Current staff announcements

Operational

Psychosocial Risk Management 
‘Psychosocial risk Management support for Managers/Supervisors - the UQ Psychosocial Risk Management Page has recently been updated with a one-page poster/document on Psychosocial Hazards – Guidance Material for Managers’    

National Safe Work Month 
October is National Safe Work Month — a time to make your commitment to improving safety and health in your workplace.  This year our theme for Safe Work Month is 'Safety is everyone's business.” The theme encapsulates a safe and healthy working environment as a fundamental principle and right and emphasises the need for individual, organisational and wider community commitment to safety. A safe and healthy workplace benefits everyone. Read about National Safe Work Month. There will be a Safety Sausage Sizzle on Wednesday 16 October at the Herston Campus and on Saturday 26 October at SBMS, St Lucia. 

2024 Finance End of Year Preparation 
The Medicine Finance Transactions team has set deadlines of one week prior to the deadlines set by Finance and Business Services, to ensure that there is enough time to process the requests. Please see end of year deadlines here.  

Join us to become a UQ Giving Day ambassador
You're invited to join a group of dedicated ambassadors who are stepping forward to make a difference. Ambassadors are the driving force behind UQ Giving Day. Your role is to spread the word; inspiring your network to participate as we raise funds for a brighter future. We’ll help you each step of the way with an ambassador toolkit and a personalised donation link to track the donors and dollars you inspire. You also get a wonderful welcome pack with a Giving Day t-shirt. Become a Giving Day Ambassador. 

Research 

The Hub is an online one-stop-shop with practical resources and tools for clinical trials teams to effectively plan, manage and track the progress of their clinical trials. Developed in partnership with clinical trial experts from across our partnership (including members from UQ) and beyond, it brings together the wealth of existing information, tools and resources available across the clinical trials landscape to help anyone running a clinical trial to navigate this complex space.  

Events

The Digital Health Revolution: AI's Role in the advancement of Public Health 
Wednesday 9 October   
Dr Amalie Dyda is an infectious disease epidemiologist and digital public health expert working as a teaching and research academic in the School of Public Health who will give a talk on the way digital public health is transforming the way we approach population health.  
Register here.   

Centre of Research Excellence (CRE) RESPOND Seminars 
CRE has a number of seminars coming up: 

• Respiratory infections: Tuberculosis - Thursday 17 October  
• Microsampling - Tuesday 29 October 
• Anaesthesia, Surgery and Antibiotics - Thursday 14 November 
• OPAT/HITH Masterclass 2: Peripheral intravenous use of elastomerics in Hospital in the Home - Thursday 28 November   

For more information, please visit the website. 

UQ Research Commercialisation Workshop 
Tuesday 12 - Wednesday 13 November  
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 Friday 1 November. Places are limited. Click here for details. 

2024 Queensland Immunology Networking Symposium 
Wednesday 16 October - Thursday 17 October   
Researchers, students and clinicians are invited to attend the fifth annual Queensland Immunology Networking Symposium. The face-to-face event provides several networking opportunities, alongside a program of fantastic speakers and the panel discussion: One Size Doesn’t Fit All: The Challenge of Predicting Responders to Therapy. It will be held at the Translational Research Institute. Registrations close Tuesday 8 October. More details and registration click here. 

Queensland Mental Health Week (UMHW) 2024: Herston 
Tuesday 8 – Wednesday 16 October 
UQ Wellbeing is coordinating QMHW at UQ with activations in line with the theme of 'Connect for mental health: Self, Community, Others, Nature' to support and promote the mental health and wellbeing.  

Tuesday 8 October - Dutton Park (11:30am to 1:30pm) 
Wednesday 9 October - St Lucia (11am to 2pm) 
Thursday 10 October - Gatton (11:30am to 1:30pm) 
Wednesday 16 October - Herston (11:30am to 1:30pm)  

To see the full Herston program, please visit here. 
  
Invisible Disabilities Week Workshop & Morning Tea   
Tuesday 22 October, 9:30-10:30am (with morning tea to follow) at Centre for Children’s Health Research, level 5, seminar room & Zoom 
The workshop will include information about different invisible disabilities and practical ideas to make the workplace sunflower friendly. Please register here. 

2024 ACE Australasian Infective Endocarditis Hybrid Symposium 
Saturday 12 October, 9am-5pm at the Education Centre of The Prince Charles Hospital (TPCH), on Rode Road, Chermside, Brisbane. The Inaugural ACE endocarditis symposium will unite national and international experts in cardiology, cardiac surgery, infectious diseases, pharmacology, medical imaging, stroke medicine, intensive care and registry design. For more information, please visit here.  

