Title of Seminar:
“The Mad, The Bad & The Sad”: Life courses of women transported to Tasmani, Dr Rebecca Kippen

Date:
Tuesday 1 October from 5-6pm

Venue:
At the Auditorium, School of Rural Health, Monash University, 26 Mercy St Bendigo

RSVP
by Monday 30 September to Cathy Ward or ring 03 5440 9082.

Please note seating is limited.

Dr Rebecca Kippen is an ARC Future Fellow and visiting Academic at Monash University.  Dr Kippen graduated with a PhD in Demography from the Australian National University in 2002 and currently holds an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship in the Centre for Health and Society at the University of Melbourne. Her two main research projects are ‘Epidemics, mortality and longevity in Tasmania, 1838-1930’ and ‘Convicts and Diggers: a demography of life courses, families and generations’.

The Faculty is pleased to announce the next round of the Learning & Teaching travel grants has been released. The scheme is designed to assist academic staff to attend and/or present papers at conferences that will develop their educational skills and teaching and learning research activity.

The grants are allocated by the Office of the Deputy Dean (Education) on a competitive basis. It is anticipated that approximately 20 grants will be allocated in this round.

The closing date for applications is 30 November 2013

Round 1, 2014 will cover attendance at conferences commencing between: 1 January 2014 and 30 June  2014

The guidelines and application form are now available.  This link takes you to the Intranet page of ‘Education: Office of the Deputy Dean Education’.  Under the heading ‘Support for Staff’ you will find ‘Learning & Teaching Travel Grants (DOC)’.

Please note: Staff from Malaysia are eligible for travel grants, however, there are restrictions applied. The restrictions are that it can be up to $1,000 and for travel to Australia to attend a conference or collaborate with Monash AU staff

PLEASE NOTE: completed applications will need to be sent to DDE Applications.

The School of Rural Health participated in the Gippsland Campus Open Day on Sunday 25 August, which coincided with the University of Ballarat’s Open Day.

From next year the general Gippsland campus will operate as the new Federation University Australia, although the SRH graduate entry program will remain under the Monash University banner.

The Open Day was a success with an estimated 4000 plus people visiting the campus.

Staff from the graduate entry program and the Gippsland Regional Clinical School, as well as a number of Year A students, attended the event.

The number of enquiries about the MBBS course was much smaller than at the Clayton Open Day earlier this month and the Graduate-entry Information Day held in May.

Visitors were keen to ask questions about the arrangements for Year A at the Federation University’s campus and the changing entry requirements into the course.

As you read this, Gippsland Year 3B student Brooke Driessen is in Africa, gaining a totally different perspective on medicine.

Brooke flew to Africa last weekend (Saturday 31 August) for nearly two weeks as part of the Specialists without Borders group, which offers the opportunity to experience the issues and conditions in other lands.

Before she left, Brooke said: “I haven’t been to Africa before so it’s a really good opportunity to have a taste of the country and to meet the people. I don’t have any real expectations, I’m just really glad I will get to be there.

“It will be fascinating to see what health care is like over there and see what it is like to work with the community as an outsider group. I’m sure the needs are very different; it will be interesting to see the impact of diseases and health issues that they have.”

Brooke expects to spend time in Malawi and Zimbabwe. The project involves working with and helping to train health professionals, so that there are more local medical professionals who are able to provide services.

The chance to take part came about thanks to her year at the Gippsland Regional Clinical School, where tutor and local surgeon David Birks works.  He has had a long involvement in the specialists without borders program and encourages students to grab the opportunity to be involved.

For Brooke, it is part of the benefit of spending Year 3B of her undergraduate program in Gippsland. “It has been really good this year, the group is great and it’s really nice being with the post graduate students (who come through the Gippsland Medical School). We all have a different perspective, which aids our learning, and here everyone gets to know you better so there are lots of opportunities.”

Year 3 student currently in Mildura, Adam Louws, has a long list of talents that includes acting, a skill he has utilised to good effect since moving to the north of the state.

Adam considers that there are many benefits to this outside interest.

“I’ve been involved in productions since 2002, most notably playing John Proctor in Arthur Miller’s ‘The Crucible.’

