eligible for Faculty and University 3MT competitions. All students and supervisors have been notified and should register for the Competition now. The registration deadline is 8 June 2016.

Congratulations William Lee on completion of his PhD

Congratulations William Lee who has fulfilled the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy. William's thesis, "Is there bidirectional control of mitochondrial DNA replication?" makes a distinct and significant contribution to knowledge and was ratified by the Graduate Research Steering Committee on 24 May 2016.

William's thesis concerns the control of mitochondrial (mt)DNA replication in human embryonic stem cells and cancer stem cells. According to the examiners, William's research is likely to contribute to a very important area of cell/molecular biology that is still not well understood and that is very important for cellular (patho)physiology.

Update from Counselling and Mental Health Programs

New Employee Assistance Provider

After quite a few years we have changed our EAP provider to Davidson Trahaire Corpsych and therefore we have a new phone number 1300 360 364. Please discard any old business cards or safety and wellbeing cards. I can replace them if you let me know you need some.

Some perks of being with the new provider are;

· 24/7 phone service available

· Students and staff are able to get counselling off campus (6 sessions free)

· Access to more workshops and seminars (at a cost)

· The DTC GreatLife App available for download

Student Mental Health Champions

A team of students comprising of all faculties, various modes of study, and across campuses (Clayton, Caulfield and Parkville) have been chosen to join our leadership initiative. These students are passionate about reducing the stigma of mental illness and improving student engagement about these topics. They meet on monthly basis and coordinate initiatives. Here are some of their wins so far;

· The ‘Smile for mental health’ comedy night during Summerfest (260 tickets sold)

· Speaking engagement at MRS - Howitt Hall (150+ residents)

· Peer led study skills workshop in concert with Yulendji Indigenous Engagement Unit

· Partnerships formed - with MUBS (Berwick) and MONSU (Peninsula); upcoming speaking engagements planned

· Participated in videos and provided feedback for our new ‘Changing Minds’ online course

· A social media campaign for SWOTVAC – see the Monash Uni facebook page this week

Minto Felix will continue to lead this awesome bunch until the end of the year.

The launch of our 1 hour moodle course ‘Changing Minds’

‘Changing Minds’ is an online course targeting students. The aim is to develop their understanding of mental illness and the importance of recognising signs and symptoms in order to offer help / direct someone to seek help and the Counselling Services that are available at Monash University. Although this has only been a soft launch we have already had approximately 70 students complete it. It’s hoped that this acts as a bit of a tasters and inspires them to do more face-to-face courses like MHFA. Feel free to check it out and provide feedback http://moodle.vle.monash.edu/course/view.php?id=26428

Upcoming staff courses

Description	Format	Upcoming dates	Cost
Understanding Mental Health seminar (Previously called Mental Health Awareness) Designed to help you recognise distress in others as well as the support services available within the University and wider community.	A 3 hour seminar	For staff and student groups on request	Free
Mental Health First Aid Training A workshop to equip you with resources to help someone developing a mental health problem or in a mental health crisis until professional help is available	2 day training	Clayton: 28 & 29 June Caulfield: 11 & 12 July Clayton: 23 & 24 November	$180 Internationally recognised certificate provided
SafeTALK: Suicide awareness & first response training Most people with thoughts of suicide invite help, either directly or indirectly. This half-day program helps you identify and work with these opportunities. SafeTALK stresses safety while challenging beliefs that inhibit open talk about suicide.	3.5 hour workshop	Caulfield: 7 July Parkville: 16 September Clayton: 27 September Caulfield: 27 September	$30 Internationally recognised certificate provided
Mind Body Medicine Using a combination of presentations, discussion and practical exercises to promote emotional health and relaxation.	4 x 90 minutes sessions	Clayton: September 23, October 7, 14 and 21	Free
Mindful for Stress Reduction Reduce stress, and improve mental health, wellbeing and resilience using mindfulness. Consists of weekly formal mindfulness meditation practices, cognitive strategies and reflective activities designed to enhance both the professional and personal life of staff and students.	6 x 60 minute sessions	Clayton: Aug 12, 19, 26, Sep 2, 9, 23	Free
ESSENCE of health A comprehensive lifestyle program underpinned by enabling strategies such as mindfulness, enhancing motivation, goal setting and behaviour change. This practical course enables participants to apply the ESSENCE model to personal and professional life including setting and working towards healthy lifestyle goals.	6 x 60 minute sessions	Clayton: Oct 6, 13, 20, Nov 3, 10, 17	Free
Mindfulness Train the trainer Aimed at people who have completed basic mindfulness training, have a regular personal practice of mindfulness, and wish to enhance skills to teach it in various educational and professional settings. Topics include: introducing mindfulness as a concept, teaching mindfulness meditation, mindful inquiry and debriefing, and working with groups	4 x 90 minutes sessions	Clayton: September 23, October 7, 14 and 21	Free
Mindfulness for wellbeing, resilience and performance - Staff This introductory workshop is broken into two parts: Part 1 is an introduction including the background to mindfulness. Part 2 focuses on practically implementing mindfulness-based strategies in personal and professional life.	Half day	Wellington Rd: 30 August	$70
Mindfulness for wellbeing, resilience and performance - Supervisors Includes Part 1 and Part 2 for staff with the addition of Part 3, which explores how supervisors can incorporate mindfulness into teamwork and workplace culture. Those wishing to deepen the understanding of mindfulness and the ability to apply it should look at doing one of the 5 or 6 week courses offered.	Half day	Wellington Rd: 29 November	$70
Lunchtime drop-in meditation sessions Guided mindfulness meditation sessions. A great way to get started with mindfulness or to deepen your existing practice.	30 minute sessions	Students and staff	Free

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