Department Spotlight

The Department of Critical Care is one of the newest departments in the Melbourne Medical School, having recently celebrated its fourth anniversary, and it continues to thrive.

Pictured: Professor David Story, Head of the Department of Critical Care

With the first cohort of students coming into MD4, one area of both extension and consolidation is the management of deteriorating patients, with student learning aided by ongoing exposure to the critical care specialities of anaesthesia, intensive care medicine, and emergency medicine. A key message is that calling for help is okay.

We are also very pleased that approximately 40 MD1 students will be undertaking a new Discovery subject in Disaster Medicine.

The Department is an epicentre in sustainable healthcare with Enterprise Professor Eugenie Kayak (anaesthetist) leading a team in the School with Associate Professor Forbes McGain (anaesthetist and ICU physician) leading at the Faculty. Adding to education, Eugenie’s work includes collaborations with Safer Care Victoria and the Federal Department of Health and Ageing.

Our Emergency Medicine stream continues with world-leading courses in Disaster and Terror Medicine. We have partnered with the Australian Medical Assistance Team (AUSMAT), an Australian Government multidisciplinary healthcare team deployed in response to national and international disasters. The Department provides a Specialist Certificate in Disaster Medicine as a knowledge base that supports field training for AUSMATeers. This specialist certificate will likely interest other healthcare professionals keen to acquire the essential skills and knowledge to effectively respond to such emergencies. The AUSMAT collaboration has been led by Professor George Braitberg (Emergency Medicine Physician), Ms Marion Orchison (Academic Specialist and international disaster guru), and our Department Manager, Ms Anna Parker.

We continue to have research success and will this year complete patient recruitment into two large, multicentre MRFF/NHMRC-funded trials: the ROCKet Trial on ketamine reducing chronic post-surgical pain led by Professor Philip Peyton and the SNaPP Trial on reducing postoperative pulmonary complications led by Professor Kate Leslie.

We were thrilled that three Department researchers were awarded NHMRC Investigator Grants. I’d like to congratulate Dr Yasmine Ali Abdelhamid, Dr Scott McAlister and Associate Professor Lachlan Miles.

Professor David Story
Head of the Department of Critical Care