“When I moved up to Mildura, I decided to get involved in the local community, and joined both the Red Cliffs Players as Oliver for their performance of ‘Spider’s Web’, and the Red Cliffs Musical Society as Carmen in Mel Brooks’ ‘The Producers.’ I even had a minor role as a father in the Mildura Base Hospital’s obstetrics Prompt training day!

“Being in the groups allowed me to make lots of new friends, develop my talents further, and have a lot of fun. It also helped me to feel like a part of Mildura, like I was giving back to the community that had welcomed me.”

Students linked up from Otago, Bairnsdale and Sale for the annual Pat Farry Quiz.

The annual Pat Farry Memorial Trans Tasman Quiz between Otago University and Monash University, East Gippsland, was again a huge success – especially for the East Gippsland team!

Competing for the highly sought after “Pat Farry Cup” Year 3B and 4C students from Sale campus along with Year 4C Bairnsdale campus students made up the 18 strong Monash team. Otago had the edge on the numbers with 20 students but Monash students were determined to retain the coveted trophy.

Questions such as, “Name the three actresses who have all married Tom Cruise” and “Give the full name of the 1^st child of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge”,  were amply sprinkled with medical questions such as “what is the medical name for a tongue tie.” *

Thirty questions in all were asked, with the evening supervised by Monash and Otago staff to ensure there was no underhand access to Google or Wikipedia.

Quizmaster Buss Burrell, the Otago University Rural Medicine Immersion Program (RMIP) Regional Coordinator for Marlborough area, entertained everyone dressed as a large red lobster. He ran the quiz like clockwork, without a hint of home-side favouritism and although the incumbents got off to a slow start things warmed up as the quiz progressed.

Monash students were well fed with brain food to give them every chance of retaining the cup but it was their quick responses and entertaining exploration of details which won the day.

It was a close finish with the Monash side retaining the cup with a 23 to 19 win. (Yes we know that 23+19 does not add up to 30!) Scoring is another Quite Interesting exercise!

So the cup is East Gippsland’s and will be displayed at the Sale campus until the Kiwis and the Aussies meet again next year.

PS: *If you are interested, answers to the quiz questions listed are:

1. Katie Holmes (latest ex-wife), Nicole Kidman and Mimi Rogers

2. George Alexander Louis Mountbatten-Windsor

3. Ankyloglossia

Belinda O'Sullivan

Belinda O’Sullivan is a PhD Candidate – specialist outreach workforce.

Describe your job/role

I recently joined the Office of Research, (enrolled in a PhD through the Department of Epidemiology and Preventative Medicine at the Alfred) to study the specialist outreach workforce in Australia. With a background of public health workforce training and development, and following a family move to Bendigo, I decided to take the opportunity to develop workforce research skills that are increasingly needed to complement policy roles.

Why is it important?

My research will use the MABEL study (Medicine in Australia: Balancing Employment and Life) to study the supply and sustainability of specialist outreach in Australia. It is recognised nationally that specialist outreach is a historically relevant and growing field of practice which has been endorsed in national rural health strategy. A Parliamentary Inquiry has concluded that outreach will continue to be a legitimate part of the overall mix of rural health services.

Australia is a unique example of a nation that has had a sustained national outreach policy for more than ten years, the Medical Specialist Outreach Assistance Program (MSOAP). What is lacking though is information about the workforce dynamics, motivations and the supply and continuity of practice of specialists that do outreach. Gaining a national perspective will assist in ensuring that policy is in sync with the workforce and we understand the different drivers.

What is the best aspect of your work with the School of Rural Health?

Working in the School of Rural Health has provided me with unique opportunities to work with others studying the health workforce and to gain a broader perspective of the range of other work being done to inform sustainable primary care in rural and remote areas. The breadth and quality of research being done here, and the team approach, continues to inspire me.

When you are not at work, what do you enjoy doing?

When I am not at work, I enjoy family time and catching up on ABC shows through iView.

What was your most recent holiday destination and why did you choose it?

My most recent holiday was on Rottnest Island where I have been once every decade since 1993, (when I worked in the fish and chip shop over summer). It has been interesting to see the change, or lack thereof, on the island.

