This week, we take a look at the staff from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences.

Research

Professor Roger Chung
The Jim Piper Award for Excellence in Research Leadership

Professor Chung explains that his proudest career research achievement has been his relocation to Macquarie University as part of the establishment of the Macquarie University Centre for MND Research in 2013. Roger had previously led a 10-year research program at UTAS that had reached its natural endpoint, with his discovery of a potential nerve-regeneration molecule that was patented and licensed to a biotech company for commercial development (for nerve regeneration and Alzheimer’s disease).

“In considering a new research direction to embark upon, I was attracted towards research into Motor Neurone Disease (MND) and the exciting opportunity presented by the growing health and medicine enterprise at Macquarie University,” he says.

Roger’s current research program takes a multidisciplinary approach to unravelling the molecular origins of MND and uses this knowledge towards the pre-clinical development of new therapeutic strategies. He is currently the Professor of Neurobiology and Neurochemistry, leads a research group of 19 members, and since 2014 has held the position of Associate Dean (Research) in the Faculty.

 Dr Bingyang Shi
Macquarie University Early Career Researcher of the Year (STEMM)

Dr Shi is an NHMRC-ARC Dementia research development fellow. He is leading a Brain Drug Delivery research group (one Macquarie Research Fellow, two junior postdocs and three PhD students) as principal supervisor to develop advanced brain drug delivery systems to promote more effective brain disease therapy with reduced side-effects by overcoming biological barriers that limit the delivery of drug agents and therapeutic gene products into the brain.

“Drug therapies remain a key solution for fighting human disease,” Bingyang explains. “The complexity of targeted drug delivery, which entails traversing a number of biological challenges – such as keeping drugs stable in blood, preferentially targeting sick cells and crossing the Blood-Brain Barrier – requires both scientific and technical issues to be resolved before the full potential of effective therapy is realised. Therefore, smart/functional drug carriers are highly desired to help drugs cross tough biological barriers.”

During Bingyang’s research career, he has established a new toolbox of advanced brain delivery systems for targeted drug and gene delivery for various brain diseases including brain cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and Motor Neurone Disease, and assessed their pre-clinical therapeutic potential.

“These results have led to 52 peer-reviewed journal articles in top tier journals – including Nature Nanotech and Adv. Materials – as well as two book chapters,” he says.

“My recognised standing in the field is demonstrated by the substantial growth in publications, citations and conference invitations over the last five years, with over 1400 citations with an h-index of 18, and more than 20 invited conference talks.”

Ms Stephanie Rayner
Excellence in Higher Degree Research (STEMM)

In 2015, Ms Rayner was involved in the first study that linked mutations in the gene CCNF with Motor Neuron Disease. The gene, CCNF, encodes for a protein known as cyclin F which plays an important role in healthy cell function as it helps to send old proteins for degradation. These proteins are known as ‘substrates’ of cyclin F.

“At the time, only a handful of cyclin F substrates were known,” Stephanie explains. “Many of these had roles in cell division or has been involved in cancer. This makes cyclin F a key regulator of the cell cycle. Thus, a major component of my research has been to understand the role cyclin F plays in neurons, and how a single gene mutation may lead to a devastating neurodegenerative disease.”

Stephanie explains that her research has involved multi-disciplinary collaboration between clinicians, geneticists, cell biologists and proteomics experts like herself.

“Within this team, I have been involved in understanding the link between cyclin F mutations and neurodegeneration, primarily using a series of biochemical assays as well as proteomic workflows.”

Learning and Teaching

Dr Joel Fuller
Vice-Chancellor’s Learning and Teaching Student Nominated Award

Dr Fuller believes that optimal learning occurs when students feel inspired to learn, but also safe, supported and respected throughout the process.

“This philosophy underpins my teaching,” he says. “Future health professionals must understand and apply complex concepts, and these concepts can intimidate students if they are not presented in a clear and calm manner that scaffolds student learning, whilst allowing them to feel comfortable exploring the inherent challenges involved in grasping these concepts.”

