Newsletter | Issue 3 | 2024
Welcome from the Head of Department
Dear Colleagues,
Welcome to the latest issue of our Department of General Practice and Primary Care newsletter.
It has been a busy start to Spring with conferences. Congratulations to A/Prof Phyllis Lau and her team at University of Western Sydney for hosting a successful Australasian Association of Academic Primary Care (AAAPC) conference this year. We were very proud of our Early Career Researcher, Kisanet Tesfu, who won the Best First-Time Presenter Award and acknowledgement to my own research collaboration with MCRI (Prof Harriet Hiscock) and UNSW (Prof Raghu Lingam) for being awarded the AAAPC and NAPCRG (North American Primary Care Research Group) Distinguished Paper Award for the Strengthening Care for Children Trial.
WONCA Asia Pacific followed soon after in Singapore and was great for connecting with colleagues all over the region including our Hon Prof Jo-Anne Manksi-Nankervis in her new Department at LKC NTU and with our former PhD student and now senior academic, Dr Fitriana Ekawati from Universitas Gadjah Mada in Indonesia. Touring the polyclinics in Singapore was very interesting – they are exemplars of well resourced multi-disciplinary primary care. And we had the joy of connecting with Emeritus Prof Doris Young as she facilitates the growth of primary care scholarship in the Asia Pacific. Our Dean Prof Jane Gunn was also there to build important collaborations.
Congratulations must go to Prof Meredith Temple-Smith who in addition to working across a number of projects as the Director of Research and Training in our Department, has found the time to graduate with a Diploma in the History of Medicine from the United Kingdom’s Worshipful Society of Apothecaries and be awarded both the Osler and Maccabean medals for her work. An impressive accomplishment, well done Meredith!
I would also like to extend my congratulations to Dr Amireh Fakhouri on her remarkable achievement and well-deserved recognition as the Australian Medical Association's Doctor in Training of the Year. Her unwavering dedication and advocacy for the rights of junior doctors in NSW resulted in a significant $230 million payout and sparked a cultural shift in hospital practices. Junior doctors will now receive fair pay for the overtime worked. A fantastic result, well done Amireh!
We also congratulate the university promotions announced to date and recognise that these are not easy to get and may take a few tries. Congratulations to Konstancja Densley for being promoted to Level B and Dr Anneliese Willems, Dr Barbara Hunter, Dr Christine Hallinan, Dr Katie Lamb and Dr Rebecca Starkie for being promoted to Level C. Well-deserved recognition.
In this issue, we bring you an update on the WiserAD trial, which is exploring safe and effective ways to help patients discontinue antidepressant medications. Withdrawal symptoms can be intense and many patients are turning to online communities for support and guidance. This research project aims to bridge the information gap between what the current guidelines recommend and what the patients need. It’s an interesting project and worth a read.
Next, I’d like to direct your attention to the concerning rise of undiagnosed cancers in our community. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to significant disruptions in cancer screening rates with the Cancer Council of Victoria estimating there could be up to 40,000 undiagnosed cancers by 2030. Early detection is crucial for successful treatment and I urge anyone who has missed out on screenings due to COVID-19, to prioritise their health and book an appointment today.
Following this there is an article on polygenic risk scores and their potential to revolutionise disease prevention and management. Dr. Sibel Saya will be presenting an interactive workshop on this topic at the upcoming Familial Aspects of Cancer Research & Practice (FAC2024) Conference, providing an overview of the current landscape and strategies for incorporating risk information into clinical practice.
We also share details about a new podcast series on dementia in practice by Dr Marita Long, celebrate the invaluable contributions from our Data for Decisions participants and offer new domestic and family violence e-learning modules.
I hope you find this newsletter both informative and enjoyable. Happy reading.
Warm regards,
Lena