Giving Day 2024 - Wednesday 16th of October
UQ Giving Day is nearly here and this year the Faculty of Medicine is prioritising fundraising efforts towards a single cause, women’s cancer research (including breast and gynaecological cancers). All donations will be matched, thanks to our incredible Giving Day Matching partners Cherish Women’s Cancer Foundation, Breast and Prostate Cancer Association of Queensland and jeweller Christie Nicolaides. If you’re considering supporting this cause, this would be the perfect time to create a greater impact for UQ’s women’s cancer medical research. The matched-Giving Day platform is now live. 

View archived announcements

Check in from Director

Dear All

September has been a very busy month for teams at CHRC – showcasing our wonderful research capabilities at the UQ Biomedical Students Association Honours Night, attending conferences, whilst achieving 19 grant submissions with various research partners. Well done CHRC teams – fingers crossed! Follow us on LInkedIn and X so you know the latest happenings at the Child Health Research Centre.

CHRC continues keep the dialogue open with Faculty and Central executive teams to ensure that CHRC received the support we need to excel, especially as the University works through it’s process in establishing the Faculty of Health Medicine and Behavioural Sciences. If you have any questions or concerns please reach out to Annie and I.

I am also very excited to announce that official nominations for the 2024 CHRC Excellence Awards are now open. Please consider nominating a colleague or a team whose hard work and passion have helped deliver excellence and deserve recognition from CHRC. The nomination form is here.

Thank you again for all you do.

Kind regards

Professor Craig Munns

Director Child Health Research Centre

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

Pencil this in your diaries  
**Working group/supporters wanted!! Reach out if you are able to spare some time to help organising these events – email uqchrc@uq.edu.au**

• Wednesday 2 October: 11-12noon, CCHR Boardroom, drop in session for Pivot RP and Costing and Pricing Tool
• Tuesday 8 October: 5.30pm, CHRC & HABS HDR & Honours Networking Event
• Thursday 28 November: CHRC End of Year celebration & symposium

Felicitations!

• Prof. Di Yu was awarded The Australian Academy of Science 2023 Jacques Miller Medal – formally awarded in Canberra this month.
• Dr Kath Benfer is one of the shortlisted applicants to proceed with the 2024 Westpac Research Fellowship.

View archived announcements from CHRC

The Australasian Kidney Trials Network (AKTN) co-hosted a symposium with CARI at the 2024 ANZSN ASM Conference. Dr Benignus Logan and Associate Professor Andrea Viecelli provided updates on AKTN-coordinated trials, GOAL and VALID. Additionally, Dr Michael Collins shared his learnings from the BEST-Fluids trial, and the importance of considering implementation in the design of future trials. The session concluded with a special acknowledgment of Professor Carmel Hawley for her significant contributions to kidney research.

From the Director’s Desk
Congratulations to the CHSR staff whose promotions have recently been confirmed: Dr Emma Thomas, Dr Helen Haydon, Dr Kristiana Ludlow and Dr Natasha Reid will join our Senior Research Fellow ranks from 1 January 2025. Congratulations too to Dr Jaimon Kelly from our Centre for Online Health, who featured prominently in UQ’s Research and Innovation Week. As we head into the final quarter of the year, please check the events list below to ensure you don’t miss further celebrations, including registering for UQ Thanks You events across both Herston and Dutton Park campuses.
Best wishes, Monika 

Did you know?
October features both Safe Work Month and Cyber Security Awareness Month events at UQ.

SPH/Poche/CHSR HDR Retreat 
14-15 October
The Atrium, Brisbane City
Register here

Next CHSR Seminar
Wednesday 16 October
12.30pm
Join the meeting here

AFN Frailty Nexus Learning Link-Up
Wednesday 16 October
1.30pm
Feat Professors Ruth Hubbard, Leon Flicker & Mark Hughes
Register here

Next CHSR Shared Lunch at PAH
Thursday 17 October
12pm
Ground Floor Kitchen, Building 33
Bring a plate!

Next AFN Geriatric Seminar Series
Friday 18 October
12-1pm
Russell Strong Auditorium PAH or online
Low Energy Trauma, co-hosted with Queensland Orthopaedic Physiotherapy Network conference
Professor Jugdeep Dhesi, Dr Davd Lockwood, Dr Aisling Fleury
Register here

Next CHSR Shared Lunch at Herston
Thursday 24 October
12pm
Level 5 Kitchen, UQ Health Sciences Building
Bring a plate!

3^rd Annual CHSR EMCA Writing Retreat
28-29 October
UQ Moreton Bay Research Station, Dunwich, North Stradbroke Island
Numbers limited, respond to EOI here
Accommodation, catering & transport provided by CHSR!

