INCREASING THE ED RESEARCH FOOTPRINT
Health Careers: Advice from an Emergency Physician in Research
Associate Professor Viet Tran, Emergency Physician, Royal Hobart Hospital
Filmed Hobart, Tasmania | September 2024
Associate Professor Viet Tran, an experienced emergency physician at the Royal Hobart Hospital. He spoke with Australian Health Journal about the crucial role of emergency departments as the frontline of hospitals, providing immediate care, diagnosis, resuscitation, and serving as a safety net for the healthcare system. Prof. Tran highlights the importance of understanding the daily responsibilities and core aspects of a specialty when choosing a medical career.
Recognising the relatively young status of emergency medicine as a specialty, Prof. Tran has taken on leadership roles to advance research in this field. In 2019, he became the Director of Emergency Medicine Research with the Tasmanian Department of Health, aiming to enhance the research footprint and collaboration within the specialty. His efforts have led to collaborations with national networks such as the PREDICT network and the National COVID research for ED, ultimately contributing to the development of emergency medicine research infrastructure in Tasmania.
Currently, Prof. Tran is leading a major MRFF study focusing on implementing clinical pathways in Tasmania to expedite the translation of research findings into improved patient care. This specific focus on this initiative is to minimise variations in patient care and address health inequities in rural and regional emergency department settings.
Associate Professor Viet Tran’s roles;
- Deputy Director of Emergency Medicine at Royal Hobart Hospital
- Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine, University of Tasmania,
- Founding Director, Tasmanian Emergency Medicine Research Institute
- Chair of the Tasmanian Emergency Departments Network
- Board Member, Emergency Medicine Foundation
- Co-Chair of the Tasmanian Health Senate
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GP Health of The Nation
As Australia’s largest professional general practice organisation, the RACGP represents more than 43,000 members, including more than 24,000 Fellows who have completed specialist training (or its equivalent). These are the frontline GPs who treat almost 22 million patients across the country every year.
Each year the runs a survey across Australian Doctors. This year’s report reflects the experience of more than 1300 RACGP Fellows from across Australia. Despite this and other achievements, the share of total government healthcare spend for primary care is in decline.
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Understanding extracellular vesicles in cancer therapy research
Joy Wolfram is an Associate Professor at the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology and the School of Chemical Engineering at the University of Queensland in Australia. Originally from Finland, she earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biology before transitioning to engineering with a PhD in nanotechnology completed in China. Wolfram has over a decade of experience working in hospitals in the United States before joining the University of Queensland.
Her research focuses on extracellular vesicles, which are crucial for cell communication both locally within tissues and over longer distances between organs. Her lab studies the roles of these vesicles in both health and disease, particularly in cancer. They investigate the harmful messages released by cancer cells that aid in tumour growth, specifically in breast cancer, while also exploring how to harness beneficial extracellular vesicles from healthy individuals as potential therapeutics.
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Belonging in a medical device company
Edith de Boer is the HR Director for Zimmer Biomet in Australia and New Zealand. Her career originally was in telecommunications and consulting in Europe. After leaving The Netherlands, Edith worked into the Australian medical research industry, before moving into a human resources role at Zimmer Biomet. Edith spoke to Australian Health Journal about her role and the organisation.
