Current staff announcements

Event approvals

Anyone planning an event should begin by visiting the UQ events information page here to ensure they get the latest information about the events approval process, and access to the current application forms. Following current procedures and using the latest forms will avoid delays in the approval process.

UQ Mayne Events Space

Need a space to host your next event? Close and convenient to the Brisbane CBD, The Mayne Events Space boasts rooms perfect for private dinners, conferences, or workshops. Event booking information and room details can be found in our event compendium and via the Mayne Events Space website. Contact the team today for a personalised event proposal.

Thanksgiving Ceremony
Faculty of Medicine staff are invited to attend UQ's Thanksgiving Ceremony on Wednesday 27 September, 5pm. This ceremony offers appropriate pause to acknowledge the lives and ongoing legacy of the selfless individuals who have chosen to advance medical and scientific knowledge through the donation of their body. Register your attendance. 

The morning tea that could save your life
Hosted by Bolted and the Queensland Performing Arts Centre, this event will launch a newly redesigned teacup gynaecological cancer symptom checker card, by ovarian cancer survivor Jane Grealy. There will be a short panel discussion featuring UQ’s Professor Andreas Obermair and Dr Eva Baxter, as well as Jaz da Silva, who had major surgery for gynaecological cancer after referencing the symptom checker. There will also be opportunities to donate to the Queensland Centre for Gynaecological Cancer. Tuesday 26 September, 10:00am. Queensland Performing Arts Centre, South Brisbane. 

Mater Research Seminar Series
Translational Bioinformatics and Glial Neurobiology, Cognition and Behaviour Research on Monday 25 September, 12:30–1:30pm. TRI room 2003 and on Zoom. 

German–Australian Science and Innovation Day
Celebrating strong Germany–Australia science and innovation, this event will feature guest speakers including Professor Michael Rosemann, Director of the Centre for Future Enterprise and Professor for Innovation Systems, QUT; Julia Kaute, Head of Science and Innovation, German Embassy; and Professor Leonie Barner, DAAD Research Ambassador and Inaugral Director of the Centre for a Waste-Free World, QUT. Visit the webpage for the full program details. 5 October, 2–6pm. Customs House, UQ Brisbane City. Register now.

Information Session: Graduate Certificate in Clinical Informatics and Digital Health
This webinar includes Associate Professor Clair Sullivan (Queensland Digital Health Centre (QDHeC) Director) presenting a program outline, and Dr Lee Woods (QDHeC Researcher) presenting on 'Digital Health Transformation'. 10 October, 12–12:30pm. Register now.

Cheese and chats at The Atrium: Vaping, what’s the harm?
Join us for the next cheese and chats event where Professor Coral Gartner and Associate Professor Henry Marshall will unpack new sales laws around vaping, address proposed changes by the Federal Health Minister and delve into why these products have sparked divisive scientific attention. Thursday 12 October, 5–7pm. The Atrium, UQ Brisbane City, 308 Queen Street. Register now.

Ignite Innovation Symposium
Registration is now open for the West Moreton Health Quality Improvement and Research Symposium. Wednesday 18 October. Ipswich Hospital and online.

HeSANDA Queensland Node launch
This event will launch the Health Studies Australian National Data Asset (HeSANDA) network. Queensland’s health research community will find out how to set up their clinical trials for the sharing and re-use of data, and how to upload their trials into the Queensland node so they are identifiable in Health Data Australia. Monday 23 October, 12–2:30pm (1pm start online). Mayne Medical School and Zoom.

Research & Development in Australia’s aged care program
Aged care services often lack a culture of research, with tight staffing levels and high turnover. Facilities and programs are often small, lacking economies of scale and sophisticated expertise, which results in failure to deliver – even when firm agreements are in place. In this seminar, three presenters will explore and analyse the opportunities and challenges in aged care research. Wednesday 25 October, 12:30–1:30pm. Zoom.

Information Session: Graduate Certificate in Clinical Informatics and Digital Health
This webinar includes Associate Professor Clair Sullivan (Queensland Digital Health Centre (QDHeC) Director) presenting a program outline, and Dr Rebekah Eden (QDHeC Researcher) presenting on 'The Strategic Transformation of Digital Healthcare'. 13 November, 12pm–12:30pm. Register now.

View archived Events announcements

Congratulations

• Associate Professor Jennifer Koplin was awarded an NHMRC Partnership Grant (total value $2.28m) for assessing the use of pasteurised donor human milk for term-born infants requiring supplementation.
• Dr Thuy Frakking was successful in winning a new MRFF Grant entitled, External validation of a classifier for the detection of aspiration in children.
• Dr Trish Gilholm was awarded a travel grant from the Australian Trials Methodology Network.
• Stina Oftedal has achieved a promotion to Level B academic.
• Elouise Comber has won the Bing and Ross Barnard Biotechnology Prize by the School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences.

