She walks in two worlds. She’s a proud spiritual Nyoongar woman and a highly qualified nursing professional. She speaks the language of an ancient culture and the vernacular of modern medicine – and doing so bridges the ugly gap of our cultural divide. Meet Vicki Wade; the 2019 recipient of the Australian Healthcare & Hospitals Association Sidney Sax Medal, awarded for outstanding contribution to the development and improvement of the Australian healthcare system.
In this feature length edition of Australian Health Journal, Vicki Wade receives her award at a AHHA Sidney Sax Dinner event on 2nd September 2019, where AHHA Chief Executive Alison Verhoeven, AHHA Board Chair Adrian Pennington and Vicki’s former manager, Dr Rob Grenfell talk about Vicki’s impact through her tireless work.
With gentleness and generosity, Vicki shares with Anne Dao from Australian Health Journal her passion for ‘fixing broken hearts’ and how with little support and much discrimination, she became leader of the National Aboriginal Health Unit at the Heart Foundation. Specialising in rheumatic heart disease, Vicki comes from four generations of healers and believes applying cultural knowledge to western health practices is the magic ingredient for improving the heart health of our Aboriginal peoples. Today she is the Senior Cultural Advisor for RHDAustralia part of Menzies School of Health Research.
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Understanding factors of persistent lower back pain in women
Lizzy Quinn is a Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist with 20 years experience focusing on people with spinal pain. Australian Health Journal spoke with Lizzy on the complexities of persistent lower back pain in women.
Lower back pain in women in their 30s, 40s, and 50s is complex to treat due to the combination of physical and emotional factors, and health professionals need to stay updated on best practices and science to provide the best recovery platform for patients. These women typically have busy lives, pressures, and expectations.
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Evolution of the pharmacy tribe
The past 18 months has shown the strength of Australian pharmacies in ensuring accessibility, credibility and maintaining rapport with the community to administer COVID-19 vaccinations, handle electronic prescriptions and looking to play an integrated role in aged care.
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Misinformation impacts routine vaccines
More significant changes in recent years have been health-related misinformation eroding trust in healthcare professionals, leading to people seeking alternative treatments or avoiding medical advice altogether. This can make it more difficult for healthcare professionals to provide effective treatment and care.
Recent vaccines delivered as part of the COVID-19 response, are having a consequential impact on the uptake of routine vaccines.
Australian Health Journal spoke with Dr Paul Griffin, an Infectious Diseases Physician and Microbiologist at Mater Health, and who has been involved in over 150 clinical trials in the field of infectious disease.
Paul talks about the importance of having reputable sources of information that can used to encourage people to understand what is involved in clinical trials and the roles of vaccines.
