National Council of Women of Queensland Bursary Program
The National Council of Women of Queensland has launched its 2024 bursary program for more than 30 female students. Check the bursary information page to check for eligibility criteria.

Person-centred care in geriatric emergency medicine
The Australian Frailty Network will hold an online session exploring historical and contemporary notions and validation of the frailty construct and the limitations of evidence and healthcare guidelines in the context of frailty. Dr James van Oppen from the UK will share his research about person-centred care for older people in emergency medicine. It will run on Zoom from 3pm on Tuesday 11 June (note change to usual day). Details and RSVP.

Multi centre grant writing workshop
An online grant writing workshop will be hosted jointly by CHRC, UQCCR, CHSR, SPH and FI between May 7 and May 9. The workshop will have sessions dedicated to several aspects of grant writing including proposal development, mentorship, impact evidence and metrics.

The great rainbow bake off
The Ally Network will host a great rainbow bake off in honour of the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexism and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) at the Great Court in St Lucia on Friday 17 May. For the fifth annual edition of the event, the Ally Network is seeking ally members who would like to join the friendly baking competition. All proceeds will go to the Alumni Pride Scholarship. Register by Wednesday 8 May.

View archived Events announcements

Advancing Partnerships with India: Transforming the Lives of Critically Ill Children
With the support of UQ Global Strategy and Partnerships Seed Funding, coupled with Children’s Hospital Foundation funding through the Visiting Researcher Program, the Children’s Intensive Care Research Program (ChIRP) recently hosted Dr Ebor Jacob James, Professor Jayashree Muralidharan, and Dr Jhuma Sankar as part of a unique Australia-India partnership. Read more.

For general information about CHRC – particularly for new staff and students please review our Intranet site.

View archived announcements from CHRC

From the Director’s Desk
As a member of the CHSR team, your interests are championed by your representatives at a number of decision-making University structures, across research, teaching and professional areas. At present this ranges from high profile forums such as The Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences Project, to multiple Faculty of Medicine Committees including research, equity and diversity, EMCR, and teaching and learning. We also advocate for our Centre’s needs and requirements in more operational (but still very important!) marketing, HR and finance meetings. If there are Centre or team requirements that you would like advocacy for, please contact our relevant CHSR committees (Reseach Ops, EMCA, Health & Wellbeing, Executive, HDR) or let Tracey or myself know, so we can direct your request. We trust this enables you to focus on your important research, teaching and consultancy activities!  We also want to celebrate your wins of all kinds, so please share them with the CHSR team, so we can tell your stories regularly, and help progress our collective vision: to enable better health. 

Best wishes, Monika 

UQ Diversity and inclusion
UQ has a diverse community, which is one of our greatest strengths. All staff are encouraged to complete the SBS Inclusion Online Modules to help build inclusive and collaborative environments for our community.  Modules include age, core inclusion, culture, disability, gender and LGBTIQA+.

CHSR Travel Grants 2024
We are excited to announce the opening of applications for the CHSR Travel Grant Award for 2024! This award aims to support our professional and academic members in their travel endeavours to conferences. We will be granting up to three international awards valued at $3000 each and eleven domestic awards valued at $1000 each. If you have not received our CHSR Travel Grant 2024 email outlining eligibility criteria, requirements, travel approvals + EOI form, please contact chsr.researchops@uq.edu.au  

CHSR Twitter/X
CHSR would love to share your content! Please mention @UQ_CHSR to make sure we see it. Thank you.

CHSR Update
To make this Update newsletter as relevant as possible to you, please email your events/opportunities (including PhD seminars!) to chsr@uq.edu.au as soon as they’re scheduled. 

CHSR Intranet highlight
Looking for a PhD Seminar template? Click here, then it’s just a quick scroll to the CHSR flyers section.

Next CHSR shared lunch
Thursday 16 May
12-1pm
Ground floor, Building 33, PAH
Bring a plate!

Next CHSR Seminar Series
Wednesday 15 May
1:30-2:30pm
‘Why is implementation science capability/capacity needed?’
Professor Dan Chambers, Mayne Chair and Head of Mayne Medical School
Click here to join the meeting
Attendance is strongly encouraged

Metro South Health webinar feat. CHSR health economist Kim-Huong Nguyen  
Wednesday 22 May 
12–1pm  
Research Foundation Health Economics 
Webinar registration

Next CHSR All Staff & Student Forum
Tuesday 4 June
11am-12:30pm (followed by light lunch)
Collaborative Room 325, Mayne Medical Building, Herston
Click here to join the meeting

CHSR Pitching Session
Thursday 6 June
2-4pm
Save the date, meeting link to come

Conferences
Abstracts and registrations now open for Skin Cancer 2024 conference in Brisbane 11-15 September.

