The antibiotic unknowns of stingray infection

by Anne Crawford

As a plastic and reconstructive surgeon, the Peninsula Clinical School’s Professor Warren Rozen occasionally treats patients with injuries sustained after a stingray attack. One of them arrived with an infection that developed after injury which, disturbingly, didn’t respond to commonly used antibiotics, making it difficult to treat.

Professor Rozen searched the available literature for the best antibiotic treatment regime for the patient but realised no good recommendations existed directly targeting stingray injuries: he decided to investigate.

Monash study finds spinal vest wanting

The halothoracic vest's benefits are not clear,

study shows. Image: Susan Liew

by Anne Crawford

A Monash University clinician-researcher has questioned the benefits of a commonly used orthosis for cervical spine injury.

Adjunct Associate Professor Susan Liew, Director of Orthopaedic Surgery at The Alfred and part of the Monash Central Clinical School, conducted a study on the halothoracic vest, an alternative to spinal surgery. “The halothoracic vest is like scaffolding – you put four pins in the skull which supports a ring around the head (the halo) and a chest piece between four struts around the neck. It’s pretty invasive for a ‘non-invasive treatment’,” Adjunct Associate Professor Liew said.

The treatment has been linked to high rates or risk of complications, including the loosening of the pins, pressure injury, pneumonia and respiratory failure. 

Investing in AI and mental health: training our future graduates

The Women's Mental Health Clinic (WMHC) in CCS's Department

of Psychiatry is one of the collaborating members of the successful

 bid for the CSIRO Next Generation Graduates Program

With strong support from industry and in partnership with Monash Data Futures Institute, the Faculty of IT at Monash University will be leading and contributing to three projects in CSIRO Data61’s Next Gen Graduates Programs – ready to deliver critical skills in artificial intelligence (AI) and emerging tech.

The cohort-based, industry-driven, cross-disciplinary training program focuses on expanding the pipeline of homegrown, job-ready graduates to unlock the immense economic opportunities offered by AI and emerging technologies.

Congratulations to our recent PhD graduates Joshua Laing, Mahima Kapoor and Michael Nasserallah

L-R: Dr Mahima Kapoor and Dr Joshua Laing

Congratulations to Dr Michael Nasserallah, Dr Joshua (Josh) Laing and Dr Mahima Kapoor on the recent completion of their PhD theses! Michael is a surgical registar based at Peninsula Health, and Josh and Mahima are both practising neurologists and were PhD students in the Department of Neuroscience.

MIME Seed Funding Phase 1 applications closing Mon 9 May: Practical solutions for frontline clinical problems

Information and application forms can be found HERE.

Phase 1 of the 2022 round of Monash Institute of Medical Engineering (MIME) Seed Funding is closing soon (Monday 9 May)! See more & apply.

This year provides an opportunity for clinicians to realise unmet clinical needs and work in partnership with researchers to discover new medical technologies.

Applicants may request up to $50,000 per project for medtech collaborative projects involving a Monash University Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences (MNHS) clinician-researcher and a Monash engineering, IT and/or Arts and Design researcher.

World Parkinson’s day - “Not just motor symptoms”

Back row (L-R): Pakeeran Siriratnam, Kelly Bertram (Head), James

Strathdee, Melissa Tang. Front row (L-R): Mia Wu, Sue Varley

Monday 11 April was World Parkinson’s Day. This day is held annually to shine a spotlight on the lived experience of people with Parkinson’s Disease and their families to raise public awareness globally and also push forward future research to prevent and cure the disease.

Movement disorders clinicians and researchers in the Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School and Department of Neurology, Alfred Health participated in the day by wearing purple in their clinic and performing the hand gesture used for assessing one of the signs in Parkinson’s Disease.

MRFF Clinician-Researcher grant successes for CCS researchers

L-R: Prof Anne Holland, Prof Natasha Lannin &
Adj A/Prof Charles Pilgrim

Congratulations to Professors Anne Holland and Natasha Lannin, and to Adjunct Associate Professor Charles Pilgrim on their successful applications for MRFF Clinician-Researcher funding. A/Prof Pilgrim was successful earlier this year for this project under the MRFF RCRDUN scheme.  

See the Monash story, "Monash awarded $5.9m for rehabilitation research projects" for detail of Professors Lannin's and Holland's projects, and summaries below.