UQ Thanks You Herston
Friday 1 November
2-5pm
Green Space, corner of Herston Road and Ring Road, UQ Herston
Register here

Successes and Failures of Telehealth Conference
13-15 November
Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre
Full program announced + registrations open

Final 2024 All CHSR Forum + End-of-Year Social Event
Tuesday 19 November
11am-3pm
Mary Emelia Mayne Room, Herston
Fully catered!

Faculty of Medicine HDR Symposium
Thursday 21 November
All day
Prentice Leaning Theatre, St Lucia (42-216)
Click here to download a calendar event to save the date

UQ Thanks You Dutton Park
Thursday 21 November
2-5pm
Level 4, Terrace and Interactive Space, PACE, UQ Dutton
Register here

Health Services Research Conference
4-6 December
Royal International Convention Centre
Early bird registrations close 9 Oct

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
Queensland Health Clinical Research Fellowships (Round 6) - close 21 October
MRFF Research Data Infrastructure – close 28 October
ARC Future Fellowships – close 31 October
ARC Early & Mid-Career Industry Fellowships – close 12 November
NHMRC Partnerships (PCR3) - close 27 November
NHMRC Centres of Research Excellence 2025 – forecast opportunity est close 4 December
MRFF International Clinical Trials (R2) – close 4 December
MRFF Frontier Health and Medical Research – EOIs close 31 March 2025

Award opportunities
Faculty of Medicine Excellence Awards - close 17 October

Training opportunities
UQ Library online and in-person training available here
QCIF online biostatistics and bioinformatics training available here

View archived announcements from CHSR

Medical School community achievements

Medical students immersed across nine rural communities

Thanks to the Mayne Academy of Rural and Remote Medicine, more than 120 Year 1 medical students recently participated in a four day “immersion” tour where they experienced the charms and challenges of rural and remote living. During the tour, which took place between 10-14 August, students visited local medical facilities, engaged in discussions with healthcare teams, and participated in a medical talking circle. They also had the chance to explore local attractions and connect with the community through homestay experiences. Read more here.

People and culture

Staff appointments

We are pleased to introduce new staff within the Medical School. Please join us in extending a warm welcome to:

Greater Brisbane Clinical School
Megan Harris, Student Co-ordinator, General Practice Clinical Unit

Rural Clinical School
Cherie Baars, Lecturer, Bundaberg Regional Clinical Unit

Academy of Medical Education
Mike Tweed, Medical Education (Assessment Lead)
Angela Brandenburg, Senior Lecturer in Medical Education, Student Selection
Dennison Lindberg, Manager, Student and Academic Administration
Lisa Kalf, Learning Design Support Officer, Medical School eLearning

Student Wellbeing and Success

The Student Wellbeing and Success webpage has been updated to include a new link to assist students experiencing discrimination, bullying and harassment behaviours. The new page brings University resources on bullying together on one easy to navigate page.  Please continue to also direct your students to the medical student support team med.mss@uq.edu.au for advice and support.

Research  

Applications Open - Medical School Publication Awards

This award recognises research impact excellence through publications in the Medical School and provides a career development opportunity for emerging clinical research leaders. Three (3) prizes of $3,000 each will be awarded.
Please email medschool.research@uq.edu.au for the application form. Completed applications must be returned by 9am, 16 September.

Save the date - Medical School Annual Research Showcase

Monday, 11 November 2024 at the TRI Auditorium. Guest speakers to be announced.

Ethics and Governance training

Research Ethics and Integrity Training sessions are available for UQ Staff and HDR candidates. Please see the schedule below:

• Drop-in session for questions on human ethics applications:
  Tuesday 5 November at 10-11am
  Register for the drop-in session for questions on ethics applications.
• Conducting Ethical Research with Humans at UQ:
  Thursday 7 November at 11am-1pm
  Staff can register for these sessions in Workday.
• Ethical research & teaching with animals at UQ:
  Wednesday 6 November at 1-2pm
  Register in Workday for any of these sessions.
• Research ethics: Human (HDR Students):
  Tuesday 19 November at 10-11.30am
  HDR candidates can attend any of the Human Ethics training sessions organized by the Graduate School.
• Research ethics: Animal (HDR students):
  Wednesday 20 November at 12-1pm
  Register for these sessions on the Graduate School website.
  Please direct enquiries to: training.rei@research.uq.edu.au. 

My Research

Following a pilot in EAIT, Science, HASS and SMI, MyResearch is now available for Research Consultancy (Type 1 and Type 2) to all units across the University.  This incremental release will further enable the MyResearch team to stress-test the system and identify system/workflow glitches prior to a continued release of the system across other research agreement streams.
MyResearch can be accessed on the following link: https://my-research.research.uq.edu.au/ using your UQ login details. Click on the Apply Now button next to the “Research Grants, Contract Research and Consultancy” label. For support, please contact the MyResearch help desk via email.

