Royalthe News AUTUMN/WINTER 2016

INNOVATION TO GET PEOPLE BACK ON THEIR FEET

Professor Terry O’Brien, Head of Medicine at Departments of Medicine and at The Royal and UoM, holds the tiny stentrode. Once again, The Royal The new device is the size of a small paperclip “To be able to create a device and will be implanted in the first in-human that can record brainwave Melbourne Hospital is part of trial at The Royal Melbourne in 2017. a medical breakthrough that activity over long periods of The results of the recent study show that the time, without damaging the changes people’s lives. device is capable of recording high-quality brain is an amazing development Medical researchers from The Royal signals emitted from the brain’s motor cortex, Melbourne Hospital, the University of without the need for open brain surgery. in modern medicine.” Melbourne (UoM) and The Florey Institute of Stroke and spinal cord injuries are leading “It can also be potentially used in people with and Mental Health (The Florey) causes of disability, affecting 1 in 50 people. a range of diseases aside from spinal cord have created a new minimally invasive brain- There are 20,000 Australians with spinal cord injury, including epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease machine interface, giving people with spinal injuries, with the typical patient a 19-year and other neurological disorders.” cord injuries new hope to walk again with the old male, and about 150,000 Australians left power of thought. severely disabled after stroke. Community support helps to further develop life-changing studies and clinical trials like the The brain machine interface consists of a Professor Terry O’Brien, Head of Medicine stentrode at The Royal Melbourne Hospital. stent-based electrode (stentrode), which is at Departments of Medicine and Neurology, implanted within a blood vessel next to the The Royal Melbourne Hospital and University brain. It records the type of brain activity that of Melbourne said the development of has been shown in pre-clinical trials to move the stentrode has been the “holy grail” for limbs through an exoskeleton or to control research in bionics. Professor O’Brien said; bionic limbs.

To support the Royal Melbourne Hospital Foundation visit thermh.org.au/support-us The Royal News 2 WELCOME TO THE CLASS OF 2016 A MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR Welcome! This issue of the Royal News is full of information about The Royal Melbourne The class of 2016 represent the future of innovative health care. and how our wonderful community of supporters are The first day in a new job is daunting for most “They all have an exciting, busy and on making a difference in people’s lives. people but for Melbourne Health’s 80 new occasions, a challenging year ahead of them Firstly, we celebrate the success of the medical interns, it is a life-changing moment. but it will also be life-defining. We are really excited about the new generation of medical marvelous community event that is The The interns, many of whom have studied up specialists whose enthusiasm and fresh Royal Walk and Fun Run. Held in early to eight years to get to this point, will rotate perspectives will drive clinical innovation, March, the Royal Walk was a fun day for five times over the next year through a broad great patient care and a great culture of all involved and raised much needed funds range of supervised hospital rotations and research and curiosity.” for various needs all across the hospital. external rural rotations. Welcome to the class of 2016 and thank you We recognise the difference our Melbourne Health’s Chief Executive, to the many people who support the robust wonderful supporters have made in Dr Gareth Goodier, warmly welcomed the learning and development culture here at projects big and small around the hospital. 2016 medical interns; We give an update about Mauricio, the The Royal Melbourne Hospital and across brave cyclist featured in our Emergency “It was fantastic to meet so many of our new Melbourne Health. and Trauma Appeal and report back on medical interns earlier this year.” how your donations helped us purchase much needed equipment for the . We also highlight recent accolades received by some of our talented medical and research staff. We are proud of the people who make The Royal Melbourne Hospital the world-class institution that it is. We are equally proud of the steadfast supporters, people like you, who help us achieve excellence in medicine and provide the best possible care to the Melbourne community. Thank you for your generous support. It is because of you that The Royal Melbourne Hospital continues to build on our strengths and realise our vision of being First in Care, Research and Learning. RMH IN ABC TV DOCUMENTARY I hope you enjoy your newsletter. A single day. 100 cameras. and Royal Park campuses, capturing our emergency and stroke teams at work; our The Australian health system. Neuro-intervention service performing Last year on Wednesday, 28 October, a lifesaving procedure on a 41 year-old The Royal Melbourne Hospital took mother of three and our rehabilitation part in a six-part landmark documentary prosthetics and facial prosthetics team series, Keeping Alive. It provides an changing the lives of two people. John De Rango interesting snapshot of what happens over The first episode of Keeping Australia Alive Director a single day in health care all over Australia. aired on ABC TV on Tuesday, 15 March Royal Melbourne Hospital Foundation The Royal Melbourne Hospital had four and is now available to view on ABC iView. television crews spread across the City Autumn / Winter 2016 3 HOPE FOR NEW LEUKAEMIA TREATMENT

