Thanks to a generous Wildfire grant, I was able to attend the 2013 Conference for the Environment and Health held in Basel, Switzerland in August.  This conference brought together experts from across the world to discuss issues relating to the impact of the environment and climate change on human health.  I attended the conference in order to give an oral platform on “Preparing rural GPs and health services for climate change and extreme weather” which was research completed as a part of my Bachelor of Medical Science (Honours).

Basel is a city embracing environmentally friendly technologies and uses 100% renewable energy.  There is a strong focus on environmental preservation and strategies to minimise the impacts of the city on the environment.  With efficient public transport, cyclist friendly roads, and the River Rhine which is so clean that swimming is a popular local and tourist activity (a big change from the Yarra!), Basel is a fitting city to host such a conference.  Over 1700 clinicians, researchers and scientist from 70 countries across the globe converged on Basel for the conference week.

As the conference for the International Society of Environmental Epidemiology, International Society for Indoor Air Quality and the International Society for Exposure Sciences, the topics discussed at the conference were broad and reflected the wide scope of impacts that the environment has on human health.

The conference was a valuable opportunity to learn about other research being done internationally regarding the environment and health.  It was also particularly interesting to hear about this research in a rural context, from both researchers based in Australia and elsewhere.  It offered the potential to learn from other projects, and also to receive suggestions on further directions for this research in Australia, with particular relevance to rural health.  It was fantastic to be able to meet people whose work and ideas had helped shape how I structured the research I did for my BMedSci.  There was a strong representation of Australian researchers from across different universities and it was inspiring to meet some of these people working in an Australian context.

The research I presented, “Preparing rural GPs and health services for climate change and extreme weather” was based in the South West of New South Wales.  The project explored the views of rural GPs as to the needs for preparing rural health services for climate change and extreme weather events.  It also sought to identify the perceptions of rural GPs on their role as advocates in their communities for extreme weather and climate change issues, both in relation to community and patient engagement, and in the forward planning of rural health services.

Attending the Conference for the Environment and Health was a valuable learning experience and I would like to thank Wildfire for the support of their grants program.

Rachael Purcell

Eli Ristevski attended the recent Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC)/International Society of Oral Oncology (ISOO) International Symposium on Supportive Care in Cancer Conference.

It was held in Berlin, Germany and Eli presented a poster entitled: ‘Health professionals’ knowledge, attitudes and skills in supportive care screening and referral: outcomes of an education program.’

The poster presentation has provided a basis for two key publications to come out of the study, one by the end of the year and the other planned for mid-2014. Eli said the conference reinforced to her that Australian research into cancer supportive care is world class.

The emphasis was on how different health care systems and policies can impact on patient care. For example, issues of travel, availability of services and even having the drugs to treat people.

Differences in cultural meanings associated with cancer are an issue, where families can request that a patient is not told they have cancer.

Eli felt this was a challenge to her personal and professional beliefs about patient care, patient involvement in decision making, information seeking and provision, confidentiality and the role of the family in the care trajectory. Patient care issues around the world demonstrate how different health systems can achieve different health outcomes for people.

A reminder that the Academic Conference Attendance and Funding Guidelines and Application Form can be accessed on the Staff Intranet.

The Centre for Research Excellence (CRE) was well represented at the 2013 Primary Health Care Research Conference held mid-July in Sydney, with one of the CRE Fellows rewarded for her presentation.

There were eight presentations made by members of the CRE, including School of Rural Health staff members Matthew McGrail, Bernadette Ward, Deb Russell, and Lisa Lavey.  Links to the PHCRIS presentations, webcast and abstracts are now available.

Dr Susan Thomas, a CRE Postdoctoral Fellow from the Alice Springs node was awarded the AJPH Prize for Best Paper/Symposium at the PHC Research Conference, based on the CRE work on ‘Access to core primary health care services in rural and remote Australia.’ Other CRE authors on this paper included Professor John Wakerman and Emeritus Professor John Humphreys.

John and Matthew McGrail have been invited by Federal Health Minister Tanya Plibersek to join a newly established Rural Classification Technical Working Group to progress one of the key recommendations from the Review of Australian Government Health Workforce Programs (the Mason Review).

The group’s task is to examine a modified rural classification that would overcome anomalies, and to consider the modified Monash University School of Rural Health model as one way forward. The full report can be accessed online.

In other CRE news, a week-long research writing workshop was held in Broken Hill.  Five early care researchers and two CIs from the CRE (John Humphreys and David Lyle) provided one-on-one supervision and mentorship and participated in the important research activity being undertaken by Broken Hill University Department of Rural Health researchers.

The CRE continues to use social media as a means of increasing its profile and has an active twitter page. If you would like to keep up-to-date, please follow the CRE on twitter: @crerrphc

To link it so that it goes to the CRE page, you should link by using: http://twitter.com/CRERRPHC.