Welcome to two new staff – Dr Erin Pitt, Research Fellow with Childhood Allergy and Epidemiology, and Edward Hayes-Woods, Research Coordinator with QCPRRC.

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

View archived announcements from CHRC

Expert in consumer engagement visiting from Denmark
Throughout September COH have hosted a Danish expert in consumer engagement for telehealth, Professor Jane Clemensen. Since 2004, Jane has collaborated with COH and Professor Anthony Smith will head to Denmark this November to meet with her team at the University of Southern Denmark and Centre for Innovative Medical Technology. Jane was recently named an Honorary Professor at CHSR. Thank you for making Jane feel welcome (Tak fordi du har gjort Jane velkommen)!

From the Director’s Desk
Many of you are likely enjoying a few days of rest during the school holidays before the final run into the year’s end. A busy time with many grant schemes due, including the latest round of NHMRC Investigator Grants. Thanks to all who attended the pitching sessions last week.

Our move back into the newly refurbished Building 33 is imminent, with the final handover due to occur in the coming week. Our scheduled move in date is 9 October. There will be further communications shortly to keep everyone updated as this date fast approaches. For those who have had a hot desk arrangement at TRI during the refurbishment, please be reminded that these will be unavailable from midday Wednesday 27 September. A reminder too that for any new staff and students to complete the CHSR new starter survey. This is important to ensure all new CHSR members undertake mandatory training and induction to be granted building access, and to arrange space and computing requirements.

Best wishes Monika

The spirit of reconciliation
Staff information sessions on the First Nations Voice to Parliament were held over the last few weeks. If you did not get the chance to attend, the referendum booklet contains information on both the Yes and No cases and information on how to vote on 14 October.

UQ Core Cultural Learning modules can be completed at your own pace whenever you like (Modules 1-2 are mandatory for all UQ staff).

Upcoming CHSR Seminars
Outcome measurement in dementia research. By Dr Kim-Huong Nguyen. Wednesday 27 September, 12:30–1:30pm. Zoom.

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

The MRFF have recently released a report on national funding success rates across all MRFF calls from 2020-2022. Read now.

Funding opportunities

• TRI LINC Grant – close 6 October
• Queensland Health Practitioner Scheme – close 12 October 
• NHMRC Investigator Grants – close 8 November
• MRFF Dementia and Aged Care – close 15 November
• ARC Industrial Transformation Research Hubs – close 29 November
• NHMRC Centres of Research Excellence – expected to close 29 November
• MRFF Research Data Infrastructure Grant – close 8 December
• MRFF Indigenous Health Research Fund – close 6 March 2024
• 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.

Consumer Renumeration in Research
Faculty of Medicine have just released new guidelines on Consumer Renumeration and how to submit claims for Consumer Renumeration. Documents have been uploaded to the FoM CHSR Teams site.

Training opportunities
Career consultations for UQ academic researchers Level A-E and research professionals. Consultations can be booked online, are confidential and are tailored to one-on-one advice.
 
QCIF online statistics training workshops – Register online.

Dimensions/Altimetric Explorer training sessions – Zoom.

More training opportunities available via the FoM CHSR teams.

Marketing and Communications
Please send through all social media requests to the marketing and communications team.

Twitter – Please follow your CHSR colleagues on Twitter. You can find their twitter handles on FOM CHSR Teams.

CHSR Publications
Banbury, A., Taylor, M., Caffery, L., Der Vartanian, C., Haydon, H., Mendis, R., Ng, K., & Smith, A. (2023). Consumers' experiences, preferences, and perceptions of effectiveness in using telehealth for cancer care in Australia. Asia-Pacific journal of clinical oncology, 10.1111/ajco.14002. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajco.14002

Hayat, A., Cho, Y., Hawley, C. M., Htay, H., Krishnasamy, R., Pascoe, E., Teitelbaum, I., Varnfield, M., & Johnson, D. W. (2023). Association of Incremental peritoneal dialysis with residual kidney function decline in patients on peritoneal dialysis: The balANZ trial. Peritoneal dialysis international : journal of the International Society for Peritoneal Dialysis, 43(5), 374–382. https://doi.org/10.1177/08968608231175826

Marlow, E. C., Ducore, J. M., Kwan, M. L., Bowles, E. J. A., Greenlee, R. T., Pole, J. D., Rahm, A. K., Stout, N. K., Weinmann, S., Smith-Bindman, R., & Miglioretti, D. L. (2023). Medical imaging utilization and associated radiation exposure in children with down syndrome. PloS one, 18(9), e0289957. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0289957

Wright, C., Kelly, J. T., Campbell, K. L., Healy, R., Musial, J., & Hamilton, K. (2023). A mixed-method study to inform the development and implementation of eHealth in a bariatric surgery service in an Australian public hospital. Nutrition & dietetics: the journal of the Dietitians Association of Australia, 80(4), 425–434. https://doi.org/10.1111/1747-0080.12812

View archived announcements from CHSR

Medical School community achievements

Year 1 Rural Immersion
Between 17-22 August, 100 Year 1 medical students participated in a rural ‘immersion’ tour. The Year 1 Rural Immersion was hosted by the Rural Clinical School and Mayne Academy of Rural and Remote Medicine, and allowed students to experience the charm of rural and remote living.

