Adelaidean 17 May 1999 Vol 8 No 7
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ADELAIDEANVol 8 No 7 N EWS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE MAY 17, 1999 Kate Cadman on the Integrated Adelaide graduate’s Profile: Riding the crest INSIDE 2 Bridging Program 5 “Flash Red Ford” in Africa 6 of a wave New study reveals chronic GP shortage A NEW STUDY by the South Australian to measure how fairly resources are “It’s clear more resources need to be education awards to the value of Centre for Rural and Remote Health distributed. dedicated to country areas of the $50,000. (SACRRH) has shown some country areas According to the index, Adelaide is State. It should be noted that health SACRRH, in its own right, is helping of South Australia are chronically lacking over-endowed with GPs, with the workers and services other than to improve clinical services for rural GPs—such as pharmacists, nurses in GPs, compared to the relatively well- Yorke Peninsula, Lower North, people. For example, the centre and allied health workers—are also served metropolitan area of Adelaide. Murray Lands and Northern areas facilitated the development of public needed to ensure a healthy community most poorly served. dental practices in Port Augusta and SACRRH, based at the University of and SACRRH is studying distribution Adelaide and the University of South The study, using data provided by the of these groups.” Whyalla and is a partner in a project Australia, has published the results of Australian Bureau of Statistics from to provide support and relief to the Professor Wilkinson stressed that the the study in its first Workforce the 1996 Census, found that 1860—or pharmacists working on the Eyre ABS data is limited in that it does not Discussion Paper, released this month. 85%—of South Australia’s 2188 GPs peninsula. work in Adelaide. include information such as type and The study shows that there are 582 duration of service provided, and this In the area of public health, SACRRH people for each GP in Adelaide. But in In contrast, only 73% of the population may vary in the city and the country. has established projects to study key all other parts of the State, many lives in Adelaide and residents of He said more accurate GP workforce aspects of mental health, rural injury, more people have to share each GP. Adelaide tend to be healthier than data was needed to make a firm nutrition and youth needs in Whyalla. people living in the country. Indeed, in the Murray Lands as many proposal for what the actual levels of In Aboriginal health, SACRRH has as 1468 people share each GP: more Professor David Wilkinson, the GP service should be in the city or sourced $500,000 to support capital than twice as many people per GP as Director of SACRRH, said 253 or 11% country. works at Pika Wiya Health Service. in Adelaide. of GPs would have to move to SACRRH, based in Whyalla, was SACRRH has established a wide The SACRRH study also attempts to establish a fairer distribution of GPs established last year with Federal across South Australia. network of contacts within the state assess how many GPs are needed in Government funds. It has already and nationally, and is now starting to each area. The centre uses the death “Areas outside Adelaide have greater made an impact in a number of areas publish reports and peer-reviewed rate in each area as an estimate of health needs than the capital and yet including vastly expanding rural articles. need, and from this calculation a they share fewer GPs than the placements for students of a range of “Robin Hood Index” has been created metropolitan area,” he said. medical courses and postgraduate —David Washington Chancellor’s portrait unveiled ‘ALEX’ model wins Eureka Prize THE UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE’S ecological skills to develop a Professor Hugh Possingham and Dr conservation plan for what is one of David Lindenmayer of ANU have won Australia’s most controversial forest the POL Eureka Prize for Environ- species.” mental Research for their application Organisers of the Eureka Prize of an ecological model to conserve one said the pair’s work was of Australia’s most controversial “outstanding both scientifically and threatened species—Leadbeater’s through its impact on global Possum. resource use”. Professor Possingham, the Dr Lindenmayer and Professor Professor of Environmental Science, Possingham are now considered and his colleague, Dr David world authorities on this largely Lindenmayer, from the ANU Centre American form of conservation for Resource Environmental analysis—Population Viability Studies, were chosen for their Analysis (PVA). They have been application of a computer model asked to write book chapters and developed by Professor Possingham present keynote addresses all over in 1990. the world on their use of PVA to solve conservation management The researchers developed problems. the model called ALEX (Analysis of the Likelihood of Extinction) to try Professor Possingham has just and save the Leadbeater’s returned from California where ALEX is being used by the ANOTHER FINE PORTRAIT by artist Robert Hannaford is to