Michelle Machado was recently funded by the School’s conference support fund and Gippsland Medical School to attend the International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE) in Scotland.

Michelle presented a poster on ‘The learning of anatomy by medical students from different backgrounds in a graduate entry course.’

She also took advantage of a day tour to the anatomy facility at the University of Dundee to observe new techniques of cadaveric preservation. The university is the first of its kind in the UK to use the “Thiel method’ of preservation to achieve tissue fixation which aids in high quality dissections.

Michelle’s participation at the conference has enabled her to acquire the tools and resources needed to become a better medical educator. She plans on attending the 2014 IAMSE conference in Nashville, USA where she has been invited to tour the surgical skills facilities.

Professor Debra Nestel from the Gippsland Medical School continues to play a lead role on the world stage, attending the invitation-only meeting of the Global Network for Simulation in Healthcare in Paris on July 29-31.

The meeting brings together leaders of healthcare simulation from around the world and Debra was attending in her capacity as Chair of the Australian Society for Simulation in Healthcare.

Debra will deliver an oral presentation during the Second International Conference on Faculty Development in Health Professions at the AMEE Conference in Prague this month.  She will also run a workshop on ‘The AusSETT and NHET-Sim Programs: a national investment in faculty development for healthcare simulation educators/technicians.’

Debra has accepted an invitation as the Howard S. Barrows Keynote speaker at the opening plenary session of the Association of Standardized Patient Educators in Indianapolis in June next year.

Ten staff from the School of Rural Health attended the first of the Federation of Rural Australia Medical Educators’ (FRAME) twice yearly meetings, held in Broome WA from 9-10 May, along with around 70 other Australian Rural Clinical School academic and professional staff colleagues.

It is always a great learning opportunity to be able to network with other Regional Clinical School colleagues and to share experiences in relation to rural medical education programs.

The focus of the meeting in Broome was around Indigenous cultural competence and provided delegates with the opportunity of hearing from some truly inspiring speakers from the local region.

Of course, no FRAME meeting in Broome would be complete without a sunset camel ride at the end of formal proceedings…

Camel ride in Broome

Dr Dennis O’Connor was the only representative from a rural school at the recent ‘Skilful GP Conference’ at Prato, Italy.

Dennis was involved in a plenary session address and facilitation of three practical workshops.  His presentation covered the ‘role and importance of regional and rural medical undergraduate education and retention of graduates in these areas.’

Being the only rural school representative and with a rural background proved helpful in networking with medical and academic colleagues from regional, rural and metropolitan Australia, Malaysia and Europe.

Marita Chisholm attended the ‘Alzheimer’s Australia 15^th National Conference’ in Hobart, Tasmania.

The conference theme was ‘The tiles of life – colouring the future’ and included sub themes of liberation, rehabilitation, leisure, service, creativity, research and wellbeing.

The conference brought together researchers, service providers, carers and most importantly people with dementia to discuss ways of moving forward, and how to support people living with dementia and their carers.

Marita’s PhD explores ‘access to dementia care and support services for rural Victorians’ and she found the conference particularly valuable for her ongoing research.

The Mildura Clinical School played host to the Annual Scientific Meeting of the Provincial Fellows of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG).

The first day of the two day meeting in mid-April included four workshops using the school’s facilities.

The first was a training supervisors meeting, where those people who have volunteered to train both GP and specialist obstetricians are tutored in the mentoring and assessment of trainees.

The second was a workshop for Obstetric ultrasound, while the third was a workshop on the Fetal Electronic Surveillance Program.

The fourth was for GPs and HMOs who want to do the Certificate of Women’s Health.

Some 80 people were involved, including specialists, GPs, trainees and medical students.

The second day Friday 19 April comprised three workshops using the Sim Lab: resuscitation of the neo-nate, resuscitation of the pregnant female, and breech delivery.

The workshops were for 50 GP obstetricians and some Year 4 medical students from both the Mildura regional hub and several rural hubs.  Local paediatrician Dr Suri Hariprakash ran the simulation sessions throughout Friday morning with the assistance of Howard Cook and Jenny Timmis.

The general feeling was that the school facility was great, particularly the SIM lab. There was a small logistical problem as there were additional workshops held in another site which required some transport, however this was a minor inconvenience.

The meeting was covered by WIN TV with scenes from the SIM lab.

Professor Marlene Drysdale, well known to many in the School through her long association with MUDRIH, will be one of the guest speakers at a forum on Indigenous Health in March.

Run by the Bass Coast and South Gippsland Reconciliation Group with support from the two local councils, the event is on Tuesday 19 March in Inverloch in South Gippsland.

See the poster for details of the forum.