An example of this occurs when teaching PHTY802 as students are presented with material on complex pain neurophysiology.

“This can overwhelm students,” Joel explains. “So, I facilitate a warm, comfortable environment where we explore content as a group, allow time for content to be absorbed and facilitate deeper learning through enquiry and questioning.”

Ms Alexandra Bhatti
Vice-Chancellor’s Learning and Teaching Student Nominated Award
Vice-Chancellor’s Learning and Teaching Early Career Award

Ms Bhatti says teaching her students is incredibly rewarding and she is passionate about building those connections. As an early-career teaching fellow in the Macquarie Master of Public Health (MPH), Alexandra has the privilege of working with one of the most diverse student cohorts in our university.

“Designing and delivering learning experiences that caters to significant student diversity in literacy, education, culture and work backgrounds is a challenge I enthusiastically embrace,” she says. “Cementing student engagement early in our program is imperative for motivating and setting up students for continued engagement. As such, I focus on ensuring that students’ early experiences with the course are appealing, captivating and inspiring.”

Over the past three and a half years as the unit convenor of two core units within the MPH, Alexandra has developed and prepared entirely new curricula that provides engaging, inspiring and transformative learning experiences for all of her students. These experiences foster student development and build employability skills from early in the program, with tasks that are work-integrated and authentic.

Professor Catherine Dean
Vice-Chancellor’s Educational Leader Award

Educational leadership has been a central focus for Professor Dean since commencing with the University as a key appointment in the expansion of health and medicine. Catherine adopts a ‘servant leadership’ philosophy, embodying her personal commitment to lifelong learning and reflective practice as well as her ambition to develop and empower others to ensure optimisation of transformative educational opportunities.

“My work is underpinned by strength-based actions that align with the values of the University and MQ Health,” she explains. “My scholarly interest in health professional education is underpinned by my belief that one of the most effective ways to transform healthcare is through the education of future health professionals – more than the latest evidence-based knowledge and stellar technical skill – but education which is lifelong and puts people and care at the centre.”

Catherine’s leadership in curriculum design, development, implementation and enhancement is exemplified by the establishment of the first Doctor of Physiotherapy (DPT) course in NSW, along with the accompanying establishment of the Department of Health Professions, and an outstanding team of academic and professional staff.

“The DPT embodies the University’s vision for a ‘Connected Learning Community’.  I secured over $1.3 million from Health Workforce Australia to develop an innovative sustainable clinical component which included design of the Health and Wellbeing Collaboration – enabling early experiences with volunteers.”

Celebrate with your colleagues

Don’t forget to register your attendance for the event today!

The Academic Staff Awards will be held on Monday 18 November from 3pm to 5.30pm in the Graduation Hall (14 Sir Christopher Ondaatje Avenue).

With a background in molecular medicine, including gene therapy, as well as orthopaedic surgical sciences, including biomechanics – Dr Raniga has a proven track record in cutting edge research with numerous publications in international peer reviewed journals. He is involved in developing and implementing a world class centre of excellence in shoulder and elbow research, that not only produces science that influences surgical practice, but also trains the academic surgeons of tomorrow.

(1) In a nutshell, my job is to…
Provide the highest standard of evidence-based management and surgical treatment of complex shoulder and elbow problems with compassion and empathy. I am the co-founder and Director of the MQ Health Translational Shoulder Research Program – building Asia-Pacific’s first six-degree-of-freedom, eight muscle actuated cadaveric shoulder simulator to allow world class biomechanical studies to improve patient outcomes through basic surgical science research.

(2) The question I hear most often in my work is…
What can I do with my shoulder?

(3) The thing I find most rewarding in my role is…
Consulting – it’s truly a privilege to have the opportunity to help people for a living.

(4) This year I want to…
Help develop our MQ Health Shoulder and Elbow Clinic to become one of the leading subspecialty orthopaedic clinics in Sydney. Achieve the primary objectives of our External Research Grant including building the prototype cadaveric shoulder simulator within our unique world class shoulder biomechanics lab.

