INTERVIEWS

Overview:
• Associate Professor Shane Grey, of Sydney’s Garvan Institute of Medical Research, together with collaborators from the Westmead Millennium Institute for Medical Research and the Children’s Hospital at Westmead, have been awarded $3.3 million to extend their innovative research towards a cure for type I diabetes. The grant was awarded by the Type 1 Diabetes Clinical Research Network (T1DCRN), an innovative clinical research program led by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF Australia) and supported by the Australian Research Council.

•  Two of the Hunter’s leading medical researchers have been appointed to the National Health and Medical Research Council’s advisory committees. The director of HMRI Professor Michael Nilsson will join the Health Translation Advisory Committee which looks at way to improve health outcomes in areas such as clinical care, communicable diseases and prevention of illness.

• Further charges are to be laid against Jennifer Anne Reed, accused of falsifying her qualifications to work in nursing roles, a South Australian court has heard. She is currently facing 20 counts related to allegedly working unregistered as a health professional and a further six counts of deception.

Guest: Anisa Palmer
Presenter: Neal Howard
Guest Bio: Anisa Palmer is the Executive Director and Founder of I Will Survive, Inc. (IWS) in Atlanta, Georgia since 2010, which became the featured charity for the 4th Annual National Association of Professional Women (NAPW) Georgia Expo (2013). She is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Survive International, LLC as a new client with weVenture under the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) in their Women’s Business Center. Ms. Palmers’ main research interests and public speaking topics are breast cancer prevention, health and wellness with interpersonal communications, as well as leadership and management in public administration.

Segment overview: In this Health Care Supplier Segment, Anisa Palmer describes how she and her organization bring a deeper awareness and understanding of breast cancer to physicians and also how I Will Survive, Inc seek to gain funding and support for research while providing the same. She is the author of soon to be published book, I Will Survive: Living Life on Purpose (2016). She also co-published a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) with Metroplan Orlando.

Overview:
• A four-day Industrial Relations Commission session had been scheduled for this week, but the Commissioner cancelled her trip to Broken Hill for personal reasons. The hearing may be rescheduled for next year. Ros Ferry from the Town Employees’ Union, which represents the staff at the centre of the case, said neither of the workers disputing their dismissals are seeking re-employment.

•  The University of Melbourne study found prevention approaches such as placing signs and crisis-assistance numbers and increasing the likelihood of intervention by a third party significantly reduced the number of deaths at these locations.

• Receiving regular text messages about healthy living can help people who have had a heart attack significantly reduce their chances of having a second one, new research from the George Institute for Global Health in Sydney, that sending simple texts such as “Don’t forget physical activity is good for you!” could motivate patients to improve their health.

Overview:
• The head of a NSW North Coast Aboriginal Health Service said the appointment of Ken Wyatt as the Assistant Health Minister will give indigenous Australia a stronger voice in Canberra. Mr Wyatt has made history as the first indigenous frontbencher in federal parliament.

• A call to improve access to medical abortion for women living in regional Victoria has been backed by Regional Development Minister Jaala Pulford. A scoping study by Ballarat-based women’s health provider Grampians Women’s Health found only one GP in the region who was able to prescribe the abortion drug.

• HIV tends to dominate discussions of sexually transmitted infections, and the incidence of these diseases is on the rise. Syphilis, gonorrhoea, chlamydia and relative newcomer Mycoplasma genitalium are on the increase in most parts of the world.

Overview:
• A fire believed to have been deliberately lit at the historic Greenmount hospital near Perth is being investigated by Arson Squad officers. Fire crews were called to the old Undercliffe Hospital and Nursing Home on Coongan Avenue, more than 20 kilometres east of Perth, just before 9:00pm on Thursday night.

• A new resource kit featuring kitchen items called “iRemember in the kitchen” has been developed for Tasmanians living with dementia, to help them better connect with their memories. The case was made possible through a partnership between the Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre at the University of Tasmania (UTAS) and the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG).