Victor Blackwood (left) and Rodney Jacobs were participants in the Venetoclax trial. “I’m feeling better than I did of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) Seventy-nine per cent of those involved when conventional treatment options had in the trial had promising responses to the before I had cancer.” been exhausted. breakthrough therapy – including twenty per cent who went into complete remission. That’s not something you hear every The results from the trials conducted at day from a cancer patient. But for Royal The Royal Melbourne Hospital and the Peter A small number of patients had such a Melbourne Hospital patient Victor MacCallum Cancer Centre, in collaboration profound response that even very sensitive Blackwood, a world-first clinical trial with the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, as tests were unable to detect any remaining conducted by medical researchers has well as trial sites in the US, were published in leukaemia in their bodies. given him a new lease on life. the New England Journal of Medicine. Mr Blackwood was one of the 116 patients The Royal Melbourne Hospital clinical who took part in clinical trials for the potent haematologist Professor Andrew Roberts said new anti-cancer drug venetoclax. The trails most trial patients responded positively to the To read more about this ground- showed the drug was effective in killing therapy, showing substantial reductions in the breaking research, visit thermh.org.au cancer cells in people with advanced forms number of leukaemia cells in their body.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Car accidents are responsible for many of the patients we see in our Emergency and Trauma Department today. This was also the case 60 years ago. Pictured is a Resident Medical Officer on duty in the Casualty Department in 1956, administering pain relief to a patient injured in a car accident. The Royal News 4 COMMUNITY EVENT A ROYAL SUCCESS

The 2016 Royal Walk On a spectacular Autumn A big thank you to our volunteers morning, hundreds of people and all those who participated and Fun Run held on converged on Princes Park and made The Royal Walk and Sunday March 6 was in Carlton to walk or run, or Fun Run such a wonderful day. simply enjoy the day’s festivities a day full of fun in the Thank you also to our event including a free BBQ and some sponsors: sun, all in the name great music from the resident DJ. of raising funds for Major Partner: Smartsalary Craig (Huggy) Huggins from Corporate Partners: Optus, The Royal Melbourne GOLD 104.3 FM emceed Commonwealth Bank, First State the event and The Royal Hospital. Super, GPI Corporate, Dr. Dax Melbourne’s music therapy team Kitchen, Bank Vic With more than 700 participants kicked off the occasion with a Support Partners: EFM Health and almost 100 dogs, this whacky warm up. More than 100 Clubs, Carmen’s, Raw Love increasingly popular event raised volunteers were also on hand to Superfoods, LaManna Direct, more than $30,000 for patient make the day a roaring success. care at Melbourne’s first hospital. Ckaos, Zouki, Cobs Popcorn and Preshafruit.

CORPUS MEDICORUM WOWS IN JAPAN

The Corpus Medicorum orchestra at the Melbourne Recital Centre. Corpus Medicorum recently Concerto plus a Humperdinck Overture and After an amazing week in Japan, The Royal Dvorak’s 6th Symphony. The second concert Melbourne Hospital’s Corpus Medicorum is returned from a sell-out was held in the phenomenal NHK Radio Okasa looking forward to performing in its home concert series in Osaka, Japan. Hall. The orchestra played the Wieniawski town again and raising much needed funds Touring with the Lord Mayor of Melbourne Violin Concerto no.2 and was accompanied by for lung cancer research. our talented doctors and health professionals local violin superstar, Ms Reiko Otani. orchestra were special guests of the City on And for the first time on the world stage, The next performance will Osaka promoting our sister city relationships Corpus Medicorum performed their own celebrate the music of Tchaikovsky. in medicine, music and philanthropy. commissioned work ‘Sinfonia’ by When: Sunday, 10 April 2016, 5pm The first performance featured Andrew Stefan Cassomenos. The tour culminated in an emotional performance of Brahms’s Where: Melbourne Recital Centre Kawai, oboist extraordinaire from Melbourne, Tickets: Call (03) 9699 3333 playing the highly challenging Strauss Oboe First Symphony. Autumn / Winter 2016 5 HONOURING ANGELA TAYLOR IN OUR NEW ICU

Pictured from left: Michelle Spence, Nurse Unit Manager ICU; Neil Soullier, CEO Victoria Police Blue Ribbon Foundation; Di Gill, Executive Director VCCC at Melbourne Health and John De Rango, Director, Royal Melbourne Hospital Foundation.