Call for abstracts and sponsorship opportunities AND registrations now open for the Successes and Failures in Telehealth (SFT-24) conference in Brisbane 13-15 November.
Call for abstracts and sponsorship opportunities AND registrations now open for the 13^th Health Services Research Association of Australia & NZ (HSRAANZ) Conference in Brisbane 4-6 December.

Research Support Team updates 
Please notify the CHSR Research Support Team via the online survey or email Casey and Lauren if you are applying for grants (either as CIA or collaborator). For post-award support, please contact James Reid and Trish Murray. 


Funding opportunities
NHMRC Ideas Grants – close 15 May 

MRFF Clinical Trials Activity – close 29 May

NHMRC Development Grants – close 12 June  

MRFF 2024 Paediatric Brain Cancer Research – close 19 June

MRFF Internatioanl Clinical Trials – Rd 1 close 3 July, Rd 2 close 4 December

MRFF Innovative Trials – close 10 July  

MRFF Early to Mid-Career Researchers Grant – close 24 July

MRFF Indigenous Health Research – close 24 July

MRFF Cardiovascular Health – close 31 July

MRFF Survivorship Care and Collaborative Research Prioritisation – close 31 July

NHMRC Partnerships (PCR2) - (PRC2) close 7 August, (PRC3) close 27 November

MRFF Maternal Health and Healthy Lifestyles – close 7 August

MRFF Mental Health Research – close 7 August

MRFF Dementia, Ageing and Aged Care – close 7 August

MRFF Multidisciplinary models of Primary Care (Stream 4) - close 7 August  

NHMRC Investigator Grants – close 15 August 

NHMRC Clinical Trials and Cohort Studies – close 28 August 

MRFF Frontier Health and Medical Research – EOIs close 31 March 2026

HTQ Consumer engagement microgrants – ongoing

More funding opportunities available via the FoM CHSR teams. 

Award Opportunities
More award opportunities available via the FoM CHSR teams. 

Training opportunities
QCIF online statistics training workshops (ongoing) – register here 

Dimensions/Altmetrics Explorer training sessions (from 6 June) - zoom links available here 

More training opportunities available via the FoM CHSR teams. 

View archived announcements from CHSR

Medical School community achievements 

Funding Opportunities for Medical School Researchers  
The Medical School is pleased to announce the opening of two research funding schemes aimed at supporting the productive research community within the Medical School community. These schemes are designed to empower researchers at different stages of their careers to pursue innovative projects and advance their research goals. 

Mid-Career Clinical Researcher Career Development Award
Successful applicants will receive a total award of $90,000 over two years (2024/2025) to further their research endeavors and enhance their research career trajectory. The funding can be utilised for various purposes, including applicant salary, research project expenses, travel costs, and professional development opportunities.  

Early Career Researcher Seeding Grant
The Seeding Grant offers up to $20,000 per award. This funding is intended to provide vital support for promising research projects and facilitate the exploration of new ideas and promote multidisciplinary collaboration. 

Application Process
Interested applicants are encouraged to contact the Medical School Research Support Team for further details and to obtain the application form. The deadline for submission is 9am on Thursday, 30 May. We look forward to receiving your innovative research proposals and supporting the continued excellence of research within the Medical School. 

Research  

UQ Research Culture Awards
Join us in recognising outstanding contributions to research by both academic and professional staff at The University of Queensland! Be inspired by our exceptional research community driving positive research culture change! Nominate your UQ research heroes now! Nominations close Tuesday, 14 May. Together, let's continue to build a stronger, more collaborative research community at UQ! 

UQ Research Commercialisation Workshop
Join UniQuest for a free, two-day interactive workshop and explore ways to create impact from your research.  With a mix of small group activities and presentations from industry leaders, this Workshop will guide you along the research commercialisation journey. Apply before 7 May 2024. Places are limited. Workshop will be held at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre on 20-21 May.

Lunchtime Statistics Series 2024
The Lunchtime Statistics Series is a joint Medicine-HaBS initiative and is intended for UQ FoM and HaBS HDR students, however, students and staff from the faculties are welcome to attend. These seminars will cover key topics relevant to many HDRs and allow for Q&A time at the end.

• Seminar 2: Basic Statistics in Data Analysis - Wednesday, 5 June 12-1pm via Zoom
• Seminar 3: Summarising Data using Tables and Graphs - Wednesday, 3 July 12-1pm via Zoom

EMCR Research Design Webinar Series
The Melbourne Academic Centre for Health (MACH) is hosting a 6-part research design series tailored for early and mid-career researchers (EMCRs). The series is open to EMCRs Australia-wide. 

