Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences MeDeFacts www.meddent.uwa.edu.au Volume 22 | Number 2 | June 2016 Are you listening? Giving mental health patients a voice A novel tool for eliciting information from mental health patients about side effects of psychotropic medications has proven so successful that it is to be made into an app. The My Medicines and Me Questionnaire (M3Q) has also been taken up by various clinics, is the basis of a research project by Monash The Faculty’s prize winners of 2015 celebrate after the May prize ceremony, together with (back row) University and Alfred Health in Victoria, a donor, Mr Ray Tauss and his guest, Professor Jennifer Searcy. For the list of winners, see page 13. and is being used in Turkey, having been translated into Turkish. The tool was developed by Assistant Game changer for Professor Deena Ashoorian of Pharmacy Practice in the School social work of Medicine and Pharmacology as part of her recently completed PhD “If you meet the criteria –a The number of international students under the supervision of Director Bachelor’s degree and having a has also risen and the future of Social of Pharmacy, Professor Rhonda good reason to join us - we’d love Work is now secure. Clifford, Dr Rowan Davidson, former to have you.” State Chief Psychiatrist, and Adjunct “Over that year, we have been able to Professor Danny Rock, of the School of Applying principles used in good make the largest increase ever in Social Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences. business, the new Head of Social Work Work,” Associate Professor Esmond The next phase of research will be and Social Policy has powered the said. The discipline is based in the trialling in Perth pharmacies under the discipline from increasing slowly to School of Population Health, which has direction of the Centre for Optimisation racing ahead. been very supportive. of Medicines. When Associate Professor Judy Early on, the new Head set to and Assistant Professor Ashoorian said Esmond took on the role just over made some immediate changes, medications were often first line a year ago, student numbers for the including taking over responsibility for therapy for mental health patients, Master of Social Work were low and its admissions and broadening the focus. including those with depression, severe future was not assured. “The thing I focused on was that we anxiety, schizophrenia and bipolar were willing to look at students who disorder. This year, overall intake almost had done any Bachelor’s degree, not doubled, rising to 110 students and traditionally just social sciences or rivalling that of the WA institution that psychology,” she said. Continued on page 7 has traditionally had the biggest intake. Continued on page 10 IN THIS ISSUE Excellence in teaching awards P2 | Editorial P3 | Raine continuing PP4-5 | Alumni now P9 Punching above their weight Individuals who go the extra mile to impart knowledge or contribute to student learning in other ways have been recognised in the Postgraduate Coursework Teaching nominees (from left), Professor Rhonda Clifford, Faculty’s 2016 Excellence in Professor Lee Yong Lim, Professor Barbara Singer and Dr Matthew Linden with Faculty Teaching Awards. Dean Professor Wendy Erber and winner Dr Ian Li. The awards are a way of “recognising and rewarding outstanding teaching, research supervision, programs and Individual Teaching Award Small Group Teaching (Non-UWA Staff) service delivery and support within the (Non-UWA Staff) Winner: Dr Lindsay Flaherty, clinical tutor Faculty”. Winner: Ms Amanda Bryce, sessional (General Practice), SPARHC lecturer (Pharmacy), School of Medicine and Nominees: Dr Lindsay Flaherty * Nominations are made by Faculty staff Pharmacology (SMP) Dr Siddhartha Baxi, clinical tutor and students enrolled in units taught Commendation: Dr Katrina Calvert, clinical (Oncology), RCS (Bunbury) * Dr Monique within the Faculty. tutor, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, School Gliozzi, clinical senior lecturer (Psychiatry), of Women’s and Infants’ Health School of Psychiatry and Clinical The awards were presented at a Nominees: Ms Amanda Bryce * Dr Katrina Neurosciences * Dr Michael Levitt, clinical ceremony on May 27. Calvert * Mrs Elizabeth Byrnes, unit tutor (Surgery), School of Surgery. * coordinator (Clinical Biochemistry), PaLM 2016 EXCELLENCE IN * Dr Sarah McEwan, clinical tutor, Rural Postgraduate Coursework Teaching Clinical School (RCS) (Port Hedland) * Winner: Dr Ian Li, SPH TEACHING AWARDS Nominees: Dr Ian Li * Professor Rhonda Small Group Teaching (UWA Staff) Clifford, Pharmacy and Anaesthesiology Individual Teaching Award (UWA Staff) Winner: Associate Professor Robert Unit, SMP * Professor Lee Yong Lim, Winner: Winthrop Professor Paul Abbott, Whitehead, RCS (Port Hedland), School of Pharmacy and Anaesthesiology Unit, SMP Primary, Aboriginal and Rural Health Care * Dr Matthew Linden, PaLM * Professor School of Dentistry (SPARHC) Barbara Singer, Centre for Musculoskeletal Nominees: Winthrop Professor Paul Commendation: Assistant Professor Karen Studies, School of Surgery * Abbott * Dr Laura Dalton-Ecker, School Upton-Davis, Social Work and Social Policy, of Dentistry * Associate Professor School of Population Health (SPH) Research Supervision Winner: Professor Jiake Xu, PaLM * Charlene Kahler, School of Pathology and Nominees: Associate Professor Robert Whitehead * Assistant Professor Karen Nominees: Professor Jiake Xu * Associate Laboratory Medicine (PaLM) * Associate Upton-Davis * Mr Timo Ernst, PaLM * Professor Agnieszka Frydrych, School of Professor Thelma Koppi, PaLM * Mr Shakeel Dr Neli Slavova-Azmanova, Cancer and Dentistry * Mowlaboccus, PaLM * Associate Professor Palliative Care Research and Evaluation Unit Service Award for Outstanding Kimberley Roehrig, PaLM * (CaPCREU), School of Surgery * Contribution to Student Learning (Professional Staff) Winner: Ms Carleen Ellis, School of Surgery Nominees: Ms Carleen Ellis * Ms Sarah Guiton, IT Unit * Ms Sarah Power, PaLM * Ms Susan Pretl, Pharmacy and Anaesthesiology Unit, SMP * Ms Vanessa Tysoe, Education Centre * Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning Category (Academic Staff) Winner: Associate Professor Denese Playford, SPARHC Commendation: Dr Ian Li, SPH Nominees: Associate Professor Denese Playford * Dr Ian Li * Associate Professor (from left) Small Group Teaching (Non-UWA Staff) winner, Dr Lindsay Flaherty, with nominees Zarrin Siddiqui, Education Centre * Dr Michael Levitt and Dr Monique Gliozzi, and Faculty Dean Professor Wendy Erber. 2 | MeDeFacts | Volume 22 Number 2 | June 2016 The Dean’s Diary By Professor Wendy Erber, Dean. Vision for the Faculty The Faculty has a vision to be one of A major focus of our academics is to the top medical, dental and health be outstanding in health research science centres in education and and innovation. Funding for research medical research in the country. Our is increasingly competitive and 2016 Faculty Strategic Plan outlined academics nationwide are finding how we would begin to address the times challenging. We wait to learn gaps between where we are currently about the approach to be used in and what we aspire to achieve. delivering funds through the new Medical Research Future Fund. We Professor Wendy Erber, Dean. Attracting the top students to our have many scientists and clinicians educational programs is a priority. We who, by working together, are already As you can imagine, this is an extremely have developed “pathways” of study to being more innovative. We encourage stressful time for all in the Faculty. I am guide students through the university’s greater collaboration within the Faculty pleased to report that, despite these programs en route to becoming a and university, and beyond. Together difficulties, our students have not been health professional. We have increased we are more likely to make discoveries affected as our teaching and research the number of advanced offer places and translate outcomes to improve are proceeding unchanged. into medicine and dentistry. These are patient care than if working alone. now called “Direct Pathway” places Many of our academics are engaged Over the past six months I have met and will be offered to the highest with the WA Health Translation many Faculty staff and external achieving school leavers from diverse Network, a consortium of hospitals stakeholders. These meetings have backgrounds, guaranteeing a place and universities in WA. We are also given me an opportunity to learn a in the MD or DMD after satisfactory encouraging our highest calibre great deal about the complexities completion of an undergraduate students to embrace research from of the Faculty and its involvement degree. We are introducing a new early in their studies. in the health system, as well as to course in “Medical Sciences”. This make personal links. The range of three-year undergraduate major will Renewal discussions has been broad and I give students a broad introduction to Over recent months we have been continue to learn about opportunities, normal body structure and function, heavily involved in the UWA “Renewal desires and potential directions we mechanisms of disease and drugs, Project”. This major task for the entire could take. There is much work to health and society. We believe that this university is taking place over 2016 be done. However, we continue as a will be very popular and a launching and entails rationalising the UWA vibrant community of scholars and pad into health and biomedical structures, moving from eight to four students, contributing