mediNEWSotago, July 2009

Dean’s Welcome

Welcome to this issue of mediNEWSotago.

In this edition it is a pleasure to welcome Professor Richard Edwards as the incoming Professor of Public Health, and Head of Department, at the University of Otago, Wellington.
A further welcome is extended to Geoff Cutfield on his return to New Zealand to appointments in the Faculty of Medicine and the Dunedin School of Medicine.
There is very important news of the appointments of Associate Deans of Hauora Mãori at each of the Faculty’s campuses. This is an important further step for the Faculty in recognition of and support for the needs of Mãori health and learning.
And congratulations to Dr Pat Farry of the Department of General Practice (and Rural Immersion Programme coordinator), who received a New Zealand Order of Merit for services to rural medicine in the Queens Birthday awards. There is also an update on the increase in domestic student places for entry to medicine in 2010.

If there is any information that you would like to be disseminated to the Faculty in mediNEWSotago, please contact Jacqui Bradshaw, Administrative Officer, Faculty of Medicine at jacqui.bradshaw@otago.ac.nz

Professor Don Roberton

Staff news

Professor Richard Edwards has accepted the Chair in Public Health at the University of Otago, Wellington, and commences his role as Chair and Head of Department in August.

Richard moves to the Chair which was held previously by Peter Crampton, who is now Dean of the University of Otago, Wellington. Richard has been a member of the Department of Public Health, UOW since 2005, and is a graduate in medicine from Cambridge University. He has held previous academic appointments in public health at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, and the University of Manchester. He has extensive research interests in tobacco control, environmental epidemiology, and prevalence and characteristics of non communicable diseases in sub Saharan Africa.

The Faculty is delighted that, after an extensive international search process, Richard has been offered and has accepted the Chair, and appointment as Head of Department.

Thanks also to Professor Philippa Howden-Chapman, who undertook the role of acting Head of the very large and active Department of Public Health at UOW following Peter Crampton’s move to the position of Dean.

Associate Professor Geoff Cutfield has recently taken up two part-time positions with the Faculty of Medicine and the Dunedin School of Medicine, in association with the Medical Education Group. He is Director of Clinical Skills for the Faculty of Medicine (a position held previously by Associate Professor David Gerrard), and is also the Clinical Education Advisor for the Faculty of Medicine and for the Dunedin School of Medicine. His roles will be largely in the area of clinical skills teaching and in support of its further development throughout the M.B., Ch.B. degree programme.

Geoff returns to Dunedin after a 20 year absence, during which he has worked extensively in medical education, and in academic Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine in Australia. From 1989 until 1993 he was an Associate Professor in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care at the University of New South Wales, whilst a Senior Staff Specialist in Cardiothoracic Critical Care at St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney.  Since that time, he has been Professor of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care at the University of Newcastle in New South Wales, and very actively involved in the educational support of the B.Med. programme there.

Geoff can be contacted by email at geoff.cutfield@otago.ac.nz

Associate Deans – Hauora Mãori

The Faculty is very pleased to announce the creation of the titles of Associate Dean, Hauora Mãori, at each of our major campuses, and appointments to these roles. The establishment of the Associate Dean positions is in further recognition of the key importance of the activities of the Centre for Hauora Mãori, and support for learning and Mãori health in and from our Schools and the Faculty.

Those appointed are already well known for their leadership and contributions within the Faculty:

(right) Suzanne Pitama (Director) Mãori Indigenous Health Institute (MIHI), University of Otago, Christchurch. Contact: email: suzanne.pitama@otago.ac.nz

(left) Bridget Robson (Senior Research Fellow/Manager) Te Ropu Rangahau Hauora A Eru Pomare (Eru Pomare Mãori Health Research Centre), University of Otago, Wellington. Contact email: bridget.robson@otago.ac.nz

(right) Dr Jo Baxter,  Faculty of Medicine and Department of Preventive & Social Medicine, Dunedin School of Medicine. Contact email: joanne.baxter@otago.ac.nz

