The 2015 Ignite calendar kicked off with a moonlight cinema.

Harvard economist Jeffrey Sachs is well known for being the man-on-a-mission to end extreme poverty. He often points out that if every American donated the equivalent of one cup of coffee ($2.50), that the proceeds would fully fund the global prevention of malaria.

Based on the colossal amount of coffee i’ve seen medical students consume, I think we’re an excellent group to get that ball rolling. Or for those who are fine with their HECS debt rivalling the amount of money they owe their barista… ”

Ignite is Monash University’s non-profit global health group. The organisation was established by medical students in 2004 and now consists of multiple sub-committees including a passionate Gippsland division. With the aim of fostering passions in global health and providing avenues for practical involvement, the Gippsland committee is planning its biggest year yet.

It was kicked off with a picturesque outdoor cinema that more than 40 students from 5 sites attended. The event was a huge success which allowed students to meet like-minded individuals from various year groups while also raising funds for future initiatives. The committee is already well underway with the planning of a global clinician lecture series, book club and online article writing competition.

Committee positions are still available for Ignite Gippsland and the group would always love to hear any ideas or suggestions you have.

Zach O’Brien
Committee Chair
zpobr1@student.monash.edu

Website: ignitehealth.org.au
Facebook page: facebook.com/igniteglobalhealthgroup

PhD candidate, Rouve Forbes (centre), takes questions with her supervisors, Marg Simmons (left) and Julie Willems (right)

How to prepare for and recover from bushfire was the subject of a community conference hosted by Federation University at Churchill in early October.

PhD student, Rouve Forbes, presented her research on the recovery of young adults after bushfire. A display of artwork by older people in local communities affected by the Black Saturday fires greeted conference participants on arrival. The artwork was created during Monash-run workshops. Matthew Carroll, Marg Simmons and Julie Willems were all present at information booths during the conference.

Marg Simmons and Matthew Carroll with artwork created during the Monash-run Regeneration workshops after the Black Saturday fires in Gippsland.

Forty Year A medical students from the School of Rural Health Churchill took part in a recent workshop to learn surgical skills such as basic suturing and hand tying of knots.

The workshop was run by the Monash University Surgical Interest Group (MUSIG).

Two general surgeons, Mr Neil Jayasuriya and Mr Gordon Arthur, assisted with the workshop while a surgical registrar, Mr Dane Holden, helped at the information session on surgery.

MUSIG committee members, Michael and Matt, coordinated the night with the help of Hemma Valluvan and five Year 5D students.

The workshop was a huge success and a great chance for students to network and build new skills. It was also a good opportunity to find out more about surgery and the journey into this career.

The event was made possible by the School of Rural Health with a special mention to Kelsey Giardina for her invaluable support.

By Apoorva Rao

Adelle McArdle from the School of Rural Health Churchill attended the Lactation Symposium hosted by Monash Health (formerly Southern Clinical School) in September in Clayton.

The symposium focused on some of the latest research findings on breast milk, lactation and breastfeeding. There was particular emphasis on the role of breast milk in pathological conditions such as infant and maternal infection, and the importance of human milk for infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care units.

“I heard the latest evidence and research finding on breast milk and its unique properties, from speakers who are considered leaders in their respective fields, including Associate Professor Donna Geddes.” Adelle said.

Associate Professor Donna Geddes, a senior researcher and current Head of the Hartmann Human Research Lactation Group at the University of Western Australia, agreed to present at an upcoming training forum for physiotherapists in the treatment of inflammatory conditions of the lactating breast in August 2015.

Professor Alan Trounson gave a lecture to Year A students when he visited Churchill in September.

Eminent scientist Professor Alan Trounson captivated  Year A medical students with his lecture at Churchill on Monday 29 September.

Professor Trounson, Emeritus Professor Monash University, was a pioneer of human in vitro fertilisation (IVF), introducing fertility drugs for controlling ovulation, embryo freezing techniques, egg and embryo donation methods, initiated embryo biopsy, developing in vitro oocyte maturation methods and the vitrification of eggs and embryos.