• Webinar 3: Effective collaboration with biostatisticians in randomised controlled trials – Thursday 13 June 12:30-1:30pm. Register here. 
• Webinar 4: Statistics for your grant application – Thursday 25 July 12:30-1:30pm. Register here. 
• Webinar 5: Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning – TBC. Register here. 
• Webinar 6: Adaptive and platform trials – Thursday 7 November 12:30-1:30pm. Register here. 

Education

MD Design update
Both the Year 1 and Year 2 Course Teams are moving to a new structure in which a team member will be allocated to Focus Areas / weeks to coordinate learning experiences in that week, ensuring good sequencing, alignment and integration of activities and a focus on the staged learning outcomes. This will also assist with workload management and clearer delineation of roles and responsibilities, and communication between the AME and the Learning Communities.

In Year 2, early feedback has been positive from both staff and students regarding the Zoom delivery of plenaries and integrated symposia. Zoom delivery will continue until the mid-year break, and then student feedback will be sought to determine whether this approach will continue in the second half of the year.

The Year 3 Course Team had its final Year 3 planning group with Ochsner for feedback on the draft assessment framework. The finalised Year 3 assessment document, which includes an updated framework from collated feedback and rubrics for the workplace-based assessments, will be reviewed ahead of the Year 3 and 4 MD Design workshop on 9 May. The Year 3 Curriculum document has been provided to the Mayne academies to start generating the learning objectives and mapping these to planned learning activities.

Engagement

Correct procedure when purchasing or requesting software at UQ
It is crucial you follow the correct procedure when purchasing or requesting software for your UQ-owned device. This is to ensure you only access sanctioned applications from authoritative sources, safeguard from licensing and privacy issues, or harm caused by malware and viruses that may result from downloading software online.  The Standard Software Catalogue lists a range of software available for staff to download. Instructions available at self-installing software on UQ computers. If the software is not listed on the Standard Software Catalogue, visit Purchasing or requesting software. Any additional software, including free and cloud software must comply with UQ’s Software Acquisition and Use Procedure.  You are responsible if you access software from outside the University and must ensure the software is legitimate and complies with all University policies and standards.

Sea of Hands. A Symbol of Solidarity.
For 25 years the Sea of Hands has been a symbol of solidarity with First Nations Peoples. Planting a Sea of Hands is an act of recognition – of identity, culture and history. A/Prof Thelma Parker, Associate Dean, Indigenous Engagement, is planning an event for our community to plant a Sea of Hands to coincide with National Reconciliation Week. The Sea of Hands will be planted from mid-morning on 31 May at Herston with the twilight event commencing at 3pm. More details of this event are coming soon.  For those unable to attend in person, a registration link will be made available – so you can provide your message of solidarity to contribute to the Sea of Hands.

Book now to receive your free flu vaccine  
Bookings are now open for the annual UQ flu vaccination program, which will run from Monday, 22 April until mid-May 2024.  The free vaccine program is open to all staff, students and staff of UQ affiliates aged 18 and over. Vaccinations will be available at many UQ locations, including all 4 campuses, Indooroopilly, Long Pocket, Mater Hospital, 308 Queen St, and Toowong. 

UQ Respect
At UQ, we strive to ensure our campuses are a safe and respectful environment for all of our students and staff. Respect is about treating all others with dignity and care. We all have the right to be safe and respected at University and in all aspects of our lives. A reminder that UQ staff must complete the Appropriate Workplace Behaviour module on Workday, which includes content relating to sexual misconduct, and are also strongly encouraged to complete Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault: What are the drivers and how can staff respond? on Workday.  

First Responder Network
The First Responder Network is made up of members of the UQ Community. First Responders provide a safe and supportive environment for survivors of sexual assault and sexual harassment to receive information on the support services that are available.  Find out more about the First Responder Network - Respect - University of Queensland (uq.edu.au) Need emergency support? If you are experiencing an emergency or need urgent support in relation to an experience of sexual assault or harassment, then you can call:

• +61 7 3365 3333 UQ Security for on campus emergencies
• 000 for immediate police or ambulance assistance
• 1800 Respect 1800 737 732 for 24/7 counselling support
• Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) 07 3646 5207 for 24/7 Acute Response
• External community support options in Queensland

UQ Ally Network and Training
The UQ Ally Network is an award-winning program that provides a visible network of well-informed staff who create a safe, welcoming and inclusive space for sex, gender and sexuality diverse people at UQ and in the broader community. UQ Allies are not experts about matters of sexuality, sex and gender - they are people who strongly support UQ's stance on making the University an accepting, positive, diverse and inclusive space. Want to become a UQ Ally? You need to be committed to creating a supportive and inclusive space for people who identify as gender, sex and sexuality diverse and complete the UQ Ally Workshop training program.

