Alexander Rodriguez talks about his research into osteoporosis.
Monday, 7 November 2016
MHTP Research Week 21-25 November
From 21-25 November, the MHTP Translational Research Facility will become a centre of activity as our researchers and staff from across the precinct and all partner sites come together to celebrate this year's research achievements.
For more information see: http://mhtp.org.au/
Please register your attendance here (for catering purposes): https://monashmnhs.qualtrics.com/jfe1/form/SV_bJC5F8RaHAY74zz
Draft program (Wednesday and Thursday speakers) HERE. More to come soon.
Monash Imaging: from x-rays in a dark room to saving limbs and lives
 |
| Dr Chandra with a stent retriever |
The field of radiology has come a long way since Wilhelm
Conrad Roentgen’s discovery of X-rays in 1895. Ultrasound and nuclear medicine,
computerised tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are all
commonplace techniques that aid in the diagnosis of disease.
What is not commonly known is that radiologists now do far
more than sit in a dark room interpreting images and writing reports for other
doctors.
 |
| Many of the Monash Imaging radiologists (Prof Stuckey front, centre) |
Monash University’s Dr Ronil Chandra is an interventional
radiologist at Monash Imaging, the largest academic imaging department in
Australia. Monash Imaging is also unique
with its own university department, at Monash University’s School of Clinical
Sciences at Monash Health.
Dr Chandra did his medical training in Melbourne, before
specialising in radiology at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston and Harvard
Medical School. Having trained and worked with some of the world’s
best radiologists, Dr Chandra believes the imaging services provided at Monash
Health are as good as anywhere in the world.
“We do amazing work
here but very few people know about it,” says Director, Monash Imaging at
Monash Health and Head of Department of Imaging at Monash University, Professor
Stephen Stuckey.
“We have more than 430 staff including radiologists, imaging
technologists, nurses and support staff who support, perform or interpret over
325,000 imaging examinations every year at Monash Imaging—and we also publish
over 50 peer-reviewed papers annually, making us one of the most academically
productive imaging departments in the country.”
“More than half of all Monash Health Emergency Department
patients and almost all patients admitted to our hospitals are serviced by our
Department of Imaging,” says Professor Stuckey.
There are a number of sub-specialists in the Monash Imaging
team, including nine specialist interventional radiologists. When not interpreting an image,
interventional radiologists may be found inserting a stent into a patient’s
brain to remove a blood clot or to treat a brain aneurysm.
Professor Stuckey says interventional radiologists use
minimally invasive techniques to treat patients for a range of conditions
including cancer, stroke, brain aneurysms and spinal injuries.
”We navigate the body’s natural highways to stop a bleed in
the brain, remove a blood clot or to deliver chemotherapeutic agents directly
to a cancer site,” says Dr Chandra. “Recent advances in imaging technology are
driving this rapid change in clinical practice.”
“Five years ago, a standard CT scan for an emergency patient
with acute stroke had fewer than 100 images—now standard CT imaging contains
3000 images,” says Dr Chandra.
“Radiologists need to analyse those images extremely fast to determine
the best treatments.”
Radiologists are critical members of the medical team,
facilitating rapid diagnosis of cause of illness with imaging techniques, and
are increasingly integrated into treatment paradigms using minimally invasive
interventional radiology techniques,” he says.
“Our team has become so clinical we see patients in clinic,
do ward rounds in ICU and run infusions in the ICU.”
“The reality these days is patients don’t always have a
surgeon—they have an interventional radiologist.”
In recognition of their expertise, Monash Medical Centre has
recently been designated the second endovascular clot retrieval site in
Victoria, with the largest patient catchment area.
“Stroke patients arriving at Monash Medical Centre are met
by a multidisciplinary team of specialists including interventional
radiologists and stroke physicians, who aim to remove a clot from a patient’s
brain in under 60 minutes,” says Dr Chandra.
“We remove clots by inserting a stent retriever into the
femoral artery in the patient’s groin and navigating up the neck and into the
head.”
“Patients come in unable to speak or move, and as soon as we
pull out the clot, they’ve recovered.
Their paralysis is gone.”
“The bottom line is we convert these patients from severe
stroke to no stroke or mild stroke, and then they recover,” says Dr Chandra.
Before these techniques were available, patients either died
or were left significantly disabled— these minimally invasive techniques not
only save lives but patients are usually eligible to go home after 24-48 hours.
Dr Chandra says that while the procedures are costly, the
economic benefit to the community is enormous.
