Dear alumni and friends

What an amazing start we have had to 2012. The first six months of the year have flown by with a number of exciting achievements for our staff, students and alumni.

Orientation week in late February was our first big event for the year; when we threw open the gates to Cumberland Campus to welcome our new Health Sciences students. This year we also decided to make a splash at the Camperdown Campus orientation by hosting a ‘Get Healthy @ Sydney’ stall with our ambassadors promoting healthy habits to all students.

In April, it was my pleasure to commend one of our well-known and much loved alumni, Ms Gabi Hollows, on being awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Sydney. This is indeed a well-deserved honour.

May was another big month for the Faculty. It started with news of budget funding, which will enable the establishment of multidisciplinary allied health clinics to be run through primary schools in Broken Hill. This initiative will further the clinical work of our allied health students in the region.

On 22 May, we welcomed the Department of Health and Ageing and clinicians from NSW and ACT Departments to the Official Opening of the Virtual Environment for Radiotherapy Training (VERT) suite at Cumberland Campus. VERT uses immersive visualisation technology to simulate a radiation therapy treatment room containing a life-size 3D virtual linear accelerator and treatment couch, and provides immense opportunities for both clinical skill development and research.

The month ended with our annual Awards Night 2012, which celebrates the outstanding achievements of current students, Alumni Award winners and our Staff Learning and Teaching Award recipients. It was our biggest ceremony to date, with 120 high-achievers recognised, and also gave us the opportunity to acknowledge the invaluable support of our sponsors and friends.

In research news, I’m pleased to announce the recent establishment of the Centre for Disability Research and Policy. The Faculty of Health Sciences will lead the Centre with close collaboration with other research units within the University and beyond. The Centre will bring together the University’s leading expertise within the disability field to create a greater understanding of disability and improve disability services and programs by increasing the use of evidence and research in policy decision making.

As I write this, we are also coming close to the start of the London 2012 Olympics and we have a number of our students and alumni in the running for the Australian team and providing behind-the-scenes support. On behalf of the Faculty, I wish you the best of luck in these endeavours.

Yours sincerely
Gwynnyth Llewellyn | Dean, Faculty of Health Sciences

The University of Sydney, through the Faculty of Health Sciences, aims to actively contribute to the challenge presented by the World Report on Disability (World Health Organization and the World Bank, 2011) to strengthen and support research on disability for evidence-informed policy and practice development. To this end, a Centre for Disability Research and Policy has been established within the Faculty of Health Sciences.

As an organisation at the nexus of research, teaching, policy and practice, we have an important role to play in innovation and knowledge translation in the field of disability to the benefit of many.

The establishment of the Centre is a significant strategic endeavour to bring together the University’s leading expertise within the disability field to create a greater understanding of disability and improve disability services and programs by increasing the use of evidence and research in policy decisions in Australia and the Asia Pacific Region.

Professor Gwynnyth Llewellyn has been invited (and has now accepted) to become a Member of the WHO Expert on Health-related Rehabilitation Guidelines WHO Guideline Development Group for the development of the WHO Health-related Rehabilitation Guidelines.

The proposed WHO Guidelines on Health-Related Rehabilitation are intended to support the implementation of the rehabilitation aspects of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and serve as a bridge between the recent World Report on Disability (WHO 2011) and the CBR Guidelines (WHO 2010).

They will provide guidance to governments and other relevant actors on how to develop, expand and improve the quality of rehabilitation services in less resourced settings in line with the recommendations in the World Report on Disability, notably the integration and decentralisation of rehabilitation services within the health system.

The Guidelines will position rehabilitation within the context of the WHO 'Framework for Action' for strengthening health systems, which consists of six clearly defined building blocks: service delivery; health workforce; health information; medical technologies; health financing; and leadership and governance.

The Guidelines will provide decision-makers with evidence-informed recommendations around each of these components from which to develop and strengthen rehabilitation services within existing health systems, and will include options and models for different contexts.

Issues of availability, accessibility, affordability, appropriateness, acceptability and quality will underpin recommendations. The report is expected to be released in mid-2014 at a predetermined event, such as the Conference of States Parties to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in September or at a specific launching ceremony (yet to be determined).

Professor Anita Bundy was inducted into the American Occupational Therapy Foundation’s (AOTF) prestigious Academy of Research in Occupational Therapy at the recent Annual Conference in Indianapolis.

Established in 1983, the AOTF Academy of Research in Occupational Therapy recognises individuals who have made exemplary and distinguished contributions toward the science of occupational therapy.  Professor Bundy joins a distinguished list of 52 researchers, and is only the second Australian to be given this honour.