Register for the IDAHOBIT Rainbow Bake Off
In honour of IDAHOBIT (International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexism and Transphobia), the Ally Network will again host The Great Rainbow Bake Off in the Great Court St Lucia on Friday, 17 May. We aim for every school, institute, and work area to submit at least one entry to the Bake Off. Groups or individuals are welcome to make submissions. The UQ community is invited to attend the event and buy one of the cakes! This year, all funds raised will go to the Alumni Pride Scholarship. Please submit your registration by Wednesday, 8 May.

The Race That Stops UQ! (Great Court Race)
Compete in the Great Court Race on Wednesday, 15 May. Events include: ⁠Great Court Races⁠, 70m Sprint Races⁠, College Relay, Club Relay⁠ and the Staff Relay⁠.

EViND Symposium
Come along to the Extracellular Vesicles in Neurodegenerative Diseases (EViND) Symposium to celebrate a decade of ground-breaking dementia research at the Clem Jones Centre for Ageing and Dementia Research. The symposium will highlight the significance of extracellular vesicles (EVs) in neurodegenerative diseases, featuring internationally renowned speakers from the US and UK. The symposium will be held on Monday, 13 May from 8.30am-5.30pm at the Queensland Brain Institute. RSVP now to secure your spot.

QUEX Institute joint PhD program – call for projects
Academic staff interested in recruiting a PhD candidate through the QUEX Institute are invited to submit PhD project proposals. Working under the overarching banner of ‘Global Sustainability and Wellbeing’, the 2024 project proposals will focus on the following interdisciplinary themes:

• Healthy Living
• Global Environmental Futures
• Digital Worlds and Disruptive Technologies
• Mineral Security and Sustainability

Submissions close 9am AEST Tuesday, 7 May, for projects commencing in January 2025. Visit the website for the full details and project guidelines.

General Practice Clinical Unit newsletter
The General Practice Clinical Unit distributes a quarterly newsletter. Click on the Newsletters tab for the latest information regarding the Mayne Academy of General Practice and General Practice Clinical Unit, teaching tips, articles and more.

View archived announcements from the Medical School

View archived announcements from MRI-UQ 

Senior Manager Rural Clinical School update

Dear Colleagues

Reflecting on our collective journey, I am reminded of the story of Ignaz Semmelweis, a pioneer whose foresight in the 1840s Vienna forever changed medical practice. Ignaz Semmelweis, a young Hungarian doctor, noticed that mothers and babies in doctor-staffed wards died of postpartum infection five times more often than in midwife-staffed wards. Unlike the midwives, the doctors were also performing autopsies without washing their hands between procedures. Curious about a possible connection, Semmelweis urged the doctors to wash their hands and disinfect with a chloride solution before deliveries. The gap in death rates disappeared. Sadly, his fellow doctors dismissed the findings and refused to continue his changes. Not until two decades after his death, when Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch germ theory was championed, did Semmelweis’ monumental discovery become accepted practice.

Like Semmelweis, there are times when we are called on to show courage in the face of adversity and commitment to innovation for the greater good.

Here are a few more inspiring stories of medical breakthroughs that have had a profound impact on the world:

1. Smallpox Vaccine (1796): Edward Jenner, an English physician, observed that milkmaids who had contracted cowpox did not catch smallpox. He hypothesized that the cowpox virus could provide immunity against smallpox. Jenner tested his theory by inoculating a young boy with cowpox, and the boy became immune to smallpox. This led to the development of the first vaccine and eventually the eradication of smallpox¹².
2. Anesthesia (1840s): Before the discovery of anesthesia, surgeries were extremely painful and often impossible to endure. In 1846, William T.G. Morton, a dentist, demonstrated the use of ether as an anesthetic during a surgical procedure to remove a tumor. This groundbreaking moment allowed patients to undergo surgeries without the agony they previously had to endure¹².
3. Insulin for Diabetes (1921): Before the discovery of insulin, diabetes was a fatal disease. In 1921, Frederick Banting and Charles Best discovered insulin, which could be used to control blood sugar levels in diabetics. This discovery has saved countless lives and continues to be a critical treatment for diabetes patients².

These stories, like that of Semmelweis, highlight the importance of perseverance, curiosity, and the willingness to challenge established norms. They remind us that even when faced with skepticism, the pursuit of knowledge and the desire to improve human health can lead to extraordinary advancements.

