Issue 17 The Globe April 2014 Never Stand Still Medicine School of Public Health and Community Medicine Joyful graduation for six indigenous students Six Aboriginal women – including three Public Health at UNSW, among “This has been a completely sisters – graduated with postgraduate the inaugural intake into the highly awesome experience, especially to qualifications in public health from competitive Future Health Leaders be up there on stage with my two the School of Public Health and program. Her research will focus sisters. It was fantastic,” says Dea Community Medicine last year. on culturally appropriate research Delaney-Thiele. protocols, using a grassroots Sisters Dea Delaney-Thiele and perspective. Three years ago, Ms Delaney-Thiele Sheila Hure both graduated with returned to her community of Mount Masters of Public Health, while their The Muru Marri centre at SPHCM Druitt, after working in Canberra older sibling Joanne Delaney and provided extra support through for the peak body the National colleagues Aunty Elaine Lomas, mentoring and tutoring for the Aboriginal Community Controlled Jennifer King and Sethy Willie AMSWS cohort. Aboriginal academic Health Organisation for 10 years, received Graduate Certificates in and UNSW Professor of Public with eight of them as CEO. Public Health. Health, Lisa Jackson Pulver says: “Training Aboriginal people to take The women continued to work the lead in Indigenous health care full-time at the Aboriginal Medical is essential to capacity building and INSIDE THIS ISSUE Service Western Sydney (AMSWS) empowerment.” based in Mount Druitt, while UNSW Biostatistics Unit 2 they earned their qualifications. “Usually the policy makers SPHCM Social Media 2 The area is home to Australia’s in Aboriginal affairs are non- largest Aboriginal population. Indigenous, but UNSW is quietly Protecting Australia 3 growing qualified Indigenous leaders Interns in India 4 Most are the first in their families in collaboration with employers and Outstanding achievements 6 to gain a university degree. One health services,” says Professor of them, Dea Delaney-Thiele, has Jackson Pulver, who is a Director of Links with WHO 7 already started her Doctorate in Muru Marri. Dreaming up the future 8 Newsletter of School of Public Health and Community Medicine 1 UNSW Biostatistics Unit “There is a lot of focus on the health Associate Professor Andrew Hayen Dr Robin Turner of Indigenous people in rural and regional areas, but even in the city The School of Public Health Andrew Hayen and colleagues in there are major problems of access,” and Community Medicine has UNSW Medicine. says Ms Delaney-Thiele. “Often established a biostatistical unit people don’t want to go to hospital or to provide consulting services to “We established the unit because seek other health services because UNSW Medicine. The unit can of strong demand for high-level of worries about racism. That was the provide a broad range of advice and biostatistical consulting at the case with my mother – and plenty of consulting services. These include: University and the Faculty. We others that I know of.” also aim to improve the success • Sample size and power rate for NHMRC grant applications Sheila Hure says: “Thank you calculations; at UNSW by guiding researchers all so much for your wishes and • Development of statistical in the development of their grant encouragement, we sincerely analysis plans; applications”, says Andrew. appreciate it. We had the • Study design advice; wonderful support of the board and The unit’s first new appointment is management and Frank Vincent of • Biostatistical analysis, including Dr Robin Turner, who commenced at AMSWS, the staff at UNSW Muru assistance with statistical SPHCM in March 2014. Robin joins Marri - Professor Lisa Jackson Pulver computing packages; the unit with a strong background in and Sarah Gaskin, both becoming • Advice on preparation or clinical and public health research, our precious gems. As well we revision of journal publications. and methodological research. received unwavering support from Head of School, Professor Raina The unit was established following For more details, see: MacIntyre, and Associate Professor a major research and infrastructure sphcm.med.unsw.edu.au/ Glenda Lawrence.” initiative grant that was awarded to centres-units/unsw-biostatistics-unit SPHCM Social Media SPHCM has gone social with the launch of our Facebook page, Twitter feed and LinkedIn group. These sites are great places to find out the latest on what’s happening at SPHCM, to share resources and opinions, and make connections with other students, alumni and associates. You can find links on the SPHCM website and in Moodle Semester 1 courses. Please join us and share your thoughts on all things related