(5) The bravest thing I’ve done
There have been quite a few situations in my career to date where my actions along with my colleague’s probably saved lives. I just did what had to be done.

(6) A place that’s special to me is…
Switzerland – my year as a Fellow in Bern University Hospital had a profound impact on my career. It’s not the worst place in the world either!

(7) My mother/father always told me…
To have lots of patience, perseverance and prayers … and that an extraordinary life requires mastering the science of achievement and the art of fulfilment.

(8) I’m scared of…
FEAR – Forget Everything and Run Vs Face Everything and Rise – I prefer the latter.

(9) My hidden talent is…
Cricket – it’s been hiding since medical school.

(10) A moment I’ll always remember is…
There are a few: The birth of my daughter; meeting Mohammad Ali, Nelson Mandela, and Sachin Tendulkar; passing my FRACS Part II exam in orthopaedics; and winning the Charles Neer Award from the American Shoulder and Elbow Society.

Among the winners from this year’s Learning and Teaching Awards is a perfect example of what differentiates Macquarie from other universities: an environment that encourages collaboration; a drive to do things differently and using new technologies to enhance learning.

Led by Associate Professor Goran Strkalj in the Department of Chiropractic, a team of experts have come together to transform an outdated anatomy program into a vibrant, student-centred program enhanced by exciting digital technologies.

Ten years ago, Goran notes, anatomy at Macquarie was a marginal discipline taught to small number of chiropractic and science students, using outdated modes of delivery. With the arrival of the Macquarie University Hospital in 2010 and subsequent growth in the University’s health and medical teaching, there was a need to create an enhanced anatomy program that was flexible enough to cater to everyone from a law student looking to specialise in medical law, to a doctor training to be a surgeon.

“With Dr Mirjana Strkalj leading the Hospital team, working in their world-best anatomy labs, we had two groups teaching anatomy in two different parts of the University,” Goran recalls. “We took the best from both sides – with our different backgrounds and different areas of expertise – and built an exceptional program that is scaffolded and flexible enough to serve a number of different degrees.”

Bringing more than 20 years’ biomechanics experience to the program was Associate Professor Richard Appleyard, Director of the Surgical Skills Training Program in MQ Health.

“Working with Goran, we’ve created one of the best anatomy teaching spaces in the world,” says Richard. “Our digital infrastructure in the labs allows student to access high-fidelity images of pre-recorded lectures from anywhere. It’s really the future of anatomy teaching.”

With anatomy being a notoriously difficult subject, extra effort was made to have the students apply their new knowledge wherever possible, both in and out of the lab.

“There’s a lot of complex terminology in anatomy and it requires a lot of memorising,” Goran notes. “We give our students – especially those in the more advanced units – every opportunity to apply their new knowledge straight away. We go to the lab to study human bodies; we discuss clinical cases. It’s not just pointing at a skeleton at the front of the room – we go much further than that. We ask: ‘What if there’s a fracture here? Which nerve would be injured? How would that impact function?’”.

Another differentiating element of the program is it’s humane and respectful approach to anatomy.

“Anatomy has had rather dark and disturbing past,” notes Goran. “People stealing bodies from graves for dissection and so on. It was important to embed a respect for the bodies that our students work with, all of which are donated with an informed consent. They are not just specimens – they are the students’ first patients.”

With a new pedagogical approach sorted, one puzzle piece in the new program remained: the technology that would help bring anatomy to life.

“We knew we needed technology as part of our program,” says Goran. “The digital world is not an imaginary world – it’s the world we live in, and that our millennial students will be working in. But we were limited to making fairly crude videos within the department – we needed the media experts to step in and help us.”

Enter Michael Rampe, a Senior Learning Designer who was working in the central Learning and Teaching Centre at the time. With his unique expertise in 3D technologies, the anatomy project took a huge leap into a new frontier.