Nurturing the partnerships of a Cooperative Research Centre (CRC)

Navigating and nurturing the partnerships of a Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) can be the determining factor of its success. On 25 September, UQ researchers and staff are invited to join a one-hour workshop to gain an overview on how to engage with CRC partners more effectively and manage communications in a continually changing environment. Presented by Dr John Whittington, CEO of Blue Economy CRC, this is the final CRC workshop for 2024, designed to give researchers the tools required to develop, engage, and champion a CRC bid from conception to award and beyond. This workshop will be followed by a networking lunch, Register here.

New UQ Nobel Lecture series

Join Nobel Award-winning scientist and UQ Alum, Laureate Professor Peter Doherty, for a lecture that honours his major contributions to infection and immunology. Be inspired as you hear Laureate Professor Doherty reflect on how his Nobel Prize-winning discovery changed our understanding of the immune system and the trajectory of his career, leading to tireless efforts to improve health in developing nations through vaccination, and to promote scientific literacy and engagement through books and trusted commentary, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. The lecture will be on Monday 30 September from 5:30-7pm at Customs House. Cost is $50 which includes drink and refreshments. Register: https://bit.ly/3SSRjJ1

Register for Research and Innovation Week events

Event registrations are now open for Research and Innovation Week 2024. Join us from Monday 30 September to Friday 4 October as we celebrate and raise awareness of the remarkable research at UQ. Highlights include the UQ Research and Innovation Awards for Excellence, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Research and Innovation Forum and the UQ 3MT Final 2024. The program also includes The Peter Doherty Nobel Lecture Series - In-Person event on 30 September from 5:30pm–7pmExplore the full program and register to secure your spot today.

Final research sites are now live

The final two Research websites, completing a suite of updated web pages for the Research portfolio, have now gone live.
Research - an externally facing site that brings together the information research-focused stakeholders are seeking from UQ. This site has been designed to showcase capabilities. 
UQ Experts - uplifts the researchers.uq.edu.au site to improve navigation, styling, and usability of the site. A Guide to updating your UQ Experts profile and a short video has been developed to help Academics and Researchers develop a strong and engaging profile that is well optimised for web searches.

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 Year 3 course design process continues to progress well, with thanks to the valued contribution from clinical disciplines and clinical schools to ensure that the course design is feasible. The development of learning materials, assessment artefacts and course documentation are well underway, and the course profile is expected to be completed by the end of October, to allow sufficient time for further implementation planning. The Year 4 course design also continues to make good progress towards a draft course description and assessment outline by the end of the year.

The Years 1 and 2 courses are continuing to be well received by staff and students alike. Planning is underway for the extended implementation in Central Queensland and Wide Bay in 2025 where the Year 1 course will be delivered for the first time, in partnership with Central Queensland University. This will be the first year in which all four years of the MD will be offered in those regions, which represents a major milestone in the Regional Medical Pathway implementation and a major achievement for the Rural Clinical School. The Year 2 course will also run in Toowoomba in 2025 in partnership with the University of Southern Queensland. The recent Year 1 rural immersion offered regional pathway students a wonderful opportunity to visit their future Learning Communities and to experience rural life and medical practice firsthand, and by all accounts this was a very successful endeavour.

Engagement

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. Click here for the August edition.

The University of Queensland presents, Ventures ilab Accelerator Pitch Night!

Join UQVentures on Thursday 12 September from 5:30pm at The Tivoli and hear the teams pitch their cutting-edge innovations – from artificial intelligence and social media to period care and delicious snacks. Over the past few months, the founders have been hard at work tackling important global challenges to create positive impact in the intensive Ventures ilab Accelerator program.

New email security protocol

UQ is implementing a new email security protocol called DMARC (Domain Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance), designed to protect you against imposter emails and ensure your messages are delivered without interruptions. If you send email from a third-party service, using a '@uq.edu.au' suffixed email address, please submit an application to have DMARC applied to your system immediately.. (http://my.uq.edu.au/DMARC)   

Keeping your bike and scooter safe on campus

Do you or someone you know ride to campus? There are simple steps that cyclists and scooter riders can take to help protect their property and reduce the risk of theft on campus.

Always ensure you use a high-quality lock when securing your bike or scooter, and park in well-lit areas. PF Assist provide staff and students with secure and enclosed designated bicycle parking facilities across our campuses, including:

• bike boxes
• bicycle racks
• bicycle storage rooms

These facilities are free to use and some also include the convenience of showers and change rooms.

Find out more at Bicycle parking and facilities at UQ.

UQ-Ochsner Healthcare Summit

You are invited to the 2024 UQ-Ochsner Healthcare Summit, jointly hosted by The University of Queensland Medical School and Ochsner Health. This summit will explore how innovation can enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of our healthcare systems. The Summit will be held on Friday, 27 September from 10am-1pm in the Oral Health Centre Learning Theatre (Room 4401).