Together, we are not just teaching and supporting medical education; we are instilling a culture of critical thinking and compassionate care that will resonate through the generations of healthcare professionals we are privileged to train.

Thank you, once again, for your remarkable contribution. It is an honour to work alongside such a dedicated team.

Riitta

Team updates
·       The MD Critical Care Team visited on 19 March involving an update sessions with BRCU staff, visit to hospital CC departments to meet the clinicians, and morning tea for teaching teams, medical students and BRCU staff. This was their first visit to Bundaberg Hospital and BRCU.

·       BRCU first SSLG Meeting was held on 19 March with Clare Butters and Riitta Partanen able to attend in person. There was great interest from the students with approximately 30 students and staff attending.  There were numerous matters up for discussion with valuable input and outcomes achieved by all.

·       Cat A Year 2 exam conducted at BRCU & RRCU on 13 April

·       Toowoomba RCS and Careers TROHPIQ Trip was held on 13 April

·       ER112 was held on 16 April at the Hervey Bay Surf Lifesaving Club

·       CQU/UQ Regional Medical Pathways high school events completed in Rockhampton, Bundaberg and online. 108 attended across the three events.

Upcoming Events
·       GP Networking & Information Evening scheduled for 18 April with a focus on engaging and feedback from Year 2 GP placement practices in Bundaberg

·       Intern Campaign Information Session will be run on 18 April at BRCU, organised by RTH WB targeting Year 4 & 3 students.

·       TROHPIQ organising a visit to Hervey Bay for Year 2 students on 20 April to help showcase what Hervey Bay has to offer students considering preferencing here for their third and fourth years.

·       UniSQ Welcome Event Year 1 Medical Pathway 24 April

·       UQ Medicine Information Session (Online) 30 April

·       UQ Medicine Information Session (In person) 1 May

·       Year 2 students will have the opportunity to travel to Hervey Bay RCU, to undertake a suturing skills session and meet the HBRU team – 2 May

·       Beef Australia in Rockhampton Sunday 5 May – Friday 10 May

·       Year 3 Trauma Workshop – 7 May in BRCU

·       UQ Ready high school event in Bundaberg 9 May

·       Cancellation of Come & Try Day (High School Engagement) scheduled for 9 May

·       Battle of Specialities Careers Event in Rockhampton 30 April and Bundaberg – 14 May

Staff movements
·       We welcome Rachael Hopper in her new role as Supervisor Administration and Engagement CQ

·       We welcome Dr Emma Friesen (Research Manager) based at Boyce Gardens

·       We thank and farewell Dr John Ridler (Course Coordinator for RRM) and Dr Sally McKenzie (Senior Lecturer in RRM)

·       Amanda from Finance on annual leave until 23 April

·       Position Available – UQ BRCU Senior Lecturer in Clinical Training (part-time 20%, fixed-term position through to 31.12.24).  Applications closing on 21 April

Research
Goondir Health Services (Opening of the community wellbeing centre, St George)
A/Prof Srinivas Kondalsamy-Chennakesavan and Dr Bushra Nasir attended the Official Opening of the Goondir St George Community Wellbeing Centre on Wednesday 10^th April. This facility coordinates 35+ services in the community and was officially opened by Hon David Littleproud, Federal Member for Maranoa. UQRCS is part of a collaborative team evaluating the long-term impact of this community-wellbeing centre.

Research Manager
On Monday 15 April 2024, Dr Emma Friesen will commence as the Research Manager (full time) for the UQ RCS. She will be based in Toowoomba, at Boyce Gardens with other members of the Research Team.

Please extend a warm welcome to Emma.

Upcoming Conference
Rural Medicine Australia (RMA 24) Conference will be held between 23-26 October 2024.

Abstracts are now open: Abstract submissions close on Friday 10 May 2024

For further information : Abstracts (acrrm.org.au)

If anyone requires help with their abstracts, please contact the research team (rcsrc@uq.edu.au)

Marketing
Facebook: March/April insights
13 published posts

2024 has already seen an 850% increase in reactions, and a 672% higher reach in posts compared to this time in 2023.

Highest reaching post for March/April : Meet Aaron, Rockhampton

Media clippings: Click here to see all articles relating to the UQRCS this March.

Training Options
Finance
Anyone who would love any refresher training on any topic to please reach out to uqrcs.finance@uq.edu.au to schedule a time to catch up. This training has been tailored for any new staff or staff who want to touch up on their finance knowledge.