The Year 1 Rural Immersion is part of the new Doctor of Medicine (MD) curriculum, which provides students with an opportunity to learn outside of the classroom and experience one of eight rural and remote communities across the Central Queensland, Wide Bay Burnett, Darling Downs and South-West regions. 

Students had the opportunity to visit primary schools and childcare centres to deliver teddy bear hospitals, as well as high schools to talk about studying medicine.  Other groups participated in aged care visits, tours of rural medical centres, community health services, hospitals, and medical talking circles. There were also plenty of opportunities to understand local industry with farm and stockyard tours and visits to mining and processing facilities.

Students provided feedback and highlighted the benefits of connecting and socialising with their peers as well as the warm welcome from the local communities. The local communities were incredibly supportive; not only in helping arrange some fantastic tours and activities, but also in opening their homes for students to partake in homestays, which for most students was the highlight of their experience. See their highlight reel here – Facebook.

Research  

Recent grant successes
Congratulations to Jazmin Guayco-Sigcha who has been awarded a New Investigator Grant by The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation under the supervision of Associate Professor Henry Marshall for a project titled ‘Plasma and serum miRNAs for lung cancer screening’.

Congratulations also to Associate Professor Nancy Sturman who is working on ‘Identifying effective self-management options for individual patients with persistent neck and back pain following road traffic crashes’ through a 2023 MAIC/RACGP Foundation Research Grant.

Mayne Academy of Critical Care pilot grants
The Mayne Academy of Critical Care has awarded two pilot grants to Academic Title Holders undertaking research within the clinical units. Associate Professor Paul Lee-Archer was awarded a grant for his project ‘Wearable technology for the measurement of post-operative outcomes in children’ which will be undertaken at the Queensland Children’s Hospital. Dr Yogesh Apte was awarded a grant for his project ‘Vasopressor Infusion via Peripheral vs Central Access in patients with shock – The VIPCA randomised controlled feasibility trial’ which will be undertaken at Caboolture Hospital. Congratulations to both researchers.

UQ Medical students in your research
There is a dedicated process for including UQ medical students in extra-curricular research to help ensure a safe and quality experience for everyone involved. Please discuss this with students before they commence any research with you and refer them to the Student Research Portal for further information.

Faculty Research Alert
The Faculty Research Alert is circulated weekly via email and includes information about UQ internal schemes, external funding opportunities and awards.  If you would like to receive the Alert, please email the Faculty of Medicine Research team.  Detailed information on research funding opportunities and awards can be viewed on the Faculty of Medicine intranet.  For previously advertised grant and award opportunities and events, please refer to the Archive Faculty Research Alert webpage. 

Education

MD Design update
The first group of Year 1 students embarked on their Rural Immersion from 17-22 August with the experience a resounding success. The second Learning Development Week (4-8 September) focuses on engagement within the Learning Communities and make-up sessions for missed Observed Clinical Assessments (OCA) from Weeks 17-24.

The Year 2 Course Planning Team has been established and held its first meeting on 14 August. The Team are developing detailed descriptions of the Year 2 learning activities and required resources so that implementation planning can progress for Procedural and Examination Skills, Clinical Professional Learning, Clinical Immersions and Case Based Learning.

The Year 3 Course Planning Team aims to develop a draft Year 3 syllabus and course outline by early to mid-October.

Engagement

Medical Training Survey
The 2023 Medical Training Survey (MTS) is now live. The MTS is a longitudinal study, open to all doctors in training Australia-wide, that tracks the quality of medical training over time. This year, the MTS will be asking doctors in training about access and usage of flexible working and training arrangements.

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.

Crisis and Welfare Procedure
UQ has recently updated its Crisis and Welfare Procedure. The document provides flowcharts for both student crisis and wellbeing support, as well as the welfare check process. For clinical sites that do not have UQ Security available, information about what support is available onsite is being collated so that this can be included in local documentation.

Teams Phone: a new way to communicate at UQ
Microsoft Teams Phone is the new communication solution allowing UQ staff to be more flexible, responsive, and effective when connecting with the world. The technology transforms users of Teams into modern, mobile professionals, able to make, and receive calls, through their laptops, tablets, or mobile phones. Begin your quick on-boarding process to Teams Phone.