Welcome also to Ms Tui Kent (Kai Tahu) who has recently joined the Centre for Hauora Mãori, Faculty of Medicine and Dunedin School of Medicine based in the department of Preventive and Social Medicine.  This new role will support Mãori health teaching for the MB ChB programme, Mãori student support, workforce capacity building and development, networking with stakeholders, research and community service.  Tui is of Kai Tahu descent and affiliates to Otakou and Huirapa Marae in Otepoti. She has worked previously at the University as an administrator for the Mãori Centre. She can be contacted at tui.kent@otago.ac.nz

We are very pleased to have Ms Donna Robson join the Early Learning in Medicine programme as an administrator while Jude Hodge is on parental leave until the end of July 2010. Donna has worked for the past ten years in administration at the University of Brighton (UK). Donna can be contacted on (03) 479 5857, email donna.robson@otago.ac.nz

Congratulations to Dr Pat Farry, Medical Director, Te Waipounamu Rural Health, who was recently honoured in this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honour’s list in recognition for his services to rural medicine. Pat has spent many years involved in the education and training of rural doctors including time as a regional director of the RNZCGP registrar training programme. In 2007 he was able to gain funding to commence the first one-year rural medical immersion programme for medical students.

Other News

Further increase in places for domestic students for entry to medicine, 2010:

During the last two years, workforce planning activities by the Medical Training Board resulted in a recommendation to Government for an increase in places for domestic students in New Zealand’s two medical schools. In the May budget from Government, funding was provided for 60 further places for the 2010 medical student entry cohort. It had been recommended by the two medical schools that the 60 places should be apportioned in a 40:60 ratio ie 24 to Otago and 36 to Auckland. This has now been confirmed by the TEC. Otago will therefore have an increase from its current intake of 210 domestic students to 234 domestic students in 2010.
During the last two years the Faculty has been planning carefully for an increased intake, and the current curriculum planning allows for this increase and some potential future increases.

Interlinking lecture theatres

John Kaiser, Manager, ICT Strategy and Services reports that the three campuses were able to be linked for a Plenary session, presented by Prof Rob Walker in Dunedin and attended by 4th year students in Dunedin, Christchurch and Wellington. Thanks to the expertise of the technical support staff in all three campuses, the video link proved to be very successful and allowed interaction between the presenter and the other remote audiences. Two more sessions are planned for live links between campuses. On 6 August, UOC will present a Plenary for 5th year students with Prof Tim Buckenham presenting on Radiology intervention in aortic aneurysms/dissections and on 17 September, UOW will present a plenary for 4th year students.

ANZAME09 – Conference

A number of staff attended the recent ANZAME (Association for Health Professional Education) conference in Launceston, Tasmania. The conference theme was “Bridging Professional Islands.”

Dr Hamish Wilson of the Department of General Practice reports:  “There were over 340 delegates from a wide variety of health professional backgrounds, largely from Australia and New Zealand.
There were 28 short presentations or workshops on interprofessional learning (IPL) and interprofessional education (IPE). Other main themes were reflective practice/portfolios (8) and patient safety (4), while there were also presentations were on curriculum design, assessment, professionalism, and workplace learning/assessment.

The undoubted highlight of the conference was keynote presentation by Dr Merilyn Walton from the University of Sydney, who gave a short history of the emerging concept of patient safety.

The focus on IPL at this conference has firstly confirmed the necessity for interprofessional learning for medical undergraduates. While there are quite a few situations already at Otago where students interact with or meet with other health professionals, these student activities are not necessarily well theorised, nor do students have an overarching understanding of interprofessional practice and how such practice contributes to patient care and patient safety.”

Maree Steel, Medical Education Adviser, Early Learning in Medicine, noted, “Of interest was the following Plenary Keynote by Associate Professor John Clark who has the following roles in the UK and Australia:
Director Leadership and International Relations, NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement, UK Director of Institute for Healthy Leadership, Dept of Health, Western Australia Honarary Assoc Prof Institute of Clinical Leadership, University of Warwick Medical School, UK.

He leads a major project aimed at developing medical leadership capacity within the NHS.  The project is underpinned by a “Medical Leadership Competency Framework” for all doctors at all levels of their training and careers to attain an agreed set of management and leadership competencies.   The Framework incorporates 5 domains pertinent to leadership in clinical settings: Demonstrating personal qualities; Working with others; Managing services; Improving services; Setting direction.   A central premise of this project is engagement of the medical profession with the Leadership Framework will positively influence organisational performance.”