Click here to register.

View archived announcements from the Medical School

September Highlight - Rural WONCA conference

This September, three RCS staff participated in the Ubuntu 2024 Rural WONCA conference in Cape Town, South Africa.

• Professor Bruce Chater – Chair of Rural WONCA and the WONCA Working Party on Rural Practice, was part of the organising committee and facilitated several sessions at the conference. Bruce’s commitment to improving rural medicine globally is to be commended.
• Head of Research Srinivas Kondalsamy Chennakesavan presented research on ‘Attracting and Retaining Doctors in Rural Areas: Developing a prediction model for long-term rural practice’.
• RCS Director Riitta Partanen presented on her PhD topic: Geographical Narcissism during medical education and training and its impact on rural medical practice intention, as well as facilitating a workshop finding solutions to geographical narcissism with international experts in the area, including Malin Fors who was the Norwegian psychologist who coined the term geographical narcissism. Riitta also presented on the Medical Pathways at a WHO Rural Workforce session on Guidelines into Action.

There were many lessons to take away from the Ubuntu 2024 but one worth reflecting on was the repeated message about bringing more healthcare to the community and the need to stop having hospital centric care. Building more hospitals is not the answer to improving health outcomes; investing in, and supporting comprehensive primary healthcare is the answer and we need to share the stories that demonstrate this with policy makers and politicians. Finally, the meaning of Ubuntu – ‘I am what I am because of who we all are’ is also a powerful message that we can all learn from.

Staff Updates

• Welcome to Dr Sarin Zillabathula who has taken on the Deputy Head YR1 with Rockhampton RCU
• Claire Cresswell, RCS Marketing is now on parental leave until October 2025.
• This month we say goodbye to Jordan Fox, Lecturer in Research, who will return to sport science research, accepting a Lecturer position at the University of South Australia. She will finish up on 1 November.

Recruitment
The following opportunities are lists on the UQ Careers page

• Academic Guidance Lead – Rockhampton Hospital
• Academic Guidance Lead – Bundaberg Hospital
• Head, Regional Training Hub and Intern Transition, CQ, CQRMP – Rockhampton Hospital
• Head, Regional Training Hub SQ and Intern Transition, DDSW MP – Toowoomba Hospital
• Lecturer in Research – University Centre - Toowoomba

September recap
Visit our Facebook page for more news from September

• Congratulations to the Toowoomba and Hervey Bay teams on successfully running MMI’s last week – job well done
• R U OK day was recognised across all sites with Hervey Bay providing gift bags filled with goodies and ice cream vouchers, Toowoomba welcoming Animal Instincts who brought dogs, cats and guinea pigs, Rockhampton hosted a sausage sizzle and Bundaberg provided cupcakes. All sites also set up games and activities for students to participate in at their leisure, opening the door for informal conversations.

Upcoming events for October
Add the Rural Clinical School Events (uqrcs.events@uq.edu.au) calendar to outlook to see more events  

• 15 October- TROHPIQ Annual General Meeting (All RCUs)

Finance
To assist with end of year processing, please ensure all equipment purchases are completed by 4 October, and all consumables are completed by 31 October.  This is also the last date for RCS Purchase Orders without special approval from the Budget Holder. All finance deadlines can be seen here.

Marketing
Social media update for September

Reach – 4.2K (22% decrease)
Content interactions – 1.2K (527% increase)
22 net followers (83.3% increase)
Most engaged post for September – Brayden helps with CQ Health Sports and Rec Expo
Media Report for September here.

View archived RCS announcements

Date Savers 
29/30 Oct               Honours Research Outcome Seminars, 9am-5pm, various locations 
31 Oct/1 Nov     SBMS Research Retreat, UQ Brisbane City 
22 Nov                      SBMS Awards Evening, Customs House 
2 Dec                          SBMS All Staff Meeting, 12-1:30pm, Zoom (details to come) 

Professional Staff Awards 
Don’t forget to nominate your favourite professional staff member or team for the following awards:  A-Team, Leadership, Service Excellence, and Change Warriors.  Professional staff likewise are asked to nominate an academic for Excellence in Collaboration and Support. Provide some commentary with your nomination.  

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.  

Library Training and Online Support for the 2025 ARC Future Fellowship, 2026 ARC Discovery Project and 2026 ARC DECRA Rounds 
Compile your metrics evidence for your ROPE section:  
We have developed an online guide: Publication metrics for the Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Project, Future Fellowship and DECRA grants. This guide will assist you in completing the Research Opportunity and Performance Evidence (ROPE) section of your ARC application/s. It also contains instructions and example statements around identifying your top 10 career-best publications.   

