PENINSULA ONLINE

Issue 8
Tuesday, 18 August 2009

Health students prove they're HOT stuff

A group of students from a range of health disciplines across Monash have taken out the inaugural HealthFusion National Team Challenge (HFTC) held at the University of Queensland Centre in Brisbane.

Monash University Holistic Outreach Team (HOT) beat teams of health students from Griffith University, Curtin University, The University of Queensland and Queensland University of Technology to take out both the judge's and audience prizes.

The team, with students from emergency health, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, nursing, health science, pharmacy and medicine, was coordinated by Monash University Department of Rural and Indigenous Health (MUDRIH).

The aim of the competition was to develop a management plan for a ‘patient' presenting with a complex health issue, with each team member providing a five minute presentation relevant to the patient's needs and then answering a judge's question about their recommendations.

According to Associate Professor Janice Chesters from MUDRIH, the students' win demonstrates the value of combining the learning experiences of the various health care disciplines at Monash.

"Competing in events like the HFTC provides an excellent interprofessional learning opportunity," she said.

"The variety of health disciplines coming together, the opportunity to work as a team, the research needed to deal with the patient's/client's complex conditions, the focus on a patient centered holistic approach and the element of competition and the feedback provided all contribute to an excellent learning environment."

In addition to the "truly wonderful team", the win could not have been achieved without the valuable input given by staff about developing a patient centered approach as well as the support of the Peninsula campus and faculty and course leaders.

Congratulation to the HOT team members: Tegwyn Bath (Emergency Health); Claire Heath (Occupational Therapy); Christa Jakob (Health Science); Benjamin Shipperd (Physiotherapy); David Slater (Nursing); Ainsley Treadwell (Pharmacy); and Aaron Wiggins (Medicine).

"We believe that the HOT team have demonstrated that the various health disciplines at Monash can come together to learn and deliver better health care outcomes," Janice added.

More information about the HealthFusion Team Challenge.

Healthy Active Communities

The research diversity of Monash Peninsula staff has been highlighted in an inaugural research publication Healthy Active Communities: Research stories from Monash Peninsula campus.

The aim of the publication is to raise awareness about the depth and breadth of research activities that are being undertaken at Peninsula around the campus's theme of ‘Healthy Active Communities'.

Pro Vice-Chancellor and Campus Director Professor Phil Steele explains that there is an extraordinary amount of local, national and international outcomes driven by research undertaken at Peninsula.
The Peninsula campus is the home of many dynamic, world class researchers recognised widely in their fields of expertise," he said.

"This publication provides just a snapshot of how campus researchers are not only strengthening the contribution we make to the community, but developing research of national and international significance."

Healthy Active Communities will be launched this Friday in the Seahorse Tavern at 4 pm and all staff are invited to attend. If you can not attend but would like a copy, please contact Julie Baxter.

OT PhD student recognised at international conference

Mr Chi-Wen (Will) Chien, a PhD candidate in the Department of Occupational Therapy at Peninsula, was recently awarded the ‘Outstanding Paper Awards for graduate students' while presenting his research work in the Pacific Rim Objective Measurement Symposium (PROMS) in Hong Kong .

Will, who is the Department of Occupational Therapy's first full-time PhD student, was also awarded the Endeavour International Postgraduate Research Scholarship and Monash Research Scholarship.

Will completed a Bachelor of Science in occupational therapy from the National Taiwan University in 2003 and his Masters in Education at James Cook University in 2006 before coming to Monash in 2007. Will's doctoral supervisors at Monash University are Dr Ted Brown and Dr Rachael McDonald who are both senior lecturers in the Department of Occupational Therapy.

During July 2009, Will attended the PROMS conference in Hong Kong, which focuses on recent advances of objective measurement in education, psychology, linguistics, and healthcare fields. It aims to provide an international forum for discourse on the latest research in using Rasch measurement as a tool for scientific progress.

This year, there were more than 100 people from 15 different countries in attendance and approximately 90 oral presentations and 20 posters covering a range of topics.

At the PROMS, Will presented his preliminary PhD research results. The title of his presentation was ‘Examining construct validity of a naturalistic observational assessment of children's hand skills: A Rasch analysis'. His presentation was awarded one of only three Outstanding Paper Awards for postgraduate students where there were up to 20 competitors. This is an outstanding achievement for Will and evidence of the high quality of his doctoral research work. Will's research will make a valuable contribution to the occupational therapy body of knowledge.

A time for reflection

Eight years ago a young student from Monash Peninsula died when she was struck by a car on Lardner Road. Chrystal Chee, one of our international students, was in her early 20s when she was killed. Here at Peninsula a plaque was donated by her family to help us remember her. The plaque is located on the edge of the garden near the BBQs at the hockey pitch.

The 13 August was the anniversary of Chrystal's death and at the request of her family flowers were placed at the plaque by staff from the HUB in memory of Chrystal. It is always important to stop for a moment and remember those who are no longer with us.

With all that has happened this year; the bush fires, international events, and everyday life, it is time to make a space to remember those who are no longer with us. On Thursday 27 August we will again be holding our Remembrance Day.

On this day, between 12 noon and 2 pm, our campus chaplain Jay Robinson will create a space for people to stop, light a candle, say a prayer, write a note, or just sit and remember loved ones who have died. This space will be in the A Building, ground floor, room A1.18.

An invitation is extended to staff and students to visit this space and be part of Remembrance Day. You can stay as long or as short as you wish. It is a space to remember people like Chrystal and there will be a candle lit for her during that time.

Open Day expands visitors' options

More than 2800 people visited the campus during the recent Open Day with staff and students showcasing the personal and accessible learning environment Peninsula offers.

Not only did prospective students get first hand course advice, they were able to see the campus at its best with all areas running a range of events and activities for visitors on the day.

Business Associates breakfast

Dr Janine Kirk, Chairman of Tourism Victoria, will present the next Buisness Breakfast on "The tourist dollar: Your business can benefit".

The Victorian tourism industry provides jobs for almost 180,000 people and contributes $15 billion to the country's economy each year. Dr Kirk will address tourism issues and opportunities, including the impact of the global financial crisis in relation to business and the tourism market.

The Breakfast will begin at 7.15 am on Tuesday 1 September at the Peninsula Country Golf Club, Skye Road in Frankston. Cost is $38 per person. To book, contact Narelle Krueger.