What's On at UWA

Prof French is a physician/scientist who holds the positions of Winthrop Professor of Clinical Immunology in the School of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, UWA and Consultant Clinical Immunologist at Royal Perth Hospital and PathWest Laboratory Medicine, Perth.

Issues raised by bio-medical ethics touch on some of the most profound moments of joy, hope, fear, anger, sorrow, disappointment and relief in our lives. The Roman Catholic moral tradition has constantly wrestled with life issues. Are there valuable insights that this long theological tradition can contribute to the recent development of this new discipline of bio-medical ethics? Dr Black will give his lecture, followed by questions and then refreshments will be provided. This event is free and part of a series of lectures on religious and theological themes being offered by UWA, Murdoch University and the University of Notre Dame Australia.

Michael Keating Room (ND42), Philosophy and Theology Building, University of Notre Dame, Corner of High and Cliff St Fremantle

The Postgraduate and Honours Expo showcases a host of opportunities for further study, including honours and postgraduate coursework and research possibilities.

Discover the courses each faculty has to offer, learn about postgraduate scholarships, attend information sessions and talk to staff, honours and postgraduate students.

For more information about the Expo along with details on the presentations being held throughout the evening please go uwa.edu.au/postgradexpo

Got some Questions? Want some Answers? Come join us in Mental Health Week to pick the brains of our diverse panel of experts at SPAMH's inaugural Q&A event: Adventures In Mental Health. No issue is off-limits! Stalls from 7pm, Q&A from 7.30pm. Light supper provided. Dress code is smart casual. This is a free, public event. Our Panel: Mr. Eddie Bartnik - Mental Health Commissioner of WA; Clinical Professor Paul Skerritt - Consultant Psychiatrist, former President of the AMA (WA); Associate Professor Alex Main - Psychotherapist and Trauma Counsellor, Honorary Fellow of the School of Psychology, Murdoch University; Dr. Jock McLaren - Consultant Psychiatrist, Northern Psychiatric Services, Darwin NT, Author of "Humanizing Madness: Psychiatry and the Cognitive Neurosciences"; Mr. Joe Calleja - CEO of the Richmond Fellowship of WA, former President of the Western Australian Asssociation for Mental Health; Ms. Leonie Ramsay - Mental Health Consumer and Advocate, Member of the National Register of Mental Health Consumer and Carer Representatives.

Register your attendance at http://spamhqanda.eventbrite.com. Places are strictly limited.

If you have a question that you would like to submit a question for panel discussion, send it to [email protected] or contact us via the registration page.

The Cancer Council Relay for Life at UWA is a Guild Volunteering run event. In it's inaugural year in 2010 Relay@UWA raised over $100,000 for The Cancer Council and we hope to go above and beyond that this year. The event will be held on the 15th and 16th of October. We require as many teams and event volunteers as possible; including cancer survivors and carers for this celebratory and fundraising event. Members of staff, students and community are welcome, but please note that places are limited.

The 2011 Ian Constable lecture will address the topic; “Now, free, and perfect? How to live a long and healthy life in the 21st century.”

This will be presented by Professor Ian Frazer, the internationally renowned co-creator of the technology for the cervical cancer vaccine and former Australian of the Year.

This event is free, however, booking is essential. Book through the Octagon Theatre Box Office (08) 6488 2440, Mon–Fri, 12.15pm–4.15pm.

Researchers and service providers involved in all aspects of child and adolescent health are invited to attend the annual Child and Adolescent Health Research Symposium at Princess Margaret Hospital (WB Macdonald Lecture Theatre) and the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research (Seminar Room). The symposium is being held on Wed. 19th Oct. (12.00pm-6.30pm), Thurs. 20th Oct. (10.00am-5.00pm), Fri. 21st Oct. (9.00am-12.30pm) and features presentations by local and international speakers. There is no registration fee to attend the symposium. The program for the symposium is available at the following link http://pmh.health.wa.gov.au/research_symposium/

Those with an interest in primary health care will be 'Looking to the Future' at the University Club of WA on Friday 21st October. This event provides opportunities for learning and networking among primary health care workers, researchers, allied health professionals, general practitioners, nurses and students. The conference is of interest and value to both new and experienced researchers in all fields or primary healthcare.

Presentations from across the spectrum of health professions A platform for health practitioners to share their expertise Network opportunities with other health professionals Develop and strengthen collaboration and referral pathways AHPRA CPD and Medicare requirements Online availability of presentations

"Art Under the Microscope" will showcase the surprising physical beauty of world class pathology testing and research in WA and is an opportunity to see the majesty and wonder of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.