“We’re saving on rehabilitation costs and reducing nursing
home admissions. Most importantly, we’re returning people back to their
families and back to normal life—that is priceless.”
International Day of Radiology is 8 November, the
anniversary of Wilhelm
Conrad Roentgen’s discovery of X-rays in 1895.
Monash research findings about aspirin safety for heart patients presented at EACTS
Professor Julian Smith presented his recent The New
England Journal of Medicine findings about aspirin and coronary artery
bypass surgery at the European Association For Cardiothoracic Surgery (EACTS) Meeting
in Barcelona last month.
Head of Department of Surgery at the School of Clinical
Sciences at Monash Health, Professor Smith and his colleagues showed that
patients who take aspirin before heart surgery are at no greater risk of
bleeding or complications.
“Many patients with coronary artery disease are taking
aspirin for primary or secondary prevention of myocardial infarction, stroke
and death,” said Professor Smith.
“Aspirin taken at the time of coronary artery bypass surgery
(CABG) creates a potential risk of excessive bleeding.”
“To date, there has been a lack of evidence as to whether or
not aspirin should be ceased prior to CABG and traditionally most centres
tended to withhold aspirin for 5 to 7 days in the lead up to CABG,” said
Professor Smith.
The collaborative multi-centre international study (19
hospitals in five countries) was conducted to investigate whether stopping or
continuing aspirin before CABG posed more risks or benefits.
The study, as part of the Aspirin and Tranexamic Acid for
Coronary Artery Surgery (ATACAS) trial, randomly assigned 2100 patients
scheduled for CABG and at risk for post-operative complications to receive
aspirin or placebo and tranexamic acid or placebo.
Professor Smith said the patients were randomly assigned to
receive 100mg of aspirin or a matched placebo preoperatively.
“The 100mg dose was
deemed to have the strongest evidence of preventative efficacy (at least in
nonsurgical settings) balanced against a low risk of bleeding complications.”
“The primary
outcome measure was a composite of death and thrombotic complications (nonfatal
myocardial infarction, stroke, pulmonary embolism, renal failure, or intestinal
infarction) within 30 days following surgery,” said Professor Smith.
The researchers concluded for patients undergoing CABG that
the administration of aspirin preoperatively neither lowered the risk of death
or thrombotic complications nor raised the risk of bleeding compared with placebo.
“Significantly, our study shows for the first time that
there is no reason to cease aspirin prior to CABG, although an important caveat
to this recommendation is for patients with a pre-existing bleeding disorder or
possessing other major risk factors for bleeding,” said Professor Smith.
Dr Padma Murthi receives fellowship from Ferring Pharmaceuticals
Congratulations to Dr Padma Murthi from The Ritchie Centre who has received a one-year fellowship from Ferring Pharmaceuticals, worth $US 96,000 ($AU 125,000).
Dr Murthi is currently looking at signaling pathways that regulate placental vascular functions in fetal growth restriction and preeclampsia.
This fellowship will allow Dr Murthi to identify a therapeutic target to improve placental vascular functions in preeclampsia, a serious medical complication of pregnancy affecting 5 to 10 per cent of all pregnancies in Australia.
Leading epidemiologist recognised with promotion at Monash University
 |
| Dr Monique Kilkenny |
Congratulations
Dr Monique Kilkenny on her recent promotion to Senior Research Fellow,
Translational Public Health and Evaluation Division in the Stroke and Ageing
Research Group, School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health.
An epidemiologist and National
Health and Medical Research Council ECR Fellow, Dr Kilkenny is
responsible for the management and analysis of large data associated with stroke
research.
“While
I only completed my PhD in 2015, I have ten years’ experience in stroke public
health and I’ve worked as an epidemiologist with large and complex data for more
than 20 years,” said Dr Kilkenny.
Dr
Kilkenny is considered an emerging leader amongst Australian stroke researchers
and her research has guided policy directions for improved stroke prevention
and quality of care initiatives by the Stroke Foundation and state government
stroke clinical networks.
“Currently,
I’m leading the analysis of the Stroke123 linked data, the first time a
national linked dataset has been available in Australia to explore the
continuum of stroke care (emergency presentations and admissions) including
information before and after stroke onset,” said Dr Kilkenny.
Before moving to the field of stroke, Dr Kilkenny worked in Australia and overseas
on national and international projects related to diseases at birth, dermatology
and cancer.
“This promotion recognises my significant
national and international experience in research, and as a leading epidemiologist
in Australia,” said Dr Kilkenny.