He led the Australian team for the discovery of human embryonic stem cells in the late 1990s.

He told students it was an interest in farming that started his career. “I wanted to be a farmer,” he said. “I studied wool technology and ended up at Cambridge University (London), working with cattle and horses on reproduction.” (more…)

Graduates: Kendall Livingstone, Judi Lawless, Tracey Minster and Jo Kingsley successfully completed their accounting studies.

A number of dedicated School of Rural Health personnel recently celebrated an impressive professional development achievement.

Kendall Livingstone from SRH Mildura, along with Tracey Minster,  Judi Lawless and Jo Kingsley all based in Gippsland, completed their Certificate IV of Accounting and Diploma of Accounting.

The women celebrated with their classmates at a graduation ceremony and afternoon tea on 10 September at Monash University’s Caulfield campus.

All four had attended 12 workshops and finished 12 intensive assignments as well as four Recognised Prior Learning (RPL) modules while juggling busy work and home lives.

Congratulations also to Michelle Ryan who completed her Certificate IV in Bookkeeping.

The women chose to undertake this study to build on their existing skills and knowledge of finance and accounting. Their enhanced expertise in all facets of financial reporting, budgeting and the legal context of accounting is expected to deliver genuine benefits to SRH.

Emeritus Professor Alan Trounson will visit Churchill in September to talk to students and give a public address.

Renowned international stem cell research and IVF pioneer, Professor Alan Trounson, will visit Gippsland next month to speak to Year A medical students at the School of Rural Health Churchill and give a public talk the same evening.

The visit on Monday 29 September is a collaboration between  Federation University, and the School of Rural Health Churchill. Professor Trounson will speak on ’Stem cells and regenerative medicine: Australia’s place in the global revolution in treatment of cancer, diabetes, blindness, spinal cord repair and potential cure for HIV/AIDS”.

He will address medical students from 3-4.30pm and give his public address from 6-7.30pm in the Federation University Auditorium. RSVPs are essential by Friday 19 September to Sarah.j.russell@monash.edu or 5122 7445. (more…)

Monash Year 4C medical students from across Gippsland took part in a Developmental Disability Forum at Churchill in July.

Dr Jane Tracy (Director, Centre for Developmental Disability Health Victoria) facilitated the workshop at the Churchill campus of Federation University.

Students spent the morning with Dr Tracy looking at health and developmental disability, and exploring ways to improve the healthcare that is provided to people with developmental disabilities.

For the afternoon session, clients from Cooinda Hill  — a Gippsland-based organisation that provides a wide range of services for adults living with a disability — visited the students.

In small groups, the students gained greater insights into the lives and healthcare needs of adults living with a disability in the community.

Special thanks go to Steve, Ben , Evelyn and Lindsay from Cooinda Hill for sharing their stories with such enthusiasm and humour.

A more dynamic teaching environment for SRH students is one expected outcome from Michelle Machado’s recent attendance at the International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE) conference.

Michelle, from SRH Churchill, attended the June conference in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, with the support of the SRH conference fund.

Part of Michelle’s involvement in the conference included presenting a poster on ‘Anatomy learning and retention among medical students in a graduate-entry MBBS course: A cross-sectional study’.

(more…)

Volunteers are invited to participate in the Multiple Mini Interviews (MMIs) at School of Rural Health Churchill. The interviews are part of the selection process for the 2015 intake into the graduate entry MBBS (Honours) degree.

The MMI is an extremely important part of theselection process and community involvement is vital in undertaking this process.

This year interviews will be held on Thursday 11 and Friday 12 September at the School of Rural Health Churchill.  We expect to interview about 110 applicants across both days.

There will be two session times each day:

• AM session requires interviewers to attend from 9am
• PM session requires interviewers to attend from 11.30am

SRH Churchill will be conducting training for interviewers in two sessions on Tuesday 26 August: at lunch time and in the evening.

If you would like to participate as an interviewer in 2014, please go to the online form and register your contact details, book in for your training session and select days and times that you are available to interview.

If you are a senior medical student, then you must prioritise your placement obligations above participation in interviews and you are not to miss classes or clinical learning sessions.