Metrics training sessions 
We will be offering two training sessions that will cover publication metrics databases that may be relevant for your ARC Discovery, Future Fellowship or DECRA grant. Note: These sessions may also be relevant to researchers applying for other ARC grants where there is a ROPE section – e.g., ARC Industry Fellowships. We recommend attending both sessions as they will cover different publication and metrics databases that you can use as evidence in your application.  

1. Publication metrics for your ARC grants – Future Fellowship, DECRA and Discovery Project – Tuesday 1 October, 10-11am (online via zoom) - this training session will help you find and analyse your publications in the Scopus and SciVal citation databases.  

2. Research Engagement and Impact evidence for your ARC Future Fellowship, DECRA and Discovery Project – Thursday 3 October, 11am-12pm (online via zoom) - this training session will help you to identify and track engagement and impact evidence using tools outside the citation databases such as Altmetric Explorer, PatCite (The Lens) and WorldCat. 

Recordings for both training sessions will be made available through the online guide following the sessions.  

 Metrics drop-in session 
We will be offering one in-person drop-in session where you can ask questions and get help with finding metrics and other evidence for your ROPE sections of your ARC grants. Note: No formal content will be presented at this session.  
Metrics drop-in session for your ARC grants (no formal content presented) – Tuesday 8 October, 11am-12pm (St Lucia campus) 

SBMS Awards Night 2024 
The SASS team have confirmed the details for this year’s SBMS Awards Night, which will be held at Customs House on Friday 22 November. See the attached flyer for details and a QR code to register. Registration will close on Monday 21 October. 

View archived announcements from SBMS

Head of School Update

Dear Colleagues

Welcome back to everyone who took the opportunity to take leave over the mid-semester break and the school holidays. I had a wonderful relaxing family holiday in Vietnam, where we had a great mix of relaxation, exploring, clothes tailored and incredible food. Sarah’s family had a great break in the Mount Barney region, climbing mountains and swimming in creeks. This is a good time to remind everyone of the benefits of planning breaks and taking leave, particularly in light of the recent confirmation of the University’s Christmas closure period. Please make sure you put in your annual leave before the end of October for the three days over this time (December 27, 30 and 31).

Greg Fowler, Senior Policy Advisor with the Queensland Government, has given us copies of the new Queensland Women and Girls’ Health Strategy 2032. Please stop into reception to grab a copy if you’d like a hard copy version.

Finally, congratulations are in order for the School team who put in a monster effort organising the recent CAPHIA Teaching & Learning Forum. Particular thanks to Bec Johnson and Lisa Hall who put in many hours, and to Sally Casey. It was wonderful to see so many presentations from people in the school. The Forum was an outstanding success, with many attendees rating it the best to date. Well done team!

All the best 
Sheleigh & Sarah 
 
Sheleigh Lawler                                                                Sarah Piper 
Acting Head of School                                                   SPH School Manager  

Dates for Diaries
22 October: Slow deep stretch class - Mayne Level 3 boardroom (315), 1pm - 2pm
29 October: RCD and emergency light testing (see below for more details)
1-31 October: Cyber Security Awareness Month
10 October: World Mental Health Day. The overall objective of World Mental Health Day is to raise awareness of mental health issues around the world and to mobilize efforts in support of mental health. The Day provides an opportunity for all stakeholders working on mental health issues to talk about their work, and what more needs to be done to make mental health care a reality for people worldwide.
18 October: World Menopause Day. The purpose of the day is to raise awareness of the menopause and the support options available for improving health and wellbeing. We encourage professionals and women to participate in this global awareness raising campaign by printing and sharing these materials, organising events to engage their communities, and sharing World Menopause Day social media posts.

Congratulations 
In the better late than never section, in 2023, Chinonso Odebeatu did a 5 minute talk on Greenspace-Vitamin D and was presented with the Best e-Poster Award for the HEAL 2023 – collective Action for Health, Environment and Climate awards.

Marketing Update
As a result of the Marketing & Communication (M&C) review, creative services for faculties and institutes were centralised on 1 October 2024 and our graphic designer (Osa Kallstrand-Thor) will transition to the Marketing & Communication (M&C) creative studio at St Lucia. All new projects will need to be actioned by submitting a design request in Wrike. The request form acts as the brief, so please provide as much information as possible. To ensure your current projects are not compromised, all open projects will be assigned to the same designer (Osa).

Additionally, our Marketing Manager, Mila Miladinovic, is on extended leave until November. The Faculty team will be assisting in Mila’s absence, so please contact them through the generic inbox: med.marketing@uq.edu.au

HDR Update

HDR student Retreat
We are excited about the final program for the combined HDR student Retreat being held at the Atrium 14th-15^th October. Registrations are now closed, however if you would like further information, please contact Lisa McHugh (l.mchugh@uq.edu.au).

