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A message from the Head of School
Professor Sarath Ranganathan
Welcome to the 2024 edition of Chiron. I hope you enjoy reading about recent initiatives and activities within the Melbourne Medical School, and about the achievements and impacts our alumni have made.
“Spreading her magic far and wide”
As Director of Neurosurgery at The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Professor Kate Drummond AM is a passionate mentor and advocate for her junior colleagues, including neurosurgeon-in-training, Dr Heidi McAlpine.
Professor Kate Drummond (MD 2008) has had a passion for dinosaurs since she was a child — her office at the Royal Melbourne Hospital houses an impressive collection of Jurassic figurines. But despite her interest in extinct creatures, Professor Drummond is not afraid of breaking down outdated and antiquated ways of working and pushing for change to help the next generation of medical students succeed.
Advancing the medical workforce of the future
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Growing a 'scholarly greenhouse'
Intellectual curiosity, innovation and ideas underpin Melbourne Medical School’s new Research Training Academy.
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Ready to recognise domestic and family violence
The national Readiness Program trains primary care providers to offer better support to people experiencing, or at risk of, violence.
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Sharpening the focus on high-value, low-carbon healthcare
The University of Melbourne has become Victoria’s first beacon site for Sustainable Quality Improvement (SusQI) in healthcare.
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Mastering the art of robotic surgery
As robotic surgery becomes more widely used, today’s medical students are at the forefront of exploring the intricacies of this technology.
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Hearing the consumer’s voice in healthcare
The lived experiences, perspectives and priorities of patients are front and centre for research students in the Department of Clinical Pathology.
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Speaking through an avatar
AI is helping to deliver important health information to kidney patients and their families in their own language, and in the comfort of their own home.
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Taking a world view at WEHI
After 28 years working and researching overseas, Professor Ken Smith has returned to Australia to become Director of WEHI - a key partner of the University of Melbourne.
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Staying connected on a global scale
Dr Joanne Ngeow, a Senior Consultant in Medical Oncology at the National Cancer Centre Singapore, is a firm believer in the power of the alumni community.
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A virtual approach to managing diabetes emergencies
A specialised virtual emergency department offers a new way of delivering healthcare to Australians living with diabetes at their time of need.
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Teddy Bear Hospital helps students as well as kids
The popular Teddy Bear Hospital helps medical, dental, nursing and allied health students begin to understand the nuances of working with children.
Medicine in the blood
Grandfather and granddaughter Dr Alan Kermond and Amalia Marino share their experiences of attending the University of Melbourne Medical School more than 60 years apart.
Amalia Marino is in the third year of her medical degree at the University of Melbourne, but she’s not the first in her family to walk that path. Amalia’s grandfather, Dr Alan Kermond, graduated from his Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery in 1958, and went on to have a long career in radiology.
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A country practice
GP clinical placements in rural Victoria provide realistic insights into the working life of a busy country GP.
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Advocating for general practice
Professor Lena Sanci is the inaugural Chief General Practice Adviser for Victoria and a strong voice in favour of strengthening primary care.
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Celebrating a valued 20-year partnership
A special partnership between the University of Melbourne and Universitas Indonesia has been shaping Indonesian medical students for two decades.
Looking at maternal and child health through an Aboriginal lens
Dr Karyn Ferguson is gathering and analysing health data across Yorta Yorta Country to help develop policies and programs that will strengthen Aboriginal mother and child health.
Supporting others to succeed
Becoming a recipient of the Penelope Foster and John McBain Medical Scholarship has opened doors for Jesse Osbourne — and he’s paying the life-changing generosity forward.
Inspiring confidence in the next generation
Recently retired, Dr Simon Madin (MBBS 1977) spent much of his career working as a rural and remote GP.
He is a mentor to future rural GP and current Doctor of Medicine student, Jacob Carmichael. But the learning is far from one-sided.
Celebrating excellence in two cardiology PhD Theses
Completing a PhD is a huge achievement for anyone, but for two cardiologists there was even more to celebrate.
This year, Dr Elizabeth Paratz (BMedSci 2008, MBBS 2010, PhD 2023) and Dr David Chieng (GradCertClinUltrasound 2016, PhD 2023) were awarded the Chancellor’s Prize for Excellence in the PhD Thesis.
More Editions of Chiron
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Chiron 2023
This edition centres on the theme 'The future of cancer care is personal', featuring stories that showcase the researchers driving innovations in precision cancer care.
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Chiron 2022
This edition focuses on the School emerging ‘out of iso’ and strengthening our connections, how we have weathered change – forced and intentional – and become stronger, more flexible and broader in our scope.
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Chiron 2021
In this edition, we celebrate the Royal Children’s Hospital’s 150th anniversary and shine a light on alumni and researchers doing extraordinary work to improve the lives of children and young people.
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Earlier Editions of Chiron
Read earlier printed editions of Chiron, the alumni magazine for the Melbourne Medical School, stretching all the way back to 1983.
Chiron [Kahy-Ron].
In Greek mythology, Chiron was one of the Centaurs, the son of the Titan Cronus and Philyra, an Oceanid or sea nymph, teacher of Achilles, Asclepius. Chiron lived at the foot of Mount Pelion in Thessaly. Unlike other Centaurs, who were violent and savage, Chiron was a wise and beneficent Centaur famous for his knowledge of medicine.
Chiron is published by the Melbourne Medical School. Contributions and correspondence from alumni, staff and students are most welcome and should be sent to:
Chiron Communications
MDHS Advancement,
Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences,
Level 2, Alan Gilbert Building,
The University of Melbourne, 3010, Australia
E: mdhs-alumni@unimelb.edu.au
CONTRIBUTORS: Many thanks to Sarah Marinos, Gina Flaxman, Anthony Vanzella, Claudia Hooper, Lauren Yee, Georgia Coon, Silvia De Bono, Kade Anderson, Meegan Waugh, Hannah Friend and Tim Sharp.