“This particular project really caught my interest,” Michael remembers. “That’s often how a lot of great things happen at Macquarie – people come across each other and get excited about solving a problem together.

“It just so happened that at the time we were starting to work on bringing 3D scanning technology into online spaces [now the widely used Pedestal 3D platform]. I was working with Goran and some archaeologists in the Faculty of Arts on laser scanning bones, and Goran was keen to prove that a 3D printed bone was as good as a real one.

“The answer was yes, which meant we could start to use these bones for students’ pre- and post-lab learning, as well as making the scans available online for students’ reference.”

Also on Michael’s agenda: overhauling the program’s video resources.

“I worked with Anneliese Hulme [now a teaching fellow in the Department of Chiropractic] to train the team to make create their own polished, high-res videos – she and Goran brought the anatomy; I brought the media skills! And we found these videos were massively used, especially before exam time. We really nailed the format.”

With the program fully interwoven with cutting-edge technologies, students in the program now have on-demand access to some of the best digital learning resources of their kind.

“We’ve ended up with an infinitely richer experience for our students,” says Goran. “They have the opportunity to see the same human structures from different perspectives. In the lab, students use bones, 3D models and digital x-rays as they’re working on the cadavers in the lab. And then when they go home, they have all these 3D images that they can rotate and compare to what they’ve seen.

“Quite the step up from a textbook and an episode of Grey’s Anatomy, isn’t it?,” laughs Richard.

Congratulations to the Human Anatomy Program team ­­– winners of the Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Programs that Enhance Learning: 

Associate Professor Goran Strkalj (Faculty of Science and Engineering)
Dr Mirjana Strkalj (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences)
Associate Professor Richard Appleyard (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences)
Anneliese Hulme (Faculty of Science and Engineering)
Michael Rampe (Faculty of Arts)

The team would also like to thank:
Fidel Fernando (Faculty of Science and Engineering)
Marin Casey (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences)
Joyce El-Haddad (Faculty of Science and Engineering)

In a nutshell, my job is to…

Understand the mechanisms behind neurodegenerative diseases and develop new diagnostic/prognostic tools and new therapeutic options.

The top three things on my to-do list today are…

1. Try to stay up-to-date with emails (a Sisyphus’s curse…)
2. Try to find money to keep going with my research and keep my research team together.
3. Finish students’ theses, scientific papers, reports, reviews and more.

Name a Macquarie staff member who impressed you last week…

Easy, without any demagogy, it’s my team of young scientists and brilliant students! They impress me every week by their dedication and autonomy.

I was drawn into the field of neuroscience because…

I’ve loved biology since I was a kid.

My ethnic heritage is…

I was born in Dijon, Burgundy, in France. I have been in Australia for 20 years now, but it seems that my French accent is as strong as day one.

Outside work, you’ll often find me…

At Maroubra Beach, playing beach handball as I train for the national competition.

The most amazing place I’ve ever visited is…

Volcano Villarrica in Pucón, Chile – I climbed it to the top!

If I could have dinner with anyone (living or dead), it would be…

Roger Guillemin, a Nobel Prize winner and one of my role models.

Know someone who you’d like to see in our next 60 Seconds feature? Let us know.

Jump onto an internet search engine, type in any scientific topic, and in the flash of a computer screen literally millions of results appear.

But what in all that information is fact and what is fake? How can scientists make their voices heard, particularly when it comes to ‘hot-button’ issues such as vaccination and climate change?

The interdisciplinary Science, misinformation and alternative facts workshop provides a forum for researchers and science communicators to discuss the representation of scientific evidence in the public domain.

Experts in psychology, cognitive science, linguistics, and education will join application domain experts in vaccination, climate science, education, and health behaviours to discuss the challenges and potential solutions for closing the gaps between what the evidence says and what the public believes.

