Newsletter | Issue 16 | July 2020

Welcome to the winter edition of the Melbourne Medical School newsletter. As one half of the world emerges from its first winter living with COVID-19, we head into ours and I continue to be astounded by the resilience of staff and students during these uncertain times.

Congratulations to the 19 MMS staff, alumni and friends recognised in the 2020 Queen’s Birthday Honours.

Most people diagnosed with COVID-19 will be managed in the community, and the CovidCare App has been designed to support people while in isolation monitor their symptoms.

The Integrated Mental Health Research group based in the Department of General Practice, are working in collaboration with researchers from the Royal Melbourne Hospital, Curve Tomorrow and Phoenix Australia to develop the COVIDDA app

In April 2020 a team of MD3 and MD4 students under the guidance of clinicians from the Department of Paediatrics launched the COVID-19 Kids Research Evidence Update.

Associate Professor Victoria Palmer, lead author Tara Dimopoulos-Bick (Agency for Clinical Innovation) and colleagues awarded ‘Article of the Year 2019’ by the editorial board of the journal of Patient Experience.

Department of General Practice team members Professor Jon Emery, Professor Jane Gunn, Dr Patty Chondros, Associate Professor Vicky Palmer and PhD Candidate Sibel Saya have been successful in their bid for funding a trial of pharmacogenomics for anti-depressant prescribing in general practice.

Adjusting to learning and teaching online has been a massive adjustment for our students and academics over recent months. For some departments, the lockdown has accelerated existing projects to move parts of the curriculum online.

In October 2019, FMDHS received a philanthropic gift of $2 million from the late Mrs Marion Patten, to support research into ovarian cancer at the University, especially genome sequencing of women with ovarian cancer.

Managing the care of an increasing and ageing prisoner population, including providing palliative and end of life care, is a challenge worldwide.

When he’s not doing the rounds of Ararat Hospital, where he became the first and only fulltime doctor in January, Dr Dan Wilson (MD 2017) tends to a collection of tropical plants, including a monstera deliciosa, or swiss cheese plant.

As well as putting up their hands to assist frontline health workers in the Covid-19 response, via the SASH program, our students have been busy providing care packages, and household and childcare help.

Geriatrician Dr Kate Gregorevic speaks to MMS about her new book, Staying Alive.

University students are a high-risk group for both dating violence and sexual violence. However, studies suggest that they may not recognise harmful behaviours.

Covid-19 dominated the headlines, and with it an array of tools, apps, resources  and devices developed by University of Melbourne clinicians and researchers, who also provided expert comment on clinical trials, mental health, family violence and more.

In June, Professor Ben Harrison was announced as the new Deputy Head of Psychiatry. Ben is known to many as a stellar researcher, based at the Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre.

The Mindful Centre for Training and Research in Developmental Health, located in Travancore, is the state-wide unit responsible for the delivery of postgraduate courses, training programs, professional development and research programs in child and adolescent mental health.

The Maze Phase is a new podcast from the Department of General Practice for primary health professionals working with teens, navigating life and the healthcare system.

Grants up to $5000 are offered by the South Eastern Primary Care (SEPC) Fund to support the primary health care workforce in the South-Eastern region of Melbourne so they can provide optimum care for the community.

New Course Helps Eyecare Practitioners to Upskill and keep up to date with latest research results on age-related macular degeneration.