Reflections from the Head of School

Dear Colleagues

It has been a rewarding start to the year as I embrace my new role as Head of the Melbourne Medical School. Over the past few months, I have had the privilege of meeting with each department and our esteemed health service partners to gain a deeper understanding of the elements that contribute to our School’s remarkable success.

Earlier this year, I was pleased to attend and speak at the launch of the Research Training Academy, led by Professor Margie Danchin. This academy will serve as a pivotal hub for MD-PhD and other joint-degree research students, promoting a culture of collaboration, innovation, and academic excellence. This will form part of a suite of support and mentorship opportunities being introduced in partnership with the Melbourne Academic Centre for Health (MACH) and through the research team led by Professor Christobel Saunders and Dr David Lane.

I also had the pleasure of visiting the Department of Rural Health (DRH) with our School Manager, Cathy Mason. During our visit, I engaged with DRH colleagues, health service partners, and local Indigenous leaders. Their dedication to improving healthcare in rural areas and their spirit of collaboration were incredibly inspiring.

Earlier this month, I attended the annual Department of General Practice and Primary Care awards night, which celebrates the achievements of our top performing year 3 medical students and acknowledges the ongoing dedication of our GP supervisors. I was also excited to witness the premier of their new promotional video Why become a GP? which aims to inspire more students to pursue careers in general practice.

The Faculty recently hosted a delegation from the University of Calgary to explore strategic collaborations with the University of Melbourne. I met with Professor Kathy McCoy, an immunologist in the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary, who is a world-renowned expert on the microbiome and its impact on human health. This provided an opportunity to encourage future linkages for researchers in our School. It was great to learn more about the Cumming School of Medicine as the School focuses on its strategic plan, with consideration to what the medical school of the future should look like.

I would like to highlight the School Executive Committee has recently endorsed changes to the Melbourne Medical School Governance Framework and Committee Structure. The changes will involve the establishment of various new committees and working groups to support MMS leaders and champions to drive agility and success across their portfolios.

I am looking forward to an engaging discussion on the future of medicine, medical research and medical education at our upcoming MMS planning meeting on Tuesday 16 July. This meeting will assist in forming our strategic approach for the School, and ensure we stay at the forefront of innovative research and educational excellence.

Thank you for your continued dedication and support.

Best regards

Professor Sarath Ranganathan
Head, Melbourne Medical School