Marketing
Anyone who missed out on the Vision6 training and would like a refresher/new to Vision6 – please email uqrcs.marketing@uq.edu.au to arrange.

View archived RCS announcements

From the Head of School
As I return to the many duties of HoS, I had the pleasure last week of being the Faculty representative at the Queensland Medical Orchestra performance, which played to a packed house at St Laurence’s College together with the Law-chestra. Not only was it an excellent show of the variety of Americana, modern, and classical music but one of our very own lecturers was sitting in the violin section, bow at the ready, with a plethora of current and former med (and thus biomed) students. If you are musically inclined, the Med orchestra accepts students and staff (academics, or doctors, nurses etc) probably at AMBE>grade4, and there is a choir as well!

As you ponder your work-life balance and how you allow your mind to ponder in order to get creative in research as well as other areas of life, this is a way to get together with like-minded folk to have a cracking good time!

Lizzie Coulson
Date Savers

15 May          SBMS All Staff Meeting, 12-1:30pm, Zoom

27 Aug           SBMS All Staff Meeting, 12-1:30pm, Zoom

29–30 Oct     Honours Research Outcome Seminars, 9am-5pm, various locations

SBMS Science Teaching Awards
Students who achieve a GPA of 6.6 or higher in a semester are awarded a Dean’s Commendation for Academic Excellence. The recipients of these awards are asked to nominate a teacher that they believe should be commended for excellent teaching.

A total of 50 nominations were received by the Science Faculty for teaching staff for Semester 2, 2023. We would like to congratulate the following SBMS academics on receiving nominations: Stephen Anderson – BIOM2012; Kylie Tucker – BIOL1040; Brian Key – DEVB3001; Prasad Chunduri – BIOL1040.

Final call for 2024 Faculty’s Strategic Equipment Wish List
This is a final call from the SBMS Research Committee for the 2024 Faculty’s Strategic Equipment Wish List. If you have additional requests, please submit them to Rohan Teasdale before 14 May. Please see “Nominate Equipment for the Faculty’s Strategic Equipment Wish List” email from earlier in the year.
 
2024 UQ RRR Health Research - EOIs now open
UQ’s health faculties are seeking Expressions of Interest (EOI) from UQ researchers interested in developing partnerships and building enduring relationships with rural, regional, and remote (RRR) health sector stakeholders. See the attached flyer for further details and key dates.
 
Book now to receive your free flu vaccine
Bookings are now open for the annual UQ flu vaccination program, which will run from Monday 22 April until mid-May. The free vaccine program is open to all staff, students, and staff of UQ affiliates aged 18 and over. Vaccinations will be available at many UQ locations, including all 4 campuses, Indooroopilly, Long Pocket, Mater Hospital, 308 Queen St, and Toowong. Book your Flu Vaccine at UQ.

LinkedIn Learning: Mindfulness Practices
Mindfulness helps you be more effective in today’s busy world. It reduces stress, increases focus, and improves your ability to deal with challenges, both at work and at home. With regular practice, mindfulness can change the course of your life. Practice with executive coach Henna Inam as she leads you in guided exercises that expand emotional intelligence, grow self-confidence, and build stronger relationships. Complete this course (2 hours).

New Enterprise Agreement – TOIL
The University of Queensland Enterprise Agreement 2021-2026 (the Agreement) includes provisions for professional staff and professional research staff classified at HEW Levels 1-7 who have accrued Time Off In Lieu (TOIL) of Overtime, to be paid out in total twice per calendar year. This is scheduled to be paid out in the last full pay period in May and November. These arrangements do not apply to hours which have been accrued via a Voluntary Banked Time (VBT), Flexitime (Flex) or other flexible work arrangement.

Please review Clause 35 Professional Employees – Overtime and Penalty Provisions of the University of Queensland Enterprise Agreement 2021-2026 and Professional Employees HEW 1-7 webpage for further information. If you have any further questions, please contact AskHR.

May is Domestic and Family Violence (DFV) Prevention Month
HR will be running some workshops for supervisors and managers aimed at providing the understanding and knowledge for managers to support staff who may be impacted by domestic or family violence.

Workshop Outcomes:

• Understanding of the forms and impacts of DFV.
• Knowledge of relevant workplace policies, procedures, legislation, leave entitlements and obligations.
• Understanding of a trauma-informed approach and support.
• How to conduct an DFV brief risk assessment and safety plan.
• How to recognise, respond and refer.

Keep an eye out for further communications if you're interested.

New SBMS Publications
If you are preparing a manuscript and you would like SBMS readership before submission, members of the Research Committee are willing and able to assist. Please contact the chair, Jana Vukovic.