Dr
Kilkenny acknowledges and thanks her supervisor Associate Professor Dominique
Cadilhac and her mentor Professor Amanda Thrift for their ongoing support and
guidance.
Dr
Kilkenny has published 46 peer-reviewed publications and 39 government and
non-government reports on the quality of hospital care and outcomes for
patients with stroke and the impact of stroke risk factor screening programs.
Gareth Gregory on ABC news
 |
| Video link |
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fszaavKIM0Q&t=6s
Mind the (gender) gap - RACP podcast
Listen to this RACP podcast HERE, including guest presenters Prof Helena Teede and Dr Elizabeth Sigston from Monash Health Translation Precinct (MHTP).
Invitation to med_hack, 28-29 November
med_hack is a Melbourne healthcare technology hackathon
being held on 28-29 November 2016 at General Assembly. We invite professionals
in healthcare to meet and collaborate with those in fields related to
technology (software and hardware) as well as entrepreneurs. The newly formed
teams comprised of these diverse skillsets will get to dream up and create
innovative health projects in a 2 day sprint. med_hack has amazing speakers
(including Telstra's Chief Scientist Hugh Bradlow), healthtech workshops, and
big prizes including $1000 for the winning team as well as entry into a medical
incubator by MedTech's Got Talent.
Applications close soon at www.medhack.com.au/signup with
early applicants being prioritised. For more information, see www.medhack.com.au.
Details
Details
Date: 28-29 November
Place: General Assembly @ 12a/45 William St, Melbourne
Place: General Assembly @ 12a/45 William St, Melbourne
Grand Round - Cutting Edge Research Presentation - Haematology- 9 Nov 2016
Unit:
Haematology
Presenters: Dr Sumi Ratnasingam
Topic: “Bortezomib - based
antibody depletion for refractory autoimmune haematological diseases”
Date: Wednesday 9 November 2016
Time: 12.30pm to
1.30pm
Venue: Main Lecture
Theatre, Monash Medical Centre, Clayton.
"Characterisation of Innate-like T cells" Thursday 10 Nov
This week's Hudson Seminar will be held from 12-1 pm, Thursday 10 Nov, Lecture Theatre 1, Monash Medical
Centre.Our speaker will be Dr Daniel Pellicci, Group Leader, Molecular Biology, Structural Biology, PhD Immunology, University of Melbourne.
Light refreshments to follow presentation outside the Lecture Theatre.
Dr. Daniel Pellicci is a NHMRC Early Career Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne, Department of Microbiology and Immunology. Daniel is a T cell immunologist who specialises in the study of Innate-like T cells, including CD1d-restricted Natural Killer T (NKT) cells, other CD1-restricted T cells and Mucosal-Associated Invariant T (MAIT) cells. His research is supported by the NHMRC and is focused on understanding how these T cells develop, how they recognise antigens and their role in the immune system.
2016 Kaarene Fitzgerald Annual Public Lecture, 5 Dec
7-9pm Monday 5th December, Lecture
Theatre 1, Monash Medical Centre
Each
year the Ritchie Centre host the Kaarene Fitzgerald public lecture to honour
the work that Kaarene did during her lifetime in establishing SIDS and Kids and
playing such a pivotal role in reducing the incidence of SIDS both nationally
and internationally.
This
year we are delighted to have Dr Rita Machaalani from University of Sydney and
Children's Hospital, Westmead. We are also thrilled to have two members
from the Ritchie Centre, Dr Miranda Davies-Tuck and Dr Emily Cohen.
MRO ARC Information Session - DECRA
The Monash Research Office will be holding an information
session for researchers intending to apply to the DECRA in 2017, for funding in
2018.
The information sessions will provide an overview of the ARC
Funding Rules, as well as providing advice on funding trends and the features
of successful proposals. There will also be an opportunity for you to ask
questions and clarify any confusion regarding the Funding Rules, the structure
of the proposals or the submission process.
Please disseminate the details via your usual communication
channels.
MRO ARC Information Session - DE18
Tuesday, 22 November 2016
Clayton: 16 Rainforest Walk, Room S9
Clayton: 16 Rainforest Walk, Room S9
2.00pm - 3:00pm
Please click to REGISTER.
This session will be video linked to:
- Berwick Boardroom
- Caulfield VCF (H7.82)
- Peninsula VCF (W3.01)
- Parkville tbc
- Hudson Seminar 1. Level 2
TRF Building (10 Nov)
- Hudson Seminar 3, Level 2
TRF Buidling (22 Nov)
- Alfred Centre, Boardroom 1
Graduate Research Supervisor Symposium, 18 November
Professor Zlatko Skrbis, Vice Provost (Graduate Education) Monash University, invites you and your colleagues to this year’s Supervisor
Symposium on 18 November:
This is a date which
will cap off the research supervisor development programme we have run in 2016.
