Dame Valerie Beral presented the 2012 Lambie Dew Oration in the Great Hall on Wednesday 10 October. Dame Valerie spoke on increasing life expectancy of Australians, based on latest published data.

View the lecture recording on YouTube
(duration: 50:34 minutes)

View the lecture presentation slides
(PDF, 1.2Mb)

Professor Tanya Sorrell presented a two year reportcard on the Sydney Emerging Infections and Biosecurity Institute at its Colloqium, held this week. SEIB was launched, supported by funds from the Sydney Medical School Foundation, in 2010 with the goal of being a multidisciplinary institute linking biological and social sciences, which would lead in reducing the high health and socioeconomic impacts of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, especially in the Asia-Pacific region.

After a successful launch, Professor Sorrell said the focus for the immediate future was:
-          Early career researchers, including creating vibrant forums for interaction.
-          Closer links with other major university initiatives, including the Charles Perkins Centre and SSEAC
-          Consolidate core funding
-          Expand research and education initiatives

Professor Bruce Robinson presented the Bob Ravich award to Samantha Ellis for the best student abstract. In launching the Colloquium, the Vice Chancellor Dr Michael Spence said SEIB was an example of “the university at its best.” More information: http://sydney.edu.au/seib/

Applications for support are invited for the  Sir Zelman Cowen Universities Fund Academic Exchange Fellowships which support visits from academic staff of the University of Sydney to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and vice versa.

It is expected that the visits will have a specific academic purpose and that their duration will not exceed 2 semesters. When an application is approved, the level of support will normally include a return economy airfare and some contribution to living expenses.

For more information and contact details see the flyer.

The deadline for this year’s Charles Perkins Centre Summer Scholarship has been extended to Friday November 30. These are fantastic scholarships which give undergraduate students the opportunity to complete a two month research project in their summer break.

The scholarships allow students to undertake research in areas relevant to obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease and are a great opportunity for young people to work alongside well established researchers.

All details of the scholarships, including guidelines and application form are on the Charles Perkins Centre website: http://sydney.edu.au/perkins/news/index.php

Please circulate to your networks and encourage students from your faculties to apply.

Need to evaluate journal performance? Find your h-index or other citation information for grant applications, promotions, job applications? Staff of the Medical Sciences Libraries have great pleasure in inviting all staff (including affiliated clinicla and research staff) and students, to attend one/both of these seminars, and find out about two important library resources.

Please see contact Elizabeth Pigott elizabeth.pigott@sydney.edu.au , providing your contact details, location and nominate which seminar/s, if you wish to attend via video conference.

Web of Knowledge, Web of Science, Journal Citation Reports
The session will include a demonstration of recent enhancements to the Web of Knowledge platform and important features of Web of Science and Journal Citation reports including:
-        How to find and view vital citation information for an individual or an institution, such as sum of Times Cited, average citations per item and year, and the h-index.
-        How to find hidden trends and patterns, gain insight into emerging fields of research, identify leading researchers, institutions, and journals, and trace the history of a particular field of study
-        How to keep up-to-date with the information that matters to you by setting up Search and Citation Alerts via email or RSS feeds.
-        How to use Journal Citation Reports (JCR) to  identify the most appropriate, influential journals in which to publish.
Date:         Friday 9th November 1.30pm – 3pm
Speaker:   Steven Werkheiser from Thomson Reuters
Venue:      Norman Gregg Lecture Theatre, Edward Ford Building

Scopus, Scopus Journal Analyzer
The session will focus on researchers and how to get the best out of Scopus and will include:
-        Scopus Functionality (Searching, Sources, Analytics, Alerts, Author Profiling & Affiliations)
-        Citation Tracker – how  to find, check and track citation data
-        Publications - Understanding Article Output and setting up Author Citation Alerts etc.
-        How to evaluate journal performance using the Journal Analyser  
-        Detailed information on Scopus Metrics and why they are pertinent, including SNIP and SJR
-        Using the author tools - how they work
-        Extracting information (Citation Counts, Publications, Evidence of Research Output i.e Citation Tracker, Author Search)
Date:         Friday 16th November 12:00pm – 2pm
Speaker:   Cassandra Sims from Elsevier Scopus
Venue:      Norman Gregg Lecture Theatre, Edward Ford Building

All that health reform! What have we achieved and what have we learned

The Sydney Health Policy Network at the University of Sydney invites you to its 2012 Conference: All that health reform!  What have we achieved and what have we learned?