Professor Bundy was recognised for her research and scholarly activity in two areas; the practice of paediatric occupational therapy and the development of assessments of everyday function. In particular, the judges remarked on her leadership in producing such a substantive body of literature around children’s play.

A mid-year post graduate ’health cluster event‘ combining the faculties of Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Dentistry was held on 18 April in MacLaurin Hall, Camperdown Campus. 

The theme for the event was ’The Greatest Challenges Facing Health‘, and the expert members in the discussion panel included Profession Kathy Refshauge Deputy Dean. The keynote speaker was Michael Dickson, (BAppSc(Ex&SportSc)'04), who is now a Director of National Health Services, Price WaterhouseCoopers.  View video here

Sue Wilks, Practice Manager at Educational Speech Pathology & Therapy Services (ESP&TS) and Health Sciences alumna (MHlthSc(SLPath)'02), has recently been awarded the District Award for Literacy Programs by Rotary District 9750 in recognition of her work with Miranda Public School and the ‘Speechies in Darwin’ project.

At Miranda Public School, students have learnt that good sentence structure begins by making a picture in their heads. For a group of Year 2 students, a classroom discussion about jungles evokes vivid descriptions of ’growling lions‘ prowling in their dark, leafy habitat. The increasing complexity of the students’ sentences and improved oral communication is the result of the innovative approach of Sue Wilks and her team at ESP&TS - a Sydney-based private practice that arms teachers with stronger intervention strategies for students with language-based learning difficulties.

Sue believes that the service is the only practice of its kind to contract to schools and to be supported by the Faculty of Health Sciences’ speech pathology clinical education program. The program, which typically runs for a day each week over two school terms, sees Sue and a team of final-year speech pathology students working in school classrooms.

“This multisensory approach provides greater retention of vocabulary and a consistent method for children to learn about language,” Sue said. The program, funded by the Rotary Club of Miranda, has helped the Miranda Public School towards achieving its target for improving overall literacy achievement.

The ‘Speechies in Darwin’ project is another brainchild of Sue’s. Sue has developed partnerships with Anula and Wagaman Public schools in Darwin with a view to implement the innovative approach developed at ESP&TS to improve the language and literacy of school children in Darwin. These are children that otherwise have limited or no access to speech pathology services.

With the financial support of the Rotary District Governor’s Partner Program, Sue has helped establish a scholarship program for final year speech pathology students to undertake a practicum in the Northern Territory. The Speechies work together with local teachers to support the speaking and listening skills of children from Transition to Year 4, whilst also experiencing the unique city that is Darwin.
 
Initially a pilot project, the feedback from the ‘Speechies in Darwin’ program has been so overwhelmingly positive, that the program will continue into Semester 2. Rotary has once again generously supported a number of scholarships to assist students.

Moved by the fantastic response from students and teachers alike, Sue has also made a generous gift, funding two scholarships to provide students with a life changing experience which can help them realise their full potential.

To read more about the Speechies in Darwin program visit their Facebook page. To find out more about how scholarships can provide students with life changing experiences please email Aleks Duric or call 9351 9351.

Australia's next generation of radiation therapists will benefit from a new state-of-the-art 3D virtual reality training system at the University of Sydney.

The Virtual Environment for Radiotherapy Training (VERT) system will give students a life-like experience of radiation therapy clinical scenarios, which includes preparing patients for cancer treatment. Find out more

On Thursday 15 March, the Faculty of Health Sciences held a launch event for the newly restored Indigenous Mural Panels.

Indigenous artist, Patricia King, gifted these murals to the University in 1995 to help inspire and celebrate all cultures within the Faculty and to remind students of other perspectives of healing aside from the western model. 

The Faculty recently commissioned Patricia to repaint the murals to show appreciation and respect for the knowledge and beauty embedded in the messages of the murals, and to celebrate the rich cultural Indigenous history of this country.

The two mural installations are:

THE SEVEN SERPENTS - representing the seven days of the dreaming, commencing from the beginning of time with the creation of the physical world and finishing with the birth of the human population.

MONUMENTAL WOMEN - created by Patricia King in 1993 for the World Indigenous Peoples Conference. These murals celebrate women of all cultures.

Michael West, Cultural Representative for the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council, performed the Acknowledgement of Country by paying respects to the Wangal people of the Eora Nation, on whose ancestral land the Faculty of Health Sciences was built. Professor Shane Houston, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of  Indigenous Strategy & Services, welcomed invited guests and students, and congratulated Professor Kathy Refshauge, Faculty of Health Sciences Deputy Dean, on the initiatives undertaken by the Faculty in leading the way in Indigenous engagement.