The day’s sessions will be driven by two themes: supervision excellence and
industry engagement. The morning’s keynote will be delivered by Ian Chubb AC; after lunch, Ben Eggleton will deliver the address on the
importance of growing relationships with partners outside of universities.
Panels will be conducted
immediately after each of the keynotes and we have invited award-winning
supervisors from other universities to join with our own respected and
decorated academics to lead participant discussions during those sessions.
Attendance of the day’s
sessions will be recognised towards Level 2 supervisor accreditation, but I
would like to encourage supervisors of all levels of experience to participate
in the day’s events as I know that they will find them of genuine value. A
lunch is being organised to ensure we all have a chance to debrief big ideas
and catch up with colleagues from the other faculties.
The Symposium’s website
is up and running and contains guest bios, a programme and a registration page
for the day. The address for the site is: https://www.monash.edu/supervisor-symposium
Parkville career forum, 18 November
Lecture Theatre 2, Building 1, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville
RSVP:
http://tinyurl.com/PCF-nov2016
PhD opportunity in epidemiology
We are looking for outstanding candidates to undertake PhD
studies in the field of epidemiology. This PhD research will be based at
Synergy in the Department of Psychiatry at Monash University. The Project is a
longitudinal population study of recently arrived refugees to identify risk and
protective factors for mental health and other outcomes.For more information:
2016 End of Year HR Deadlines and Key HR Contacts
Important dates are as follows:
UNIVERSITY CLOSEDOWN
The University and all university services will be closed
from 22 December 2016 - 2 January 2017 (inclusive)
RECRUITMENT DEADLINES FOR
ADVERTISING OR DIRECT APPOINTMENTS
11am Friday 9 December
2016 - requests must be submitted to
your HR Business Partner/HR Adviser prior to this.
Please liaise with
Nevasha Wood or Renee Kemp if you have any upcoming recruitment activity
for this year to ensure the above deadline will be met.
TIMESHEET DEADLINES
Last pay in 2016 - Saturday 17 December
Electronic timesheets must be approved by 5pm on Monday
12 December
Second last pay in 2016 - Thursday 8 December
Electronic timesheets must be approved by 5pm on Thursday
1 December
Contact Access HR on 990 20400 or hr@monash.edu for any timesheet
related queries.
PAYROLL DEADLINES
Last pay in 2016 - Saturday 17 December
All payroll requests must be received by 11am on
Wednesday 14 December
Second last pay in 2016 - Thursday 8 December
All payroll requests must be received by 11am on
Thursday 1 December
Contact Access HR on 990 20400 or hr@monash.edu for any payroll
related queries.
ACADEMIC ANNUAL LEAVE
DECLARATION SCHEME
Scheme opened 2 November 2016 and
opt-in for the 2017 scheme via ESS by Friday 16 December 2016
Contact Access HR on 9902-0400 or hr@monash.edu for any leave
related queries
We are looking for participants to take part in a Carnosine supplementation trial
ARE
YOU:
ü
A
pre-diabetic OR have type 2 diabetes (diet-controlled or taking Metformin)
ü
Aged
between 30 and 60 years of age
ü
Someone
with no significant weight change in the last 6 months or have no intention to
lose weight in the next 3 months
ü
Not
taking other regular medications
ü
Someone
with no significant diseases that require treatment
ü
A
non-smoker, non-drug user, non-high alcohol intake
ü
Not
lactating, pregnant or planning to be in next 4-6 months
ü
Living
in Melbourne
WHAT
IS IN IT FOR YOU?
ü
$100
visa card or gift card of your choice as a token of appreciation
ü
Free
Diabetes and Cardiovascular risk assessment
ü
Free
body fat and muscle assessment (around $200 value)
ü
Free
Fibroscan to assess condition of your liver
ü
Free
routine blood tests
ü
Free
cognitive tests
For
further information, or to take part, please contact:
Monash Centre for Health Research and
Implementation
Tel: 0385722629 or
(This
study has approval from the Monash Health Human Research Ethics
Committee–Project Number 16061A).
Two-Year Outcomes of High Bleeding Risk Patients after Polymer-Free Drug-Coated Stents
Ian Meredith et al. published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.Read article here.
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