Surprise us! What is something about you that most of your peers would not know?

I am one of seven children; we all get along and the in-laws fit right in too, but watch the noise level when we all get together!

Bree Morris takes on the task of shoulder strapping for Moe football assistant coach and star play James Blaser, who won the team’s best and fairest, before one of the recent games in the Gippsland League.

Gippsland Year 4C student Bree Morris has been braving the chilly Gippsland winter afternoons as well as extending her medical experience by helping out at one of the local football netball clubs.

Bree answered a call from the Moe Football Netball Club, which competes in the Gippsland League, for anyone interested in helping out the trainers.  With a long term interest in sports medicine, Bree went along to several games and learned a bit about pre-game strapping for ankles, knees and shoulders as well the intricacies of the pre-game rubdown.

Bree was also able to help the trainers – a number of them long term volunteers – by sharing some of her knowledge and skills.

Certainly her efforts were much appreciated by the club … and expanded her learning experience at the same time!

The Monash University Medical Undergraduate Society (MUMUS) Teddy Bear Hospital was held at Leongatha Primary School recently and introduced a grand total of 93 grade prep students to hospital and clinical settings.

The MUMUS Teddy Bear Hospital was run by Monash medical students who played the role of Teddy doctors.  Through the event Monash students aim to help reduce the anxiety children may experience if they or someone close to them has to go to hospital.

The preps each filled out a chart about their teddy, stating why teddy needed to go to hospital. The children were then divided into smaller groups to visit four stations: Ambulance and Emergency; Hygiene and Surgery; Exercise and Healthy Eating and X-ray and Plastering.

At the stations Teddy doctors took the preps through what you should do if someone is hurt, what happens when someone has an operation and why the doctor might need to take an X-ray.

At the healthy eating station the preps got the chance to munch on some of the fresh fruit.

Teddies of all shapes and sizes attended the event, including dogs, a hammerhead shark and superman. These poor teddies were afflicted with sore tummies, broken legs and in the case of the hammerhead, one killer headache.

Despite their suffering a lot of fun was had by all. “This is awesome”, exclaimed one prep while gowned and masked at the Surgery station. Fortunately all teddies were feeling a lot better by the end of the day.

Thank you to the teachers and children at Leongatha Primary School for hosting the MUMUS Teddy Bear Hospital.

–  By Margaret Young, Year 4C South Gippsland

RFDS trivia winning team

Travellers from the Sunraysia community flocked to The Grand Hotel in August for a special event – the Royal Flying Doctors Service Trivia Fundraising Night 2013, hosted by the Monash University’s rural health student club Wildfire.

Headed by MC Captain Fleur Muirhead and assisted by the air hostesses from Wildfire Airlines, all passengers had a pleasant and enjoyable flight.

There were 110 passengers from the local and wider community who participated in the evening. Among the attendees were staff from Monash University’s Mildura Regional Clinical School and the Mildura Base Hospital as well as members from sporting and Rotary clubs.

Gary Layton, General Manager of Primary Health Care with the Royal Flying Doctors Service was also present and spoke about future initiatives as well as what the service does in the Sunraysia area and across Australia.

After departure the questions and games got underway. And it is fair to say that while some teams took off, others were left to travel with the baggage! Several tables were in close contention for first class although the wooden spoon was clearly taken out by the netballers.

In the end it was all down to the music round and famous faces that determined who took out the top spot. Upon arrival, it was a combination of medical students and out-of-towners that took out first place. Prizes included hampers from local businesses that generously donated vouchers and goods to support the night.

The event was very successful, raising a total of $2500 for the Royal Flying Doctors Service from both ticket and raffle sales. It was well received by both the local community and particularly by the RFDS. Without the support of the community, the Wildfire Mildura sub-committee and the staff from the Mildura Regional Clinical School this would not have been possible. We hope that Wildfire initiatives such as this can become an annual event to continue improving our relationship with and support for the RFDS, who provides such a crucial service to our rural communities.

– By Catherine Smale, Secretary Wildfire Mildura sub-committee 2013