SPH Volleyball
We are recruiting participants for an SPH volleyball team. The next game will be on Saturday 12 October. No prior volleyball experience is required; everyone is welcome. If you are interested, please contact Frankie (f.berardi@uq.edu.au) for more information.

Kampus Kitchen
Did you know that there are free meals for students across all of UQ’s campuses? Plus free and low-cost groceries. This is an initiative of the UQ Student Union.

SPH End of Year Celebration
The SPH Working Group have started gathering ideas for the end of year celebration. If you’d still like to join this group, please let Sarah know – all welcome.

PeopleSense
PeopleSense is UQ's Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provider. The EAP allows UQ staff to access free confidential counselling and support on personal and work-related matters. You can book your appointment by calling 1300 307 912.

Tobacco Endgame CRE Webinar Series
The fabulous team at CRE have another great webinar coming up.  

10 October: 11am – Dr Ara Cho (UQ SPH) presents Tapping into data: Exploring available secondary datasets related to tobacco for public health research.

All information, Zoom links and webinar details are available on the CREATE website.

SPH Space update
Thanks to those of you who sent through feedback about the concept design plan for the Public Health building. Work is continuing to consider and incorporate feedback and to finalise a masterplan for the building, which will be submitted to the Capital Management Group for consideration later this year.

New UQ Research websites
UQ has recently updated its externally facing websites around research and expertise:

• Research (research.uq.edu.au) – an externally facing site that brings together the information research-focused stakeholders are seeking from UQ. This site has been designed to showcase capabilities.
• UQ Experts (about.uq.edu.au/experts) – uplifts the researchers.uq.edu.au site to improve navigation, styling, and usability of the site. We have enhanced the help text in the Academic Portal to assist with completing the profile. A Guide to updating your UQ Experts profile and a short video has been developed to help Academics and Researchers develop a strong and engaging profile that is well optimised for web searches. The name change to ‘expert’ is intended to reflect a more inclusive focus on our academic staff’s expertise across research, teaching, and engagement activities

Academics and Researchers have been asked to update their profiles using the new tools, and specifically to review their supervision availability status.

New School Org Unit Intranet (OUI)
After consultation through a recent communications focus group, and consideration of a School-wide Teams team, the School will soon be creating an all new SharePoint Org Unit Intranet (OUI) site. This will be a one-stop location for all our School internal communications and information such as staff directories, committee information and minutes, and SOPs. The creation of the OUI will be a significant project that will take several months to deliver. If you’d like to be part of the project group to have input on the OUI, please let Sarah know. Please note that Teams will continue to be utilised for work on School projects.

SPH Review update
The School’s leadership team, including senior academic staff and the Executive Committee, are now working with Sue to review our School’s governance and organisational structures. Proposed new structures will be presented at our Strategic retreat for consideration by the School community.

As we look towards our Strategic retreat in November, please can we remind invitees to RSVP to the two calendar invites (one for Thursday, November 21 and the other for Friday, November 22). The space capacity for the retreat is limited and we are keen to fill any spare spots with other members of staff. Thank you.

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. She will need:

• An introductory paragraph to be posted that summarises the content
• Any link or document to go with the post
• Any person or organisation who needs to be tagged in the post (eg: coauthors, people in photos, partner organisations).

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. 

RCD and Emergency Light Testing
Testing will be undertaken in the Public Health Building by UGL on 29 October 2024, between 6:00am and 8:00am. There will be power shutdowns and this testing is a requirement under the Electrical Safety Act 2002.

Test 1: RCD Testing

There will be a loss of power supply to power outlets (RCD testing) from 6am to 8am, unless there are any failures. This work will result in the loss of power to power points, other equipment (including computer servers), and lighting. Please make sure to turn off computers and other electrical devices during the power outage. The loss of power is estimated to last from 10 to 20 minutes. In the event that non-conforming devices are found, the power outage time may be extended due to the time required to replace the defective device.

Test 2: Emergency Lighting Testing

There will be a loss of power supply to lighting circuits between 6.00am and 8.00am. During the Exit and Emergency lighting tests, disruptions will be kept to a minimum. However, due to the building design in some cases, only emergency lighting will be available during the test (which typically lasts 90 minutes).

Test 3: Thermoscanning

This is a non-invasive test and there will be no power shutdown.

Online Courses for HDR Students

Regardless of where HDR students are in their candidature, there are numerous free online courses available to provide support. These courses offer a variety of resources to help students enhance their UQ profile, showcase their research, and strategise for their future careers. Some of the available courses:

How to Write a Thesis - If you have a student who has just started their program, looking for some guidance on how to tackle their thesis planning.