The Royal Melbourne Hospital Thirty years ago, Constable Angela Rose ceremony the Victoria Police Blue Ribbon Taylor was tragically killed in the 1986 Russell Foundation dedicated ‘The Angela Taylor is honoured to continue Street bombing, which also seriously injured Memorial Staff Station’ in our new ICU in a memorial dedication to 21 others. She was crossing the road on a staff memory of Constable Taylor. This was made Constable Angela Taylor, by lunch run and was only a metre away from possible through funds raised at the Blue the bomb when it exploded. Sadly, she died at Ribbon Charity Ball held in November 2015. naming a room in her memory The Royal Melbourne Hospital a month later. Because of the wonderful support received in our new world-class Constable Taylor was the first policewoman from the community and from people like in Australia to die in the line of duty. Intensive Care Unit (ICU). you, the new ICU is taking shape and due On Thursday 24th March 2016, the Victoria to open soon. We are still raising funds Police Blue Ribbon Foundation held a for the final six beds and are very grateful 30th Anniversary Memorial Service and to everyone who has contributed to this Dedication of a Police Memorial in Honour world-class facility. It will help us to continue of Constable Angela Taylor. During the to provide the best of care for our most vulnerable patients.

The new ICU is taking shape, with a formal opening scheduled soon. Our generous supporters have helped fund components of this new facility, but we still need help with the final six beds. To donate to the ICU Redevelopment Appeal, visit thermh.org.au/support-us. Autumn / Winter 2016 6 THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO SUPPORT THE ROYAL MELBOURNE HOSPITAL HERE ARE JUST SOME OF THE WAYS TO GET INVOLVED Corpus Medicorum Public Lecture Series 2016 Sunday, 10 April 2016, 5 pm Thursday, 14 April 2016, 6–7pm Wednesday, 15 June 2016, 12–1pm

Where: Melbourne Recital Centre Where: The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Where: The Royal Melbourne Hospital, 31 Sturt Street Southbank VIC 3006 Charles La Trobe Lecture Theatre Charles La Trobe Lecture Theatre Cost: $50 ($40 concession) per person Speaker: Dr Bruce Campbell Speaker: Professor Jonathan Kalman Topic: Treating stroke, reducing disability Topic: Atrial Fibrillation This performance will celebrate the Cost: This is a FREE event Cost: This is a FREE event enduring music of Tchaikovsky: TCHAIKOVSKY - Symphony No.4 Doctor Bruce Campbell, winner of the Professor Kalman is a world renown TCHAIKOVSKY - Rococo Variations for 2015 RMH Research Medal and 2015 Cardiac Electrophysiologist and will Cello & Orchestra, Soloist Julian Smiles Victorian Public Health Care Award talk about treating this very common TCHAIKOVSKY - 1812 Overture will talk about treating stroke and his heart condition. To book please call (03) 9699 3333 ground-breaking EXTEND-IA study. thermh.org.au/events or visit To book your spot at any of our Public Lectures, please call (03) 9342 7111 or visit thermh.org.au/events

Celebrating Research Gala Saturday, 25 June 2016, 6.30pm

Where: The Glasshouse, Olympic Boulevard, Olympic Park Cost: $250 (incl GST) per person The Royal Melbourne Hospital’s premier event recognises extraordinary achievements in medical research. Each year we induct research legends into the RMH Research Hall of Fame and announce the winner of the prestigious RMH Research Medal. Major Sponsor: Healthscope. Book tickets online at: trybooking.com/KKCL

YOU’VE GOT TO BE IN IT TO WIN IT! The Royal Melbourne Hospital Home Lottery is here again, with even more amazing prizes on offer. Buy your ticket for a chance to win and to support cancer patients at purchase your tickets online at The Royal Melbourne Hospital. rmhHomeLottery.com.au or call 1300 780 312

Royal Melbourne Hospital Foundation Locked Bag 800 Carlton VIC 3053 phone: (03) 9342 7111 email: [email protected] web: thermh.org.au/support-us The Royal Melbourne Hospital @TheRMH This material cannot be reproduced without the written permission of the Royal Melbourne Hospital Foundation.