If you have recently had a new publication accepted or published, please let us know.

View archived announcements from SBMS

Head of School Update 
Dear Colleagues

Last week was the World Health Summit – Regional Meeting in Melbourne where we had over 20 people from SPH attending. My highlights were connecting with colleagues I haven’t seen in some time, including Professor Jude McCool from University of Auckland. We completed our PhDs at the same time with the same supervisor. I also enjoyed spending time with SPH colleagues and celebrating the submission of Clare Hannan Jones' PhD. I always enjoy hearing Helen Clark and Sir Michael Marmot speak.

We are heading into the last part of semester, where assessment and marking loads increase, and I would like to acknowledge the incredible work that our academics do to support our students. It has been pleasing to hear how engaged our students have been this semester.

A communication will come out from Emma about a UQ opportunity for Rural, Regional, and Remote Health Research EOIs. The goal of this is to provide opportunities for transdisciplinary collaborations to develop projects to position for major, UQ-Led research funding opportunities. This builds from Dalby Roundtables that were conducted in February, where community stakeholders identified research priorities. Full details will be in the email. 

Last month we held our SPH Touch base at the Edith Cavell building (ECB). It was wonderful to have our morning tea on the north veranda and take the opportunity to look through the new spaces. We’ll alternate the venue for our Touch bases so each even month it will be held at the ECB. For those who didn’t get to this morning tea, we now have three meeting rooms on Level 2 of the ECB that can be booked through UQ BookIT. Note that you’ll need to borrow a swipe card from Adele at reception to access the building – this is not a UQ building so your UQ swipe card won’t work.

On the subject of building security, we are considering altering our doors so that the foyer entry doors automatically lock from 5pm onwards. These are the doors on each floor between the lift foyer and the office corridors. The external doors lock at 7pm, but as there are few people in the building in the early evening, we may lock the foyer entry doors earlier to increase security. Please do get in touch if you have any thoughts about this suggestion.

All the best 
Sheleigh & Sarah 
 
Sheleigh Lawler                                                                  Sarah Piper 
Acting Head of School                                                     SPH School Manager  
 
Dates for diaries 
UQ Influenza vaccination program currently underway 
7 May - Yoga in the Mayne Level 3 boardroom (315), 12 – 1pm 

9 May - Uni Mental Health Day at Herston, BBQ Courtyard, 11:30am – 1pm

14 May - Guided Relaxation in the Mayne Level 3 boardroom (315), 12 – 1pm 

17 May - IDAHOBIT Day - International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia - This day aims to coordinate international events that raise awareness of LGBT rights violations and stimulate interest in LGBT rights work worldwide.

18 May - Global Accessibility Awareness Day - This day focuses on digital access and inclusion for the more than one billion people with disabilities and impairments.

21 May – HTQ seminar: How to master competitive grant opportunities, 4 – 5pm

 
Teaching & Learning
CAPHIA Teaching & Learning Forum 2024

A reminder the closing date for abstracts is Sunday 19 May. Funds are available to support registration fees for SPH staff who have abstracts accepted. The theme this year is ‘Partnered Journeys’ with three streams:

• Students
• Community
• Workforce

Choose between a 10-minute oral presentation OR a 40-minute solution room workshop. Learn more about the abstract submission process here.

Worth the read – recent articles from our people
Pharmacists should be able to dispense nicotine vapes without a prescription. Here’s why (Professor Coral Gartner)

Who pays the price for New Zealand's tobacco backflip?  (Professor Coral Gartner)

No, beetroot isn’t vegetable Viagra. But here’s what else it can do (Professor Lauren Ball)

Global disease burden study highlights COVID-19 impact and health inequities (Honorary Associate Professor Alize Ferrari)

SPH Space update 
Plans are starting to form for works to the Public Health building to make it a better place to work. We’re keen to hear from people who:

• Will use a multifaith prayer room
• Would be interested in using a quiet room.
• Are current users of the showers on Levels 0 and 1

If you have any input on any of these spaces, and how we can be sure they’re fit for purpose, please contact Sarah Piper.

School Review Recommendations Updates  
The School will be engaging an external consultant to support us in the work we need to do to address the School review recommendations. The school will be guided by the expert in regard to the best process that will support this work.

Queensland Decarbonisation Hub
The Queensland Decarbonisation Hub was launched at Qld Parliament House last month. UQ leads this hub with involvement across the university- including research and implementation opportunities for public health through healthier energy options and better supported regional facilities. Any researcher from UQ with relevance to this work can add their name. The emerging UQ Climate Change Research Network is facilitating engagement with this hub as well- so another great reason to participate.