grace the walls of possum. The model predicts population growth and decline, California Fish and Wildlife Service Bonython Hall. The portrait of the Chancellor, Mr Bruce Webb, was unveiled last to help save the threatened kit fox week. based on variables such as infant mortality and the capacity of of the San Joaquin valley. The tiny It is the seventh portrait commissioned by the University from Mr Hannaford. available resources to sustain the desert fox is an icon for endangered population. species in the area. “We have always had one major The model has been embraced by objective and that was to deliver government agencies and Celebrating practical outcomes that can assist environmental organisations to THE UNIVERSITY in resolving environmental evaluate the prospects of a variety OF ADELAIDE problems,” Professor Possingham of species. It is more user friendly said. than similar programs, works 1874-1999 faster, models catastrophes such as years “We combined our mathematical fire, and can track several 125 modelling skills with field and populations at once. Approved For Print Post 565001/00046 For Print Post Approved PAGE 2 MAY 17, 1999 ADELAIDEAN COMMENTARY 1999 INTERNATIONAL POSTGRADUATES UP AND RUNNING It’s been an interesting start to the special needs of inter- by demands a two-way widespread interest from a number of academic year. In 1998 the media national postgrad- Kate Cadman relationship, which other interstate and international were predicting that the Asian uate students as they Coordinator involves complex institutions, several of whom are now economic crisis was going to cause make the transition Integrated Bridging Program cross-cultural trying to initiate similar programs. huge holes in the International to study in an Aust- ACUE learning. Following my presentations at the Programs of Australian universities. ralian institution. In University of Michigan and at the Here at the Integrated Bridging addition to running Last year the IBP International TESOL Conference in Program (IBP) we found ourselves weekly workshops on core academic was shortlisted for a prestigious New York, collaborative work in the scrambling for extra part-time staff to English skills, IBP lecturers regularly Australian Award for University development of English Language manage the surprise influx of consult with individual students and Teaching, in the category of “Support Programs for international students overseas students. Numbers collaborate with staff in the students’ for the Special Needs of International is now under discussion. faculties. Strongly committed to a Students”. Recently, Margaret continued to swell, lecturers were Continued research is vital to the student-centred model, the IBP Cargill, the initiator of the program crammed into already crowded ongoing development of the encourages students to direct their and winner of a 1997 Stephen Cole offices, and the Resource Room was Integrated Bridging Program. As own learning, using their individual the Elder Prize for University converted into a makeshift office for more international students choose research interests as the basis for all Teaching, was invited to present IBP- the last recruit. the University of Adelaide for language development. based research in the UK. She spoke It was a hive of activity. As the to staff at the Centre for English postgraduate research, it will become Intensive Phase of the program got In this context, English is not an Language Education at Nottingham increasingly important for the IBP to under way at the beginning of additional subject to fit in between University, and at project “SMILE” have a core of full-time staff to pursue February, there seemed to be a “real” classes, but the framework for (Strategies for the Management of research and professional permanent queue of students at the research. Independent Learning Environments) development, in addition to the labour-intensive tasks of lecturing, front desk, and arguing in the It is this emphasis on “integration” at the University of Hull. consulting with students and classrooms. Lunch breaks were filled which differentiates the IBP from As coordinator of the IBP, I was collaborating with other University with tales of new students who other pre-enrolment study skills seemed literally to have run from the delighted to accept an invitation last members. programs or courses. Students’ month from Professor John Swales, airport, rather than miss any of their research is integrated with ongoing The high levels of satisfaction pre-semester classes with the IBP. an internationally acclaimed expert English language development, in the field of genre theory and expressed by students and staff, We wondered what we’d done to enjoy within the particular environment of coupled with academic success, such popularity. Director of the English Language university postgraduate study, and in Institute of the University of suggest that it would be valuable if For those unfamiliar with the work of the broader context of Australian Michigan, Ann Arbor, to speak to his the benefits of the IBP were made the IBP, it is an innovative, language- culture.