Web of Science Academy - If your student is already publishing, this course can help develop their peer review skills.

Employability Guides for HDRs - These guides cover a range of topics to assist HDRs plan for future careers.

All the info  

• 2024 Academic Calendar - Academic Calendar
• 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 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 Director’s desk                     
Jason is on holidays for a few weeks with Prof Sunil Lakhani acting as Director. Please ensure you send all Director requests to uqccrexec@uq.edu.au for Lisa to triage.  The staff retreat will be on Monday and Tuesday 11-12 November. If you have received an invitation and not yet responded, please do so as soon as possible so we can finalise numbers and accommodation booking.  The HDR retreat will be on Wednesday 13 November. We look forward to seeing as many of our HDRs there as possible. Congratulations to Julie Wixey (Best Clinical Research Award) and Jessica Schultz for their success in the recent Herston Health Precinct Symposium.  Congratulations also to the UQCCR team for their win at the Frazer Institute trivia competition as part of Wear It Purple Day.  You may be aware that Dr Sara Gollschewski has accepted a new position and will finish in UQCCR in early October. We are all very sorry to see Sara go but also excited about her new role. We will send out details of a farewell for Sara soon.   

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.

UQCCR Seminar Series – International speaker – Wednesday 2 October 2024, 12pm
Join us for an insightful session with Dr. Karen Hamre, presenting " The Carter Center’s work in Hispaniola: progress towards malaria and lymphatic filariasis elimination." Don't miss this opportunity to learn about important advancements in public health!
Check out other seminars across the School/Institutes/Centres, see here.

Publication of the Month August Winners
Michele Cree – ECR Category 
Title: The impact of extracorporeal support on antimicrobial pharmacokinetics in critically ill neonatal and paediatric patients: A systematic review 
Journal: International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents 

Andreas Obermair – General Category 
Title: The impact of surgical complications on obstetricians and gynaecologists well-being and coping mechanisms as second victims
Journal: American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology 

If you've recently published as a first or last author in a Q1 journal in September, don't miss the chance to submit your work for Publication of the Month. Apply now: 

Applications close 7^th of each month.

The 7^th Southern Cross Australasian Travel and Tropical Medicine Conference
This is coming up on the 27 – 29 September.  This conference will build on a strong platform of professional development for health practitioners working in the fields of travel medicine and tropical medicine. The conference will be held at the Sofitel Brisbane Central. Registration and more details here.  
 
Faculty’s Research and Statistical Support Services (RASSS) 
Need help with study design, data analysis, manuscript, grant application or PhD supervision? To discuss bespoke statistical support at UQCCR, please complete a request form. See more information under the Research Support banner. 
 
UQ clinical trials procedure 
If you are establishing a clinical trial, please check the UQ Ethics page to ensure that you are familiar with UQ requirements, such as submitting additional notifications, obtaining any additional insurance for international sites, completing the UQ template Risk Assessment and Management Plan (RAMP) and ensuring your GCP training is current. Sabine is happy to assist with any enquires. Alternatively, please visit the Research Support team in Room 735 for any questions. 
  
Budgets 
Many research contracts submitted for signature are not using the UQ costing and pricing tool and do not factor in overheads or provide a relevant independent exemption reference, such as the funding body’s rules on their website. Failure to confirm these aspects early can mean delays in getting your contract signed or GRL issued. If you have any questions about the CPT or overheads, please contact Roheen. 
  
COIs 
FACs and research contracts require confirmation that your online COI disclosures, if applicable, have been approved by UQ, before a GRL can be issued or a research contract signed. Online approval happens via Workday in consultation with your line manager. As the COI process can take a few weeks, please ensure that you attend to your annual COI and updates, and factor in the timing required to avoid delays. 
  
Research infrastructure 
If there is a piece of equipment or infrastructure that may benefit several research groups within UQCCR please let us know by filling in this form ( UQCCR Equipment & Infrastructure Request Form March2024.docx) and submitting it to the CCR Facilities Desk (FacilitiesDesk@uqccr.uq.edu.au). Information provided will be discussed within the Infrastructure Committee and can be used for developing external grant and/or philanthropic opportunities, or be used for developing access through the Faculty capital replacement scheme or via access at alternative locations. Please also discuss any infrastructure/equipment issues with the Facilities Team. 

Research funding support 
Visit the Faculty website for current research funding opportunities. Please contact Roheen Gill well ahead of any deadline if you are planning to apply for upcoming opportunities and Sara Gollschewski to discuss strategic funding alignment. You can find a summary of funding support and assistance available to researchers for administration, reporting and closing out of existing funding in this document under 'Research Resources'. 

View archived announcements from UQCCR

 View archived announcements from The Frazer Institute