William Evans Visiting Fellow

Prof John Cookson will be in New Zealand as a University of Otago William Evans Visiting Fellow during July and August. He is Undergraduate Dean at the Hull-York Medical School, and was previously Director of Clinical Studies and Honorary Professor of Clinical Education at the Leicester Warwick Medical School. Prof Cookson’s recent work has focused on making medical education more professional, ensuring high-quality student clinical placements, supporting junior medical staff training, and forging partnerships with NHS colleagues.

(from left) Dean, Prof Don Roberton with Prof John Cookson, Dr Bill Gillespie, Prof Geoff Cutfield and Assoc Prof David Perez at a function to welcome Prof Cookson to the Medical School

His visit will highlight the contemporary approach to consultation skill teaching and learning.   He will be visiting all three campuses. For further details on Prof Cookson’s visit contact Karin Warnaar, Faculty of Medicine Administration, Faculty Education Unit. Tel 479 7700. karin.warnaar@otago.ac.nz

The report from Prof Cookson can be read here: Prof Cookson report 2009

History of the Medical School

Dorothy Page, the author of ‘Anatomy of a Medical School, A history of medicine at the University of Otago, 1875–2000’ was recently interviewed with Professor Don Roberton, Dean, Faculty of Medicine, on Radio New Zealand’s National Programme.

This interview can be heard by visiting Radio NZ’s website

Donated to Science

Over the last 2-3 years Paul Trotman and members of the Anatomy Department have been making a film about what happens when people donate their bodies to medical science. The film follows 2 donors during their journey through the dissection room, the families of the donors and a group of now 4th year medical students. A 45 minute version of the film will be shown on TV3 later this year and the full length version has been accepted by the NZ Film Festival for showing after the television programme has been aired.

Professor Helen Nicholson invites staff and students in Dunedin to a preview of the film ‘Donated to Science’ on Wednesday 12 August at 6pm in the Colquhoun lecture theatre.  The film will also be shown at the Christchurch and Wellington campuses in due course.

Health Research Council Grant successes:

Many members of the Faculty recently received funding for 2010 and beyond from the Health Research Council. Congratulations to all those who received funding, and in particular congratulations to Professor Richie Poulton, Professor Philippa Howden-Chapman, and Professor Christine Winterbourne for receipt of Programme grants. Details of grants awarded are available in the Division of Health Science newsletter,  Pulse http://hsframework18.otago.ac.nz/
and also on the HRC website http://www.hrc.govt.nz/assets/pdfs/news/FR09%20-%20General%20release.pdf

Short course: Providing Quality Postgraduate Supervision:

The Higher Education Development Centre and Graduate Research is providing two day workshops on postgraduate supervision in  October. The programmes will be facilitated by Dr Margaret Kiley, from the Centre of Educational Development and Academic Methods at ANU in Canberra.
Further information is available at http://hedc.otago.ac.nz/workshops/listWorkshops.do

Applications for the course are due by Friday 11 September.

Leaders in Indigenous Medical Education (LIME)

LIMECONNECTION III • 2-4 December 2009 / Melbourne, Australia • www.limenetwork.net.au

The LIME Network project and its sponsors are committed to supporting greater participation of Indigenous people in the medical sector. Leaders in Indigenous Medical Education (LIME) aims to strengthen the promotion and dissemination of good practice in Indigenous health and medical education by encouraging the participation of Indigenous and Māori medical students and community members in the LIME Connection III.

This year, bursary places will be offered to selected Indigenous Australian and Māori students and community members. Successful recipients of the bursary will have their LIME Connection registration fees, travel expenses, accommodation and meals covered.

The LIME Connection Student Bursary is open to:
•    People of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander and/or Māori descent
•    Who are a currently enrolled in Medical Studies at an Australian or New Zealand University

OR

The LIME Connection Community Bursary is open to:
•    People of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander and/or of Māori descent
•    Who have an interest in contributing to Indigenous or Māori health
•    Who are actively involved in working with Medical Schools in Australia or New Zealand

The Indigenous Australian and Māori Student and Community Bursary closing date has been extended until 21 August 2009. For bursary application forms, guidelines and selection criteria information please visit the website at http://www.limenetwork.net.au/content/student-and-community-bursaries