Message from the Head of School
It is with mixed emotions that I draft my final Melbourne Medical School newsletter. As most of you know, I have been appointed as the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Queensland. I will commence that position in June this year but, with leave, I effectively leave the University of Melbourne on the 20th of April. I am extraordinarily grateful to the University of Melbourne for the opportunities it has provided for me. I am sure the experience I have gained in this institution will serve me well for many exciting challenges I will encounter in the warmer climes of Brisbane. My sadness on my departure is focussed on leaving a group of outstanding professional and academic staff. The MMS is a wonderful place populated by extraordinary people who I will miss very much. I am, however, certain that the productivity and influence of the MMS will continue to grow in future years. I am delighted that Professor Mark Cook has agreed to be the interim head of the MMS from my departure until a new permanent head is identified by the current selection process.
The work of the school continues and there remains much to report at this point of the year. The recent grant submission round is now complete and I am delighted with the increase in the number and types of grants and also the spirit with which we engaged with the grant writing support provided by the school. Nicola Lautenschlager and David Lane will shortly be sending out a questionnaire to gain your feedback about these support processes.
On the 1st of January, the MMS was joined by the new Department of Clinical Pathology, our ninth department. Under the highly able interim leadership of Professor Sean Grimmond, the new department will begin its learning and teaching, research and engagement activity. With a focus on cancer research and a close association with the newly established Centre for Cancer Research, we have great confidence in the future of this new department. The MMS has also been joined by the Melbourne Brain Centre Imaging Unit (MBCIU) which was previously part of the Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience. The MBCIU has become part of the Department of Medicine and Radiology under the leadership of Professor Trish Desmond.
The academic year is well underway and we have a new group of highly able medical students now half way through the first semester. The call for expressions of interest for the mobile learning unit has been extremely successful with fifteen projects now in development. These new programs will join a growing suite of on-line or hybrid continuing professional development and vocational programs on offer from the MMS.
As I depart, I wish you all the very best for the future.