A/Prof Ros Francis is a Nuclear Medicine Physician in the Department of Nuclear Medicine / WA Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Service at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and has an academic appointment as Associate Professor of Molecular Imaging, UWA (School of Medicine and Pharmacology). A/Prof Francis has a particular interest in Nuclear Oncology and PET. She has a strong research interest in new tracer development, especially in mesothelioma.

A public lecture by Fiona Wood FRACS AM, Winthrop Professor, Burn Injury Research Unit, School of Surgery, UWA and Chair, The McComb Research Foundation.

Winthrop Professor Fiona Wood AM is a plastic and reconstructive surgeon specializing in the field of burn care, trauma and scar reconstruction. She is the Director of the WA Burns Service. Professor Wood’s work has been recognized by numerous awards, including Western Australian Citizen of the Year 2004 and Australian of the Year 2005. Her research through the Burn Injury Research Unit UWA and the McComb Foundation is focused on scarless healing. In this lecture she will discuss some recent research into burn injury and scar healing.

The Australasian Biospecimen Network Association (http://www.abrn.net/abna.htm), a consortium of Biobanking professionals engaged in the collection, storage and dissemination of human biospecimens for research, is convening its 9th Annual ABNA Conference in Perth on Friday 18th November 2011 at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, Western Australia.

ABNA 2011 is anticipated to attract over 120 specialist Biobanking managers and research professionals from Australia, New Zealand and Singapore and is the only meeting of its kind in Australia. International speakers and local experts will give plenary sessions, with additional speakers being invited following abstract submission. Register to attend via the conference URL.

The II International Congress of Environmental Medicine will have its focus towards recognising those there environmental factors which causes diseases to individual beings and that it can be diagnosed, treated and prevented

Join us for our II International Congress of Environmental Medicine – November 19-20 - Sao Paulo – Brazil

Summit your abstract until 23/10

What research can be performed at a synchrotron? What are WA scientists achieving at synchrotrons? What opportunities are there for cutting edge research in MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES, and for WA's INDUSTRY?

This one-day symposium, 23rd November at UWA's University Club, is suited for novices and experts alike, with focussed sessions aimed at

* HEALTH PROFESSIONALS AND RESEARCHERS *

* ACADEMIC RESEARCHERS *

* INDUSTRY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT *

covering topics including:

* Medical therapy * Imaging for Cystic Fibrosis gene therapy development * Iron distribution in the heart * Structural Biology * Metalloproteins * Imaging of fossils * Forensics applications * Photoelectron spectroscopy * Corrosion Science * Meteorite studies * Precious metal ore depostion *

Prof David Parsons, Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Adelaide; Dr Mel Lintern, CSIRO Exploration and Mining; Prof Keith Nugent, University of Melbourne and Prof Andrew Peele, Latrobe University; plus 9 WA speakers

Come and find out how the Australian Synchrotron can revolutionise YOUR research.

There is no charge, but registration is essential. RSVP to [email protected] by Fri 11 November 2011.

Dr Peter K Panegyres will talk on the mechanisms of ageing and cognitive decline in early onset dementia. The seminar is designed for patients and their families. There will be two question and answer sessions. Admission is free but RSVP is required.

On behalf of the Organizing Committee, we invite you to participate in the inaugural Liver Down Under Conference, being held from Monday 28th November to Friday 2nd December 2011 in Perth, WA. This conference will be a major international meeting on Liver Research to be held in Australia and has attracted many of the top international liver, cancer, stem cell and tissue regeneration researchers, who have already indicated they will attend. This meeting will be similar in format to the FASEB Summer Conferences, specifically the liver disease meeting which is held biannually at Snowmass, Colorado, USA. The meeting will have strong international and national scientific content. Prof Andras Nagy, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, CA, is the plenary speaker (see http://www.lunenfeld.ca/researchers/nagy) and he will speak on “Potential applications utilising embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells in treating liver disease”. We have an additional 15 international and 7 national invited speakers who are attending the meeting. Please go to the following website (http://liver.asnevents.com.au/) for further detail, list of invited speakers and to register for a day or for the entire meeting.

This is an intensive five-day unit on the theory and practice of analysis of large sets of linked administrative health data at an introductory to intermediate level.

Rapid growth in data linkage projects has led to a shortfall in analyst skills.

Some researchers understand epidemiological principles, but are unfamiliar with the specialised computing skills needed to analyse linked data files.

Others have a strong grasp of computing concepts, but lack an adequate theoretical base to design high quality applications to answer research questions. This endeavours to fill a gap in research training opportunities to cater to these two areas of need.

Unit outline: Professor Holman provides a theoretical grounding in the classroom on each topic, followed by a training session on