Conference
The Southern Cross Australasian Travel and Tropical Medicine Conference is being held in Brisbane this year, September 27-29. Early bird registration is open until Friday 31 May.


 All the info  

• 2024 Academic Calendar - Academic Calendar 
• Changes to parking at Herston - Campus Parking Changes - Herston January 2024 
• Herston Campus
• CAHP - CAHP Information & Services 
• Research News - UQ Research Main Page 
• Current Funding Opportunities - Current Funding Opportunities 
• MRFF 2024 Early to Mid-Career Researchers Initiative - MRFF 2024 Early to Mid-Career Researchers grant opportunity

SPH LinkedIn Page 
Continue to help build our SPH LinkedIn community by following and inviting others to follow our School of Public Health LinkedIn page. Please send Ailsa Bolton any content you would like uploaded to LinkedIn. Alternatively, you can post on your own personal LinkedIn page and tag the School of Public Health by simply typing @UQ School of Public Health and clicking the SPH page that appears as a tag option. 

View archived SPH announcements

From the Director’s desk
We recently held the UQCCR 3MT competition and were treated to nine presentations from our student community. It was a great opportunity to hear how well our students communicate their research and I want to congratulate all who participated in the competition. Thank you to the UQCCR Research Training Committee and Amy McCart Reed for organizing this excellent session, to our judges Kirat Chand, Benn Sartorius and Sara Gollschewski for judging the competition and to BioStrategy for sponsoring the event.  I want to particularly acknowledge our winners:

• Early HDR candidate: Reshinthine Purushothaman
• Late HDR candidate: Hannah Musco
• People’s choice award: Reshinthine Purushothaman

In collaboration with the UQCCR Research Committee, we are planning a series of events with other UQ Centres and Institutes throughout 2024. These will be of different scope and objectives whilst we aim to better communicate the skills, interests and capabilities of our staff whilst also understanding what under-used opportunities there maybe elsewhere in the University. We hope that this will allow UQCCR researchers to build more comprehensive and specialised teams and perhaps open doors to different funding opportunities and industry linkages as well. Watch this space!

Want to be included in the newsletter?
Email your updates, event, awards to news@uqccr.uq.edu.au for inclusion.

Are you a wellbeing? Check out UQCCR’s Wellbeing committee Initiatives and other Centre news on the Staff Hub.

Pint of Science Festival
Get ready for some fascinating talks from our brilliant UQCCR researchers at the upcoming Pint of Science Festival on May 13 to 15!

• Dr Emily Bryan and Olivia Jessop will kick off the event on Monday May 13, 7pm at BrewDog Fortitude Valley with a deep dive into "The Hidden World of Sexually Transmitted Infections." Don't miss out on uncovering the secrets of this intriguing topic! Register here.
• Dr Emma Sweeney will enlighten us on "Gut Health, Babies, and STIs" on Tuesday May 14, 7pm at Easy Times Brewing Co, offering valuable insights into these critical areas of research. Secure your spot to gain invaluable knowledge on gut health and more! Register here.

• Mark your calendars and join us for these enlightening sessions!
  
  UQ Gala for Prostate Cancer
  The UQ Gala for Prostate Cancer will be held on Saturday 31 August. We are seeking staff and students to volunteer to assist at the event. Roles required include collecting donations and selling raffle tickets. Purple UQ T Shirts will be supplied, and the event is at Customs House on River Fire night. Please contact Melissa Kerr (melissa.kerr@uq.edu.au) in the faculty Advancement team to nominate.
  
  Seminar Series
  Join us for an exciting Seminar Series hosted by UQCCR Genomics Committee on Wednesday May 15, from 11am to 1pm! Don't miss out on this exceptional opportunity to learn about the latest advancements in genomic research and technology from industry leaders MGI, Qiagen, Illumina, Twist Bioscience, and Oxford Nanopore Technologies. Lunch will be generously sponsored by MGI, providing the perfect opportunity for networking and discussion. Secure your spot here.
  
  Publication of the Month Winners
  Congratulations to our March winner:
  
  Saiyuri Naicker – ECR Category
  
  Title: Evaluation of the stability of ceftazidime/avibactam in elastomeric infusion devices used for outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy utilizing a national stability protocol framework
  Journal: JAC-Antimicrobial Resistance
  
  Have you recently published? Consider submitting for Publication of the Month here. Apply now.
  
  Applications close 7^th of each month.
  
  See standing items such as social club chocolates, after-hours building access and research support services on UQCCR's tab in the Staff Hub. 

View archived announcements from UQCCR

 View archived announcements from The Frazer Institute