Coordinated by the Macquarie Research Enrichment Program and co-sponsored by the Faculty of Human Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences and the ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders, sessions will include:

• Communicating psychological science in the ‘post-truth’ world
• Challenges in science communication and translation
• Science communicators’ panel
• The science of science communication
• Outreach and interdisciplinary research

Further information:

• Program
• Workshop presenters and panellists
• Directions

Details:
Date: Thursday 1 June
Time: 10.30 – 4.30
Location: The Australian Hearing Hub, Level 1 Lecture Theatre, 16 University Avenue

Registration is free. Macquarie staff and students should register online.

At Macquarie we have invested significantly in building relationships with valued partners that share our vision to provide an integrated approach to holistic patient treatment, discovery and continuous learning. The University’s MQ Health initiative is the first of its kind in Australia, and built around clinical programs committed to all three aspects of Heal, Learn, Discover.

A recent gift to the University shows that sometimes we don’t have to look very far for support of this vision.

A group of seven doctors in our own Macquarie Neurosurgery team recently donated $133,000 to the University to enable new research and global collaboration in the study and treatment of the human brain.

Professor Marcus Stoodley, Program Head for Neurosciences, says the donation illustrates how passionate Macquarie Neurosurgery is about improving health outcomes.

“There is a real commitment among our surgeons to develop and promote improvements in clinical care,” he says.

Professor Patrick McNeil, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, notes that the donation – which has already funded the hire of a postdoctoral clinical research fellow – will help the University build on our achievements in neurosurgery research.

“It will allow us to accelerate our progress in this area and affirm our reputation for excellence in neurosurgery both clinically and academically,” he says.

The surgeons’ donation – though notably significant – is not the only example of Macquarie staff personally supporting the University’s activities, notes Paul Dennett, Executive Director in the Office of Advancement.

“Each year we see Macquarie staff generously supporting initiatives such as student scholarships through our workplace giving scheme, as well as initiating their own informal fundraising activities to support our research in areas like motor neurone disease,” he says.

 “It’s wonderful that so many Macquarie staff feel so passionately about making a positive difference.”

MQ Health Day is a key event taking place during Wellbeing Week, 8 to 16 September.

The day will kick off with an official launch hosted by Vice-Chancellor Professor S Bruce Dowton, followed by a talk on Wellbeing by Professor Simon Willcock, Clinical Director of MQ Health Primary Care. There will also be booths for you to visit and speak with a range of healthcare experts, on everything from cardiovascular health to urology. Organised tours are on offer in the afternoon for those wanting to visit some of the clinical facilities at MQ Health, including Australia’s first Gamma Knife.

Professor Patrick McNeil, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, says MQ Health Day is a chance for staff to learn more about the world-class health services that are available on our own campus.

“With the introduction of our new name MQ Health, now is a great time to ensure the Macquarie community understands what we do, the health services we offer and how we are bringing our purpose – Heal. Learn. Discover – to life.”

MQ Health is the new name for Macquarie University Health Sciences Centre, bringing together Macquarie University Hospital, Macquarie University Clinical Associates, the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, and the clinical components of the Faculty of Human Sciences.

Visit MQ Health Day website for more detail, or to register for the key events:

MQ Health Official Launch
11am to noon, Lakeside Marquee
Join the official launch of MQ Health Day with Vice-Chancellor Professor S Bruce Dowton and other MQ Health experts on wellness. Healthy refreshments provided.

MQ Health Expo
11am to 2pm, Lakeside Marquee
Visit booths and meet our healthcare experts for information about MQ Health, GP, Cardiovascular, Physiotherapy, Urology, Mental Health, Hearing and Audiology.

MQ Health Tours (limited spaces, bookings essential)
12.30 to 1.30pm and 1.30pm to 2.30pm
Take a tour to view a typical patient and operating room, our simulation lab for teaching and research, and Australia’s first Gamma Knife (not actually a knife!). Tours available from 12.30 to 1.30pm and 1.30 to 2.30pm.