to the study, research and practice of Dea Delaney-Thiele wins Muru Marri public health and community medicine. Prize 2 Protecting Australia – closing the gap in immunisation for migrants and refugees The proceedings of immunisation for migrants and “The immunisation gap in migrants refugees leaves Australia vulnerable and refugees is everyone’s Australia’s first national to ongoing outbreaks of vaccine- business, and we cannot afford preventable diseases despite our to pass the buck. The recent stakeholder workshop excellent National Immunisation outbreaks of measles in Sydney on immunisation Program. occurred despite high rates of measles vaccination as measured issues for migrants and Key recommendations arising from by our immunisation register. We refugees were launched the workshop include: cannot control infectious diseases in Australia without closing this gap. on 14 March, 2014. ■ That the implementation of the It is in our national interest to find a new National Immunisation way forward to address this gap in Strategy for Australia communicable disease control.” The workshop was held at UNSW comprehensively addresses the in August 2013 and was convened Professor Raina MacIntyre immunisation needs of migrants Director of the NHMRC Centre by the NHMRC Centre for Research and refugees; or Research Excellence Excellence in “Immunisation in under-studied and special risk That immunisation of populations”. ■ “I am pleased that the NHMRC recently arrived migrants CRE in Immunisation has been and refugees who have Stakeholders from government and able to convene all stakeholders missed out on immunisations non-government sectors, primary from around the country for the first be universally funded; care and public health with an time to discuss the issue of control interest in refugee and migrant of vaccine-preventable diseases That Australia needs a whole-of- health came together to review the ■ in migrants and refugees. It is life immunisation register; and evidence, identify gaps and propose important for groups such as this, potential solutions to the gap in who are independent of vested That improved identification immunisation coverage in recently ■ interests, to take on an advocacy of high-risk migrant and arrived migrants and refugees. role for identified gaps in public refugee groups in the health. The recommendations health system is needed. Due to disruption to health from this workshop are concrete, infrastructure and poor actionable ideas which is a valuable The report, titled “Protecting Australia immunisation coverage, migrants contribution to national disease – closing the gap in immunisation for and refugees arrive in Australia control efforts. I look forward migrants and refugees” is available susceptible to many of the vaccine- to seeing some or all of these at: www.creimmunisation.com.au/ preventable diseases included on recommendations considered and news/report-launch-protecting- Australia’s National Immunisation implemented nationally.” australia-%E2%80%93-closing-gap- Program. The lack of a systematic Professor Peter Smith, Dean immunisation-migrants-and-refugees mechanism for catch-up UNSW Medicine 3 Interns share their experiences in India Why did you decide to enroll in settlement, a leprosy colony and the internship program? a remote Scheduled Tribe village. We decided to enroll in the internship 2. During our internship, the program to acquire professional Department went to great experience, knowledge and skills lengths to ensure that we were to enhance our studies and future exposed to most aspects of the careers in public health. We both Indian healthcare system. This appreciate the value of experience included visiting primary health gained outside the classroom centres under the National Rural and believed that the internship Health Mission, secondary level presented an ideal opportunity centres including a rural mission to gain this experience. We are hospital, a government district also both considering careers in hospital and, lastly, tertiary global health and therefore we level centres including SRM are interested in the option of Hospital and Christian Medical Rachel Wilkins and Anna Bethmont working in a developing country. College Hospital in Vellore. We also had the opportunity to visit During the 2013 summer What has been the most the National Siddha Institute in rewarding thing about your Chennai, where a traditional form school, Rachel Wilkins and of Tamil medicine is practiced. internship so far? Anna Bethmont undertook an During each of these visits we internship placement at the We found two aspects of the were able to speak with staff internship particularly rewarding: Department of Community about the day-to-day functioning of the facilities and strengths and