Public Surgery Lecture and Brain Awareness Week wrap up

From left Dr. Mostafiz Rahman,
A/Prof Heather Cleland, Mr. Cheng Lo,
Prof Steven Boyce, Dr Shiva Akbarzadeh
and Dr. Ilia Banakh

Mid-March was a time of great community outreach for the School, as we hosted events to share our work and the latest knowledge with colleagues and the public.

The Department of Surgery's Annual Public Lecture was delivered by Emeritus Professor Stephen Boyce from the University of Cincinnati. He spoke about the importance of wound closure in treating life-threatening burn injuries, and delved into the latest research surrounding investigative models of tissue-engineered skin to improve closure. The technology offers the hope of one day restoring the use of full, uninjured anatomy and physiology of skin, without scarring. Around 80 people turned out to hear from the visiting Professor.

Speakers: A/Prof Joanne Fielding,
Dr Caroline Gurvich
MC: Professor Jayashri Kulkarni

The Department of Neuroscience, MAPrc and Alfred Health jointly celebrated Brain Awareness Week through a public lecture, and information stands in The Alfred engaging the public in the opportunities to participate in brain-related research here at the precinct. Students Flavia Medeiros Gomes and Juliana de Castro e Silva proved that playdoh is not just for adults by making incredible models of neurons and brain anatomy, which passers-by loved.

Playdoh neuron

The lecture saw A/Prof Joanne Fielding and Dr Caroline Gurvich share the latest on research into Visual Snow, and sex hormones and mental health, respectively. You can see Joanne's lecture here and Caroline's lecture here.