Hannah McPierzie is a globally respected presenter, disability advocate, and educator who offers a unique perspective on disability and communication. She lives with Neurofibromatosis Type 2, a rare degenerative condition, and has two auditory brainstem implants. After 15 years teaching in the disability sector, Hannah acquired disability herself in 2020, when life-saving surgery left her deafblind.
New research emphasises the role of cows’ milk, particularly A1 protein free milk, in enhancing cognitive function and quality of life for older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). A multi-centre, double-blinded, randomised controlled clinical study published in *The Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging* evaluated 88 milk-tolerant Chinese adults aged 65-75 over three months. Participants consumed either ordinary skim milk or A1 protein free skim milk, leading to improvements in various cognitive assessments.
Australia’s specialist medical colleges are introducing significant changes to their training selection processes to tackle the ongoing shortage of specialist doctors in rural and remote areas. The Council of Presidents of Medical Colleges (CPMC), in collaboration with the National Rural Health Commissioner, has unveiled new guidelines that prioritise candidates with rural backgrounds and experience during trainee selection.
Melanie Roll, a director and physiotherapist at Gen Health Hamilton, is dedicated to nurturing the next generation of allied health professionals. Gen Health’s support begins with a work experience program for local secondary school students, where they can observe a variety of health services and participate in an annual careers night to explore allied health career pathways.
Upon moving to tertiary education, students are offered placements through a five-week program designed to transition them from observation to supervised practice and ultimately to seeing their own patients. In their final study year, they can apply for the mentorship program, which aids the transition into private practice.
Research published in the Australian Journal of General Practice (AJGP) has revealed mental health and developmental–behavioural issues such as ADHD are the most common paediatric referrals in metropolitan general practices.
But the research also revealed children at higher risk are less likely to get the care they may need.
Dr Jane Tiller is a lawyer, genetic counsellor and public health researcher. She is Ethical, Legal & Social Adviser in Public Health Genomics at Monash University, and a National Health and Medical Research Council Investigator Grant holder. Jane is passionate about the use of genomics to prevent disease, and in delivering equitable access to preventive genetic information at the population level. She is co-lead of DNA Screen, a world-first study piloting the offer of preventive DNA screening to the Australian adult population. DNA Screen has tested over 10,000 young people for genetic high risk of medically actionable conditions such as cancer and heart disease, finding about 2% of participants had genetic high risk. Jane is leading efforts to secure Commonwealth Government funding to expand the DNA Screen program, with the eventual goal of the development of a public health population screening program for disease prevention based on high genetic risk.
Associate Professor Emma George is a leader in occupational therapy, fascinated by the role and importance of occupation as a right for health and well-being. Her research projects all explore the way we address health inequities among marginalised people and communities with a commitment to social and occupational justice.
Movember’s Men in Mind expands nationally to equip mental health professionals with the tools to better connect with men before they reach crisis point. Research conducted by the Men’s Health Research team at Movember has found men account for three in every four suicide deaths in Australia, and more than 50% had sought help in the year before they died.
The Australian Childhood Vision Impairment Register (ACVIR), the first of its kind in Australia, captures uniquely Australian data which is used to improve services for children with vision impairment. The data is also available to researchers who work in the area of eye disease and disorders of vision.
A new podcast series, developed by Health and Wellbeing Queensland, is designed to upskill and empower health professionals in their support of parents from preconception through to the pre-school years.
Clinician’s Guide to the First 2000 Days follows the success of Health and Wellbeing Queensland’s first podcast series Clinician’s Guide to Healthy Kids, launched in 2023. Both focus on supporting health professionals to have effective conversations on positive health behaviours.