Entertainment was provided by the talented Thullii Aboriginal Dancers with their songs and dances from various tribal areas of NSW and we also had the pleasure to hear the inimitable sound of the Didgeridoo played by Kyle Freeman. Guests sampled traditional Aboriginal food with a modern twist provided by Purple Goanna Catering, and students enjoyed a unique eating experience consisting of BBQ Emu, Kangaroo and Crocodile sausages.

The University of Sydney’s Indigenous Reconciliation statement affirms that, “The University is committed to creating an environment in which the rich and diverse cultures of Indigenous Australians are known, promoted and celebrated.” This is evident in the commitment the Faculty of Health Sciences has taken to create initiatives like the mural restoration and launch event to provide opportunities to learn about, promote and celebrate Indigenous culture and heritage. The Faculty has also undertaken many other initiatives:

• The integration of Indigenous cultures into research and teaching, academic programs and university materials
• A Culturally Inclusive Working Group and an Inclusive Curriculum Working Group
• The employment of academically qualified Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Staff

These initiatives complement and contribute to earlier and continued commitments by the Faculty and the work achieved through the Yooroang Garang Indigenous Student Support Unit. All of those who attended the mural launch were reminded that as we share our knowledge, teaching, learning and research practices within the Faculty, we should also pay respect to the knowledge embedded forever within the Indigenous Custodianship of Country.

Moved by her encounters with people who stutter, Naomi Swart has embarked on a mission to raise awareness of stuttering, and to promote the world leading research of the Australian Stuttering Research Centre (ASRC).

In 2009, Naomi sought out effective treatments for preschool children who stutter, and was put in touch with Faculty of Health Sciences alumna Dr Brenda Carey and her stuttering therapy centre in the suburbs of Melbourne. Brenda completed her PhD after being awarded a scholarship from the ASRC, and specialises in the Lidcombe Program for preschoolers, a clinically proven treatment for preschoolers who stutter that was developed by the ASRC.

Inspired by the success of the Lidcombe program in treating children who stutter, Naomi was motivated to volunteer her time to advocate on behalf of the ASRC, promoting the need for early intervention and raising awareness of the world leading treatments developed by the Centre.

In August last year, Naomi organised an information seminar at her local early learning centre aimed at promoting a holistic perspective on children’s growth and development. Brenda, together with allied health professionals representing occupational therapy and orthoptics, presented on enhancing language development, the benefits of occupational therapy and how vision can impact on learning. The evening was extremely well attended, and Naomi received positive feedback from parents and learning professionals present.

Encouraged by the success of the information night, Naomi began planning for the second phase of her journey. A social worker by profession, and well aware of the benefits of support groups, Naomi and Brenda arranged for a support evening for parents who are utilising the Lidcombe Program with their children.

The purpose of the support group was to offer parents an opportunity to share their experiences, hear more about the therapy, how to do it, what is useful, how to fit it in and to establish whether further support is required. The first support evening was well received, and Naomi is now busy organising a network of support groups to build on the momentum.

Naomi is also volunteering her time to drive philanthropic support to the ASRC, and to help the Centre continue its research with the aim of eradicating stuttering worldwide. In a short time, Naomi has been instrumental in raising over $20,000 for the ASRC to go towards their research and development of an interactive, Internet-based package to train speech pathologists to facilitate group treatment for early stuttering intervention. The group treatment has the potential to double the number of children who can access the clinically proven Lidcombe Program, and be treated for stuttering with public services.

Naomi has been a tireless volunteer, raising awareness and much needed funding to support the work of the ASRC. Through her generous support the ASRC will continue to positively affect the lives of many young children so they can go on to strive for great things in life. 

To find out more about the work of the ASRC, please email Aleks Duric or call 9351 9351.

A reunion for the Class of 2002 was held on 29 March at Camperdown Campus and it was a great night of reminiscing, socialising and fun. Next year’s ten year reunion for the Class of 2003 (including those who finished OR graduated in 2003) will be held towards the end of March 2013.  

If you would like to volunteer to be a class captain and assist us with promoting the reunion amongst your fellow classmates, please email Maria Humphreys, Alumni Relations Officer or phone 02 9351 9806.

Over 40 alumni got together to celebrate 50 years since their graduation at the Marriott Hotel in Sydney on 27 April. Jenny Lyttle (Ellis) travelled from Ontario, Canada with a number of other graduates of the School of Physiotherapy, (which later became part of the Cumberland College of Health Sciences) travelling from interstate and country NSW to attend the reunion. Some of the attendees had not seen each other since graduating in 1962.

This event was organised to present research and postgraduate opportunities to our alumni working in the allied health profession, as well as informing them of the benefits of being an active member of our alumni network.  

Following the presentation from Deputy Dean, Professor Kathy Refshauge, alumni had the opportunity to socialise over refreshments.