Welcome to the July 2024 newsletter. In this edition:
A message from our President
This NAIDOC Week (7-14 July), I invite you all to join me in celebrating and acknowledging the outstanding First Nations scientists we are fortunate to call Fellows. The Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences is dedicated to supporting First Nations peoples’ health and wellbeing. Our commitment includes increasing the representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across the health and medical sciences, as well as acknowledging and celebrating the significant contributions First Nations people have already made. You can learn more about our actions in this area on the AAHMS website.
Two of our Fellows, Professors Pat Dudgeon and Alex Brown, have contributed to a special edition of The Medical Journal of Australia, which focuses on centring Indigenous knowledges. MJA worked with a team of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander academics to create the issue, in collaboration with the Lowitja Institute. Many outstanding First Nations health and medical leaders have authored pieces for the edition, including the keynote speaker from our 2023 Annual Meeting, Professor James Ward.
This year’s NAIDOC Week theme is “Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud and Proud” and calls for an “amplification of voices”. With that in mind, I encourage you all to share and celebrate the work of First Nations people in your fields. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples were the nation’s first scientists, and bring valuable knowledge to the health and medical sciences. I look forward to learning alongside you.
Best,
Professor Louise Baur AM PresAHMS
Policy News
The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) announced a new advisory structure and committees on 5 July.
Academy President Professor Louise Baur welcomed the news, as the Academy had long called for better alignment of the NHMRC and MRFF.
“Australian health and medical researchers produce world-leading research, but to retain our competitiveness, we need more strategic harmonisation between funders,” Professor Baur said.
AAHMS specifically called for better alignment of the NHMRC and MRFF in its 2022 report, Research and innovation as core functions in transforming the health system: A vision for the future of health in Australia.
The report, developed using the distinguished collective expertise of the Academy’s Fellowship, included evidence collection involving more than 260 individuals across health, medicine, industry and consumers.
Read more of the Academy’s response on our website.
Congratulations
Several Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences Fellows have been recognised for their outstanding achievements with King’s Birthday Honours.
Fellow Professor Karen Canfell AC was appointed as a Companion of the Order of Australia. Professor Ross Coppel AO FAHMS, Professor John Furness AO FAA FAHMS and Professor Donald Nutbeam AO FAHMS were appointed as an Officer of the Order of Australia. Professor Anne Kavanagh OAM FASSA FAHMS was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia.
Read more on our website.
Fellows in the news
Professors Sophia Zoungas and Christina Mitchell were announced as International Presidents of the Year 2024 for the World Health Summit in October in Berlin.
Professor Emily Banks was recognised by Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care Minister Mark Butler in Parliament for her work and generation of evidence regarding a multi-year public health assessment of e-cigarettes.
Professor Danielle Mazza launched the 10th edition of the Redbook Preventive Care Guideline for general practice as chair of the working group of this RACGP’s key resource. The resource was also co-authored by AAHMS Fellow Paul Glasziou and provides Australia’s 35000 GPs with guidance on screening, case finding and preventive advice.
AAHMS Fellows have contributed to an open-access special edition of MJA, focused on centring Indigenous knowledges. Professors Alex Brown and Pat Dudgeon are among the authors.
Professor Susan Davis gave evidence before the Senate Inquiry on Perimenopause and Menopause on 18 June. Her comments were reported in the Guardian. Read AAHMS’ submission to the inquiry on our website.
Professor Davis also wrote about menopause for The Conversation, and was interviewed by the Guardian with Professor Martha Hickey.
Twelve months on from a world-first brain cancer treatment with a combination, neoadjuvant pre-surgery immunotherapy approach, Professor Georgina Long talks to InDaily about the next steps of testing the treatment. ABC listen also interviewed the joint 2024 Australians of the Year, Professor Georgina Long and Professor Richard Scolyer about their research.
Professor Scolyer was also on the podcast The Pick by ABC listen talking about good reads, podcasts and screen highlights, and writing his autobiography.
Professor Helen Marshall’s Sore Throat Study investigating Strep A bacteria in children was mentioned by WeAreSA.
Labonline.com.au shared an article about the CROWN trial testing medication on lung cancer patients with principal investigator Fellow Professor Ben Solomon.
Fellow Steve Wesselingh hosted the NHMRC’s Speaking of Science webinar for International Men’s Health Week discussing the health challenges faced by men and boys and their experiences from a health and medical research perspective. The full webinar can be listened to here.
Fellow Harriet Hiscock is co-author of a recent publication on “Potential bed-day savings and caregiver perspectives of transitioning hospital-level management of infants with bronchiolitis to the home”.
Labonline.com.au shared the news of Fellow Professor Georgina Long being elected as Fellow of the Academy of Science.
Fellow Professor Melissa Little was mentioned in an article by BioMelbourne Network about the Annual Scientific Meeting of the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Medicine (reNEW) in Melbourne showcasing MCRI’s leading stem cell medicine research.
Croakey Health Media reflected on the #CroakeyLIVE webinar on the independent national Scope of Practice Review, quoting Fellow Professor Stephen Duckett. The review aims to address the barriers to health practitioners working to their full scope of practice in primary care.
Professor Louise Baur was mentioned by yahoo!news in an article about the latest generation of obesity management medications.
Research by Fellow Professor Eric Morand was portrayed in an article by Monash University celebrating the PBS listing of anifrolumab (SAPHNELO®) for eligible patients with lupus disease.
The Medical Journal of Australia published an abstract of the study “Evaluation of the Cultural, Social and Emotional Wellbeing Program with Aboriginal women in the Boronia Pre‐Release Centre for Women”, co-authored by Fellow Professor Pat Dudgeon.
Professor Dudgeon was also mentioned in Professor Catherine Chamberlain’s reflection by Insight+ on the beginnings of The Lowitja Journal on First Nations health and wellbeing.
Professor Andrew Whitehouse co-authored an article published in The Conversation on policy changes in the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).