• India’s prime minister Narendra Modi went into his election campaign vowing to eradicate defecation in public by 2019. But as Alys Francis reports from New Delhi, providing the facilities has yet to change the culture.

Guest: Heather Allan
Presenter: Wayne Bucklar
Guest Bio: Heather has a strong background in public health awareness campaigns and in developing strategies to encourage people to look after their health. Before joining the Lung Foundation, Heather worked in various senior roles in public health in New Zealand. In addition to public health roles, she served for four years as the Executive Director of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong. She ran her own communications and strategic planning consultancy for five years with clients from a variety of sectors, including tourism, health and hospitals, fashion and local politics.

Segment overview: In today’s Health Supplier Segment, let us learn more about the national organisation Lung Foundation Australia and how they educate people on lung health thru their awareness and advocacy campaigns. We are joined by Heather Allan, the Chief Executive Officer for Lung Foundation Australia and she brings a wealth of business, public health promotion and advocacy knowledge to the role. She has worked for the Lung Foundation since 2005, initially as Director of the COPD National Program before becoming the Director of Marketing and Health Strategy.

Overview:
• The Tasmanian Government has revealed plans to reopen 12 beds at the Launceston General Hospital in the hopes of easing pressure on the emergency department. A support plan will see the beds open in the 4D Ward from this month until December, allowing the hospital to introduce new patient flow initiatives.

• A South Australian mother was “deprived of the opportunity for survival” because a country doctor failed to follow official procedures. Coroner Mark Johns found Dr Peter Ross Marsh should have followed the iCCnet (Integrated Cardiovascular Clinical Network) protocol. She died at home in her bed after waking up, groaning and arching her back.

• Four Launceston artists are preparing for their runway debut, having been paired with local designers to create “wearable art” for themselves and their wheelchairs.The display is part of a new Interweave Arts initiative, dubbed Roll Modelling, and Interweave director Kim Schneiders said the art helped to break down barriers.

Overview:
• Staffing issues at the new Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital (LCCH) has left another Brisbane hospital without surgical support, which could compromise patient care, doctors say. In a scathing letter to Children’s Health Queensland chief executive Fionnagh Dougan, the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital’s (RBWH) neonatal unit expresses its “deep concern” at the lack of surgical support provided.

• Tasmanian paramedics are working up to 14-hour shifts without a break, according to Right to Information documents obtained by the State Opposition. The Opposition claimed paramedics missed 11,414 meal breaks and that Ambulance Tasmania instead paid out the missed breaks, costing $228,280 in the past financial year.

• South Australia’s first therapy house is offering children with autism early intervention programs while also easing the financial burden their families face. Inclusive Directions Flinders Therapy House, which opened less than three months ago in St Marys in Adelaide’s south, already has plans to expand to support more families in South Australia.

Guest: Dr Monica Sagardoy Ph.D.
Presenter: Wayne Bucklar
Guest Bio: Dr Monica Sagardoy Ph.D. has worked at Ansell for 11 years and is currently the Director of GAMMEX® Surgical Gloves for Ansell’s Medical Division. Dr Sagardoy has held various roles with Ansell including Marketing Director for the APAC Region and Brand Director for an emerging markets glove brand. A resident of Australia for 12 years, Dr Sagardoy currently lives in Melbourne with her husband, with whom she enjoys the “good Spanish hobbies” of eating, socialising and dancing.

Segment overview: In today’s Health Supplier Segment, learn more about Ansell‘s wide array of products as we are joined by Director of GAMMEX®, Dr Monica Sagardoy Ph.D. In her current capacity, Dr Sagardoy works very closely with the Research and Development as well as their Manufacturing teams on the development of new products, and with the Regional Marketing and Sales Teams on understanding market needs and introducing new products. With innovation and clinical relevance at the heart of the GAMMEX® philosophy, Dr Sagardoy thoroughly enjoys the role diversity and the opportunities to interact with people around the world and understanding different healthcare systems around the globe.