Expanding treatments for the ‘Australian’ cancer
The chances of surviving melanoma are getting better every year. But some cancers still become ‘resistant’ to treatment, and others don’t respond at all. Read more.

What happens next?
You’re in hospital: should you stay? Should you leave? What’s your risk of dying? Read more.

Saving lives with better processes
How can a doctor in a small practice with only one or two GPs learn from the mistakes of doctors across the country? Read more.

More accurate readings of the heart
Almost everyone has had their blood pressure measured with an inflatable cuff around the arm. But as useful as this is, it can differ from a reading taken at the heart itself. Read more.

Widening the net on Motor Neurone Disease
Recent advances pinpointing genes involved in the inherited form of Motor Neurone Disease (MND) are now being used to hunt for the culprits of ‘sporadic’ cases. Read more.

Announced at the recent Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) symposium, Macquarie becomes an official participant in the pilot program, which is supported by the Australian Academy of Sciences and based on the Athena SWAN charter. The charter has seen gender equity practices in United Kingdom higher education and research institutes greatly improve over the last decade. Macquarie will now work towards Bronze accreditation of the Athena SWAN Charter.

Macquarie’s SAGE self-assessment team will be chaired by Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research Integrity and Development) Professor Lesley Hughes.

“Macquarie is extremely committed to driving gender diversity in STEMM and increasing the level of women in leadership positions,” Professor Hughes says.

Vice-Chancellor Professor S Bruce Dowton welcomed the announcement and says the University’s involvement in the pilot will strengthen our commitment to leading the sector in gender equity.

“While Macquarie performs well in comparison to the sector average in terms of women in senior academic positions, the University is undertaking in 2016 to accelerate achievement of a truly gender balanced organisation,” Professor Dowton notes.

Women comprised 31 per cent of all Macquarie staff at Level E in 2015¹ compared to a university sector average of 25 per cent², and 37 per cent at Level D¹ compared to a sector average of 30 per cent².

Learn more about the Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) Pilot in Australia.

^{1. ‘Women in Macquarie: Gender Equity Data 2015’, report by the Equity and Diversity Unit, October 2015.}

^{2. Universities Australia}

We all know about the gaps that exist in health outcomes for different groups in our community. The intolerable gap between health outcomes for indigenous versus non-indigenous Australians has received significant and appropriate attention in recent years, and we also recognise that social disadvantage corresponds with poorer health.

Less well known is the ‘gender gap’ in health outcomes, with male life expectancy being significantly lower than that for women, and poorer outcomes for men in most health measures. A popular theory when I was in medical school was that men were genetically ‘programmed’ to wear out before their sisters due to the inherently defective nature of the Y chromosome that defines their gender. This ‘programmed to fail’ theory has now been debunked, with acknowledgement that the gender gap in health outcomes is largely an effect of social factors. These social factors include a failure to socialise men into preventive health paradigms from an early age, negative media messages about men (and in particular young men), poor access to gender appropriate health services and the cost of those services.

Men’s Health Week provides an opportunity to consider options for closing the gender gap in health outcomes. We know that preventive health activities and early intervention should a disease arise are far more effective than waiting until someone develops physical or functional manifestations of the disease.

For the younger men on campus there are clear evidence-based guidelines as to what you can do to lower your risk of health problems. At a stage of life when disease is uncommon, these guidelines focus on lifestyle factors such as smoking, diet, alcohol and physical activity, but there are nonetheless important specific messages for young guys, including the value of sexual and mental health checks as well as testicular self-examination, since this is the age group when testicular cancer can present.

For those who like me are more at risk due to our age, an annual check is recommended to monitor parameters that can be associated with preventable and treatable diseases, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes and a number of cancers.

If you have a car, do you get it serviced regularly? Or do you wait until something breaks before you take it to the mechanic? Your body is your most valuable possession. Treat it with the care it deserves, and it shouldn’t let you down.

The Macquarie University GP Clinic is available to Macquarie University students, staff and the general public. To make an appointment, call 9812 3944.