Three years on from major health reforms instigated by the current Labor government, we will look at where we are up to in the process. The conference speakers are three former chairs (Professor Christine Bennett, Professor Rob Moodie & Dr Anthony Hobbs) of health reform initiatives in hospital care, prevention and primary care commissioned by the Australian government in 2008/2009. They will offer personal views on what has been achieved, what remains to be done, and what we have learned from this intense organisational upheaval and realignment.

Following the presentations, conference participants will have an opportunity to ask questions in a discussion facilitated by Professor Geoff Gallop, and contributed to by guest panellists and key members of the Sydney Health Policy Network. Participants will then be invited to join workshops exploring key health policy issues.

WHEN: Wednesday 14 November

TIME: 8am-6pm

WHERE: New Law Lecture Theatre

MORE INFO AND REGISTER: http://sydney.edu.au/health-policy-network/news-events/upcomingevents.shtml#shpnconf2012

Organised by Dr Ramesh Manocha, this is a non-profit seminar which features a number of clinicians and other experts and examines the impact of commerce, consumerism, media and modern culture on our children’s ability to experience childhood.

Speakers/topics include:
-         Alcohol advertising and children, Prof Mike Daube, Curtin University
-         The compulsion loop and the internet, Dr Philip Tam, Rivendell Unit
-         Rap, heavy metal music, aggression and antisocial behavior, Dr Wayne Warburton, Maquarie University
-         Porn and its impact on young people, Melinda Tankard Reist, activist
-         The commercialization of childhood, Maggie Hamilton, author
-         Corporate social responsibility to children, Dr Emma Rush

WHEN: Friday, Oct 19, 2012
WHERE: Wesley Conference Centre, Sydney CBD
MORE INFO: www.generationnext.com.au

UniSuper seminar topic: Understanding Contributions and Caps
When: Tuesday 16 October, 12-1pm
Where: Education Lecture Theatre 351, Education Building, Camperdown Campus
Register via the UniSuper form

UniSuper seminar topic: Superannuation for Women
When: Wednesday 14 November 2012 12-1pm
Where:  Merewether Lecture Theatre 2 (Room 136), Merewether Building, Darlington Campus
Register via the UniSuper form

If you have any queries about these seminars, please contact the UniSuper Helpline on 1800 331 685.

If these dates don’t suit, check out UniSuper’s new webinar program which covers similar information. You still need to register but you can hear it from your desk.

Ron Grunstein, Professor of Sleep Medicine, has been awarded the 2012 RPA Foundation Medal for his work on sleep disorders. Professor Grunstein has worked at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital since 1988, is a staff specialist physician in Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, has an honorary appointment in respiratory and sleep medicine at St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney, and heads the Sleep and Circadian Research Group at the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research. He has a long involvement in sleep research, including in the early development of nasal CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) at RPA in 1980, and non-invasive ventilatory support for sleep-breathing disorders. His current main interests involve the metabolic and neurobiological effects of sleep loss, particularly on shift workers and the elderly. More information about his research and the award is on the CIRUS webpage.

David Le Couteur, Professor of Geriatric Medicine at Concord, was awarded the William B. Abrams Award for Geriatric Clinical Pharmacology by the American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (ASCPT). ASCPT will present the award at the March Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana. The William B. Abrams Award recognizes scientists who have made extraordinary contributions to geriatric clinical pharmacology. Professor Le Couteur is Director of the Centre for Education and Research on Ageing, Director of the Ageing and Alzheimers Research Fund, and Director of the ANZAC Medical Research Institute’s Biogerontology Laboratory.

Casey Maddren, Academic GP Registrar in the Discipline of General Practice, Westmead, has been awarded the 2012 APHCRI Robert Graham Center Visiting Fellowship.

The Fellow will visit the Robert Graham Center in Washington DC in late 2012 to undertake a research project relevant to the Robert Graham Center, the Australian primary health care scene and the work of APHCRI.