Password updates
In response to increasing cyber security threats, UQ has upgraded the minimum password length to 12 characters. Having a strong password that is long and unique is encouraged. You can do this by having a passphrase (a password created by combining whole words), which fits these criteria, and is also easier to remember.  

School holiday fun with UQ Sport
Enrolments for the UQ Sport Kids Holiday Camp are now open. The camp is designed to be fun and engaging for kids aged 6-12, with a variety of team sports and ball sports on offer. The Kids Camp will take place on both weeks of the school holidays, Week 1 (Monday 18 – Friday 22 September) and Week 2 (Monday 25 – Friday 29 September), with individual day registrations also available. Aftercare is free of charge from 3:30-5pm for a pickup time that suits parents. Find out more.

View archived announcements from the Medical School

View archived announcements from MRI-UQ 

Director (Acting), Rural Clinical School Update

I was feeling pretty confident back on the 10 July when Riittta gave me the brief run-down before heading off for her well-deserved break.  Eight weeks – what could possibly happen? It wasn’t long before the curtain lifted and I got some great insight into the role and gained a true understanding of meeting fatigue. Being the generalists that we are in the RCS, the Director represents at all sorts of meetings, jumping from admissions to curriculum to HR, student support, research, 1-1 meetings and back to Medial Pathways all in the space of a day. While time-consuming and exhausting all these meetings ensure that we have the full picture as we go forward.

As my time in the hot seat comes to an end I wanted to reflect on the “wins”:

• The Year 1 Rural immersion was a success, and it was great to see the RCS sites full of Year 1 MD students eager to learn about regional and rural medicine. 
• Allocations for 2024 Year 3& 4 have been released and the RCS accommodation survey is out with our prospective students. 
• Hospital Practice Plus planning is progressing with the opportunity to visit Kingaroy and Beaudesert and meet with Roma to work through the details of delivering integrated Medicine and Surgery rural placements as an important stepping stone to the implementation of Longitudinal Integrated Clerkships.
• Year 2 implementation is progressing with the opportunity to welcome our new Deputy Heads Thiago & Fran to the teams in Rockhampton and Bundaberg respectively, and recruitment of MD learning facilitators for Years 1 &2 and CBL tutors being finalised. The RCS Town Hall on the 30 August was a chance to update the whole team on the progress around facilities, timetable, staffing and assessment (recording and PowerPoints available here:S:\SOM-CSRural\Common\Regional Medical Pathway\RMP Town Hall _ 30 August 2023).
• We have also been able to recruit to backfill some key roles in Toowoomba, including Lecturer in Clinical Education, Student Coordinator and Administration Assistant.

It has been a busy time for me juggling my clinical role, Head of TRCU and Acting Director. So it is with joy that I look forward to welcoming Riitta back on the 12 September.

Team successes and achievements

Year 1 Immersion

100 first-year medical students have just returned from a four-day ‘immersion’ tour, experiencing the charm of rural and remote living. The Immersion Program is part of the new Doctor of Medicine curriculum, which provides students with an opportunity to learn outside of the classroom and experience one of eight rural and remote communities across Central Queensland, Wide Bay Burnett, Darling Downs and South West regions. 

Students had the opportunity to visit primary schools and childcare centres to deliver teddy bear hospitals as well as high school visits to talk about studying medicine.  Other groups participated in aged care visits, tours of rural medical centres, community health services, hospitals, and medical talking circles.  There were also plenty of opportunities to understand local industry with farm and stockyard tours, mining, and processing facilities.

Students provided feedback and highlighted the benefits of connecting and socialising with their peers as well as the warm welcome from the local communities. The communities were incredibly supportive; not only in helping arrange some fantastic tours and activities, but also in opening their homes for students to partake in homestays, which for most students was the highlight of their experience.

See their highlight reel here – Facebook or Instagram.

Thank you to everyone involved in the immersion program!

• Teams attended 'Dorrie Day' at Gladstone and Bundaberg
• Toowoomba, Bundaberg and Hervey Bay celebrated Wear it Purple Day
• RTHWB hosted two feedback literacy workshops conducted for the collaborative research project led by Dr Rudi Prasad in the Hervey Bay Hospital ED (one for Junior Doctors, one for Senior Doctors).
• Bundaberg RCU Community Advisory Group met on 2 August and included CQUni Bachelor of Medical Science Lecturer and Student as guests, providing a progress update on the degree. It was the first time for the committee to meet our Head, Dr Gina Watkins and we introduced a new committee member, Consuela Morrice, A/Manager Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health Specialised Services at the Bundaberg Hospital. 
• Professor Carney and Keira Anderson visited Bundaberg on 11 August and spent time catching up with our students and staff. Along with Executive Dean, Professor Geoff McColl they also attended the RMP Steering Committee Meeting which we hosted at our site for the first time. It was an excellent opportunity to show off our facilities to some of the committee members who had not been to our site before. 
• Three Indigenous students are undertaking placements in the Bundaberg Hospital as part of their Certificate Courses. The students visited our site and had the opportunity to tour our building, learn about the pathway to becoming a doctor, and participate in some hands-on clinical skills activities. This is the first time we have been included in the program and we look forward to us becoming a regular stop.

Research Update

On Wednesday 23^rd August we had the UQRCS Research Team and project team from Shell come together to discuss the final recommendations for our joint Consultancy project.

Upcoming Events

• On evening of 13 September, Bundaberg student cohort, led by Year 4 students, are conducting a Conversation Corner as an opportunity for students to debrief and discuss difficult clinical experiences in a safe and supportive environment.
• Bundaberg 2023 Teaching Awards evening is scheduled for Wednesday, 25 October.  Students will soon be asked to cast their vote for teachers they would like to recognise for these awards.

Staff Movements
Welcome:

• Bridget Lowe has stepped up to fill the Team Lead, Rural and Remote Medicine based in Toowoomba starting on 21/08/23.
• Dr Emma McGonigal who will join the TRCU as a Lecturer in Clinical Education starting in October 23.
• Melissa Hirth, seconded as a Student Coordinator to the TRCU from Greenslopes Clinical Unit in the GBCS.

Farewell:

• Congratulations to Matt Bloxsom who will finish up with RRCU on the 6 September to take the role of Student Academic & Admin Support position for GP with AME starting 11 September
• We farewell Bronty Geddes who will finish up in her role as Administration Assistant with the RRCU on the 8 September

Leave:

• Associate Professor Riitta Partanen returns from leave 12 September
• Dr Gina Watkins, Head of BRCU returns from leave on the 9 September
• Associate Professor Sunday Pam, Head of RRCU returns from leave on the 15 September
• Dr Vanessa Grieves, Academic Lead, Crit Care & Clinical Skills returns from leave on the 11 September
• Jules Bennet is on leave until 6 Nov.

Media

Facebook: August insights  
12 published posts | 1,811 reach for the month
9 new page followers and 5 new page likes
Highest reaching post for August:  Meet Andre, Rockhampton

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

Finance Update

All payments on credit card or purchase order should have a Valid Tax Invoice so that they can be processed and UQ can claim the GST.
In some instances, payments will be withheld until a valid Tax Invoice is received.
Please remember when you request a Quote or receive an invoice check that it is addressed to “The University of Queensland”

On all accounts please ensure The University of Queensland is the first line in the address – not UQ Rural Clinical School or other acronyms & not addressed to employee or individual business unit.  This information can be included further down in the address as long as the invoice is address to The University of Queensland in the first instance.

When an invoice is over $1,000 the Payees name and ABN must also be included on the invoice

For further clarification please access the UQ Page on Outgoing Payments Supporting Documentation UQ Outgoing-payments/supporting-documentation

Wellness Update

It’s Liptember
It’s time to pull out your favourite lipsticks, smack them on and start a conversation about women’s mental health. Read more in this month’s edition of Flourish (link below).

Flourish Magazine
It’s September and this month’s Flourish is full of great articles on: Snooze Science, Resistance Training, Managing Anger, the Referendum, , Liptember, for example, plus some tasty recipes!

Converge - Flourish Health & Wellbeing Magazine - Sept23 - Flipbook - Page 1 (convergeinternational.com.au)

This month at your RCU
It’s snot too late to join the AUHC (10 000 Steps) Challenge and your local RCU  team! Log your activity and enjoy stepping out in Spring together. The challenge is open to staff and students. Further details are here: Join the Australasian University Health Challenge

Desktop Wallpaper
It’s time for a new desktop calendar! We’re sure you’ll enjoy seeing this September desktop each day: https://www.theeainstitute.com.au/blog/free-desktop-background-downloads/

Posture Product of the Month
Do you find yourself slumpy or suffering neck or back ache when using an iPad at home. Then check out the Pillow Pad: https://posturecorrectorshop.com/product/pillow-pad/

This great product comes OT recommended, and when used with a Stylus you may find yourself sitting and using your device more ergonomically. Available in many stores and online.

Unlocking your strengths
The free VIA survey is all about you. And provides a personal strengths profile. It’s a widely recognised global tool that helps individuals identify their character strengths. Take iit alone, or complete it at the same time as a colleague or friend then share your results.  Click here: https://www.viacharacter.org/ Select "Take the free survey". You will be prompted to register to take it. Allow approximately 10 minutes, and answer promptly and honestly to gain accurate results.

View archived RCS announcements

From the Head of School

As we race towards the end of the year, please note in your diaries the dates for the SBMS Awards night, SBMS RHD student retreat, SBMS Academic Research Retreat, and Honours presentations. You should all have received a workday reminder for your APD. Remember to not only reflect on your year and plan next year, but also book face-to-face sessions to talk with your supervisor and your supervisees. And, while you are thinking about all the great things you and others have done, think about nominating someone for the 2023 Faculty of Medicine Excellence Awards. For those on a school holiday break: enjoy this weather (before it gets too hot and dry).

In a just, equitable and reconciled Australia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children will have the same life chances and choices as non-Indigenous children, and the length and quality of a person’s life will not be determined by their racial background - Reconciliation Australia

I support reconciliation, so I’m voting YES. For anyone still unsure about their vote, you may wish to take a look at these links provided by the Faculty of Medicine for more information about enshrining an Indigenous Voice to Parliament:

• FAQs about the Indigenous Voice
• Voice to Parliament Guide
• Together, Yes
• Online training
• 10 Questions about the Voice to Parliament – answered by the experts

Lizzie Coulson

Date Savers

27 September – Thanksgiving Ceremony, GHD Auditorium, 5–7:30pm
23–24 October – SBMS RHD student retreat, Binna Burra Lodge
30 October – Teaching and Learning Week
30–31 October – 2023 cohort Honours final seminars
1 November – Lesley Lluka’s final farewell, SCMB podium, 4–6pm
9–10 November – SBMS Academic Research Retreat, Peppers Salt Resort & Spa
15 November – All Staff Meeting, Prentice Building (#42), room 216, 12–1:30pm
24 November – All-Hands Anatomy Training, Therapies Annexe (#84A), room 304, 9am–12:30pm
15 December – SBMS Awards Night, Customs House, 6:30pm

MyResearch Projects System Demonstration Sessions
MyResearch is the on-line system that will provide a comprehensive pre- and post-award management tool for UQ researchers, functional support staff and line managers (approvers). It will provide:

• An online portal for UQ researchers to submit all funding applications including grants, industry contract and consultancies, and requests for internal strategic support
• Line managers with an online approval process for all funding applications
• Automated project set up and financial integration with Unifi upon grant acceptance
• A post-award milestone and close-out function to assist UQ researchers to manage their projects

A face-to-face presentation of the new platform has been planned for SBMS at the All Staff meeting on 15 November. Attendance is strongly encouraged.

13th Queensland Cell and Developmental Biology Meeting
The 13th Queensland Cell and Developmental Biology Meeting is being held on 1 December at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience, UQ St Lucia. Keynote speakers include:

• Saul Villeda University of California
• Laura Fenlon SBMS, University of Queensland
• Paul Clarke Frazer Institute, University of Queensland
• Nick Ariotti IMB, University of Queensland

ANZSCDB membership is required to present a talk or poster. Student memberships start from $38. Register now.

Annual Performance and Development (APD)
Ensure you are up to date with the APD timeline.
 
New SBMS Publications
If you are preparing a manuscript and 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.

Exploring Generative AI workshop
This Library workshop, designed for both staff and students, that explores and experiments with Generative AI tools for summarizing and generating content. 

You will learn how to:  

• Create an account and access the tools: ChatGPT, Bard, BingChat, ChatPDF and Perplexity  
• Generate images from text
• Summarize a website or a pdf document
• Draft a document or a presentation
• Write code in different languages
• Compose professional emails
• Use the tools effectively and ethically

Workshops will be held on 9 October and 12 October. Register now.

SBMS HDR Retreat
This FREE event is a chance for SBMS-affiliated PhD students to network with like-minded students and engage in interactive workshops aimed at providing guidance, advice, and skills on how to navigate both PhD and post-PhD life. Spaces are very limited so register now. 23–24 October. Binna Burra Lodge, Lamington National Park.

All meals and bus transfer to/from UQ are provided. For any questions, please email.

SBMS Awards Night Registration
Please join us for our annual Awards Night. Tickets include canapes on arrival, a two-course meal and free-flowing drinks for the duration of the evening. As always, the evening will include the presentation of both formal and informal staff and student awards as well as the much-loved raffle! Please contact Dayna Zimmerman or Mike Piper if you are interested in donating a raffle prize. For those wishing to continue the festivities, we will be booking some tables at a nearby venue after the conclusion of the main event (location TBD). Friday 15 December, 6:30pm. Customs House, 399 Queen St.

Pay for tickets by direct transfer to the SASS bank account. Please include the name/s of ticket holders in the description. BSB: 064 158 Account number: 1084 2124 Account Name: Society Cheque Acct. For any questions, please contact Dayna Zimmerman.

SBMS Friday Socials
Our next Friday networking event is scheduled for 29 September. Come along from 4pm for some beverages, snacks, and chats with fellow SBMSers on the Level 1 MacGregor deck. Both cash and cashless payment options will be available.

View archived announcements from SBMS

Head of School Update
On Thursday 31 August the School received a verbal synopsis of the Review panel’s commendations and recommendations. In recognition of the excellent state of the school, we received commendations for our teaching, research, engagement, AND student involvement activities. This was the first time the School was commended in the last two areas and is something we need to celebrate. I feel proud of the School’s accomplishment and thank everyone for their hard work that contributed to this outcome. The panel also outlined some important recommendations around governance and culture that the School will address once we get the written report. It is expected in the next fortnight, and we will share it as soon as we can. The SEC is committed to a whole of School approach to addressing these recommendations. We encourage everyone to look out for the opportunity to contribute, which will begin with a school meeting to discuss and agree how the school takes inclusive leadership in developing and implementing a plan to address the recommendations.

We were thrilled to hear that the Visualise Your Thesis competition winner for 2023 was one of our HDRs, Tara Crandon. Tara’s entry “Weathering the Storm: Understanding Climate Anxiety and Coping in Young People” was amazing and received the terrific comments from the judges. Tara will progress to the VYT International round in October as UQ’s entrant. You can read the blog for more information.

Congratulations to all our amazing EMCR researchers who were nominated for a UQ Foundation Research Award: Adam Craig, Luis Furuya Kanamori, Greg Mielke and Cheneal Puljevic. It’s wonderful to see your research celebrated and we’re very proud of you all.

Finally, we are rapidly approaching the final quarter of 2023 and our thoughts turn to our School end of year event. If you would like to be part of a working party to plan and organise the event, please let Sarah know.

Liz Eakin                  Sarah Piper
Head of School       SPH School Manager 

Dates for diaries

• 25 September – Semester 2 mid-semester break begins
• 27 September – Yoga session, Mayne building room 315. Gold coin donation.

Thanksgiving Ceremony
Faculty of Medicine staff are invited to attend UQ's Thanksgiving Ceremony on Wednesday 27 September, 5pm. This ceremony offers appropriate pause to acknowledge the lives and ongoing legacy of the selfless individuals who have chosen to advance medical and scientific knowledge through the donation of their body. Register your attendance. 

UQ Mayne Events Space
Need a space to host your next event? Close and convenient to the Brisbane CBD, The Mayne Events Space boasts rooms perfect for private dinners, conferences, or workshops. Event booking information and room details can be found in our event compendium and via the Mayne Events Space website. Contact the team today for a personalised event proposal.

Cyber Safety
Password updates
In response to increasing cyber security threats, UQ has upgraded the minimum password length to 12 characters. Having a strong password that is long and unique is encouraged. You can do this by having a passphrase (a password created by combining whole words), which fits these criteria, and is also easier to remember.  

Conferences
UQ co-hosted the Inaugural Regional COR-NTD Meeting for the Pacific islands in Sydney on Thursday 31 August. Well done to the HERA ODeSI team and UQ International Development. The meeting brought together participants from 21 countries around the world to inform the neglected tropical diseases (NTD) research agenda for the Pacific Islands, with a particular focus on lymphatic filariasis, scabies, and integrated serological surveillance. The meeting included participants from the Pacific, researchers, WHO offices, and international donors (Gates Foundation, USAID, END Fund and others). For more information, please contact Prof Colleen Lau.

All the info

• Herston Campus – https://campuses.uq.edu.au/herston
• Teaching and Learning – Teaching and Learning Week 2023
• CAHP – CAHP Information & Services
• Changes to parking at Herston – Casual Parking - Herston Information & Services
• Research News – UQ Research Main Page
• Current Funding Opportunities – Current Funding Opportunities
• Wellness Wednesday – Yoga Schedule Sem 2, 2023
• Complaints management – Online Form

SPH HDR Progress Reviews
Check out the latest advertised Progress Reviews and come along to support our HDR Candidates.

A reminder to all HDR Candidates, please advertise your upcoming reviews via the promoting your review form, so that fellow candidates and staff can learn about your work. 

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.

SPH Research Dissemination Toolkit
Keen to disseminate your research publicly? The SPH Research Dissemination Toolkit can help you do this.

View archived SPH announcements

From the Acting Director’s desk

It was good to see so many people at the recent Centre Forum. As announced in the meeting, we have a new theme name. Clinical Neuroscience has been renamed Brain, Neurology and Mental Health. Thanks so much to Lata for leading the discussion on this and working to get consensus on the new name. We will update the website and other collateral to reflect this.

I am happy to advise that Associate Professor Ingrid Hickman has now commenced in the Ultra research program and is located on level 3. The Ultra team and the UQ Clinical Trials Centre team will both grow in the coming months.

Please do not forget to book into APD training if you need to. There are sessions available through September to November. Also, please keep an eye out for notices about the annual Pulse survey, which will be run before the end of the year. This is an important opportunity to have your say on the Centre, Faculty and University’s culture.

Congratulations to Emma Sweeney and Sara Gollschewski for winning awards during UQ Research Week. Emma won a UQ Research Partnership and Translation Award for Translational Research Excellence and Sara won a UQ Research Culture Award for Enhancement of Local Environment and Well-being of Researchers.

UQ Giving Day will be on Wednesday 18 October with QCGC a fundraising priority for this year. There will be an event on level 2 on the day, including a morning tea. More details will be provided on that shortly. If anyone is interested in being a Giving Day Ambassador, register now.

As you may know, I will be travelling for most of October. Judith Greer has kindly agreed to act as Centre Director during this time. Chris will also be on leave from 9–20 October. Maxine Preston will act as Centre Manager in the first week Chris is away.

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.
 
Consumer and Community Involvement
The UQCCR Consumer and Community Involvement Committee is looking for new members. The Committee meets on the first Thursday of each month at 1pm. Please complete an Expression of Interest if you are interested in joining the Committee. Contact the Committee Secretariat, Eva Baxter, if you have any questions.

Check out links to training courses, grant opportunities, recordings of previous events and resources to help you involve consumers in your research on the UQCCR intranet site (under “Consumer and community involvement”).

UQ Faculty of Medicine and Health & Behavioural Sciences invites consumers who are interested in health and medical research to an introductory training course for consumer and community involvement. Consumers will attend two 2-hour online webinars. Session One will be held on Thursday 24 August 10am–12pm and Session Two will be held on Thursday 31 August 10am–12pm. Register now. Please share this training opportunity with your consumers. Contact Jo Maxwell if you have any questions.

UQCCR Seminar Series
Nil during school holidays.

UQCCR Paper of the Month
To nominate for this monthly award, please submit a proforma and pdf of your paper to Julie Wixey the first week of the following month i.e., if you published online in September you need to submit by 5 October. Winners receive a $50 gift card, and a short video of their paper is promoted online. View our previous winner’s video:

UQCCR Publication of the Month Winner July 2023 - Shikha Rani - YouTube

View archived announcements from UQCCR

Seminars

Frazer Institute Seminar Series: Professor Carla Rothlin (Yale Medical School)

Friday 22^nd of September 2023, 10:00-11:00am; TRI Auditorium and via Zoom.

Carla Rothlin will be presenting Cracking the Cell Death Code.

Carla V. Rothlin, Ph.D. is the Dorys McConnell Duberg Professor of Immunobiology and Pharmacology at Yale School of Medicine. Dr. Rothlin is also the co-leader of the Cancer Immunology Program at the Yale Cancer Center.

Miscellaneous

Applications for the 2023 WiSTEM2D Scholars Award open on August 22nd. The deadline to apply is September 30th. The awards will fund early to mid-career women working within a STEM2D university department. For more information please visit: https://www.jnj.com/wistem2d-university-scholars

If you are considering applying for this opportunity, please contact Kylie (fi.rdo@uq.edu.au) and Andrew (fi.rdm@uq.edu.au) as soon as possible as UQ Research Office will likely have an internal selection process.

Expressions of Interest – Infrastructure items
The Frazer Institute Research Committee is seeking expressions of interest for a wish list of external grant opportunities, philanthropic opportunities, TRI new and replacement scheme, Faculty capital replacement and general needs. Expressions of interest are encouraged at any time. Please use the new form and submit at any time with the words 'General Equipment EOI' in the subject line.

Modernise the way you work with Microsoft Teams Phone     

UQ is introducing Microsoft Teams Phone – the new, more flexible way of working.

It’s a communication solution which keeps you connected – anywhere at any time – using your laptop, tablet, or mobile phone.

Visit UQ Microsoft Teams Phone for more information, and to register your interest in onboarding to Microsoft Teams Phone.

Save the Date: Queensland Immunology Networking Symposium

Thursday 19 – Friday 20 October 2023 held at TRI.

Includes networking opportunities and a symposium dinner.

UniQuest Research Commercialisation Workshop

This two-day interactive workshop will inform and guide you on the key aspects of research commercialisation - from protecting intellectual property to partnering with industry and pitching to venture capital investors.  Held at Customs House on Tuesday 24- Wednesday 25 October 2023; and is a free event for UQ’s academic researchers and research higher degree students. 

Please visit www.uniquest.com.au/workshop and register your interest. 

 View archived announcements from The Frazer Instittue