HIGHLIGHTS Consumers and communities as agents of health care change and improvement
Policymakers, health administrators and clinicians must learn and embrace new ways to harness the transformative role consumers, community members and carers can play. Conversely, consumers and communities need support, capability and capacity to engage as equals in policy, research, program and service design. This is necessary if are to be less technocratic and realise the vision where all members of society can live the best life possible.
Contrasting Population Needs and Alternative Funding Models
Dr Jaspreet Saini is a GP with a decade of experience, practicing in West Pennant Hills and Rooty Hill, New South Wales. He began his medical journey at Monash University, followed by internships and residency at Blacktown Hospital, in Western Sydney. Instead of confining himself to a single specialty, he pursued general practice to explore various facets of medicine.
Handling modern day diets and misinformation as a HCP
Laureate Professor Clare Collins AO in Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of Newcastle, emphasises the need for accurate and reliable nutrition information to reach the public. Prof Collins believes that it is vital for clinicians to stay up-to-date with cutting-edge nutrition science and work with communication organisations to disseminate information to the general public. This is particularly important as social media is full of both reliable and unreliable information on dietary patterns, such as veganism.
Trends report identifies prototyping targets for breakthroughs in digital and hybrid futures
Vishaal Kishore, a Professor of Innovation and Public Policy at RMIT in Melbourne, serves as the Executive Chair of the RMIT-Cisco Health Transformation Lab and RMIT’s Director of Impact. Led by the RMIT-Cisco Health Transformation Lab, the National Industry Innovation Network (NIIN) Health Alliance combines the best minds, technologists, industry capabilities and academic resources to solve pressing industry and social challenges through technology-driven innovation. The NIIN aims to pool insights and expertise to address national health challenges, marking its first vertical focus on health.
Delivering anaesthetic services to countries where surgical services can’t be provided
Dr Wendy Falloon is an Anaesthetist of over 30 years experience and a Fellow of Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA). She studied medicine at the University of Tasmania, and worked in Hobart, Sydney and the Uk while completing her specialist qualifications. Her primary professional focus has always been to deliver the best possible experience of anaesthesia to each and every patient, and for them to know that she sees and values them, and their stories.
Having been born in Africa, she realised even as a child that health and wealth were largely a product of where people happen to be born. This sowed the seed of her ongoing desire to be of help to others in less fortunate circumstances, ultimately leading to her volunteer work with the Mercy Ships charity. This is one of the most fulfilling aspects of her career, and she has volunteered in Africa with Mercy Ships 8 times since 2014.
Addressing the perinatal mental health clinician shortage
Perinatal depression and anxiety (PNDA) impacts 100,000 Australians each year, equating to one in five mums and one in ten dads, with PNDA costing Australia $877 million annually. To address the nationwide shortage of specialist perinatal mental health clinicians, Gidget Foundation Australia has partnered with Federation University to launch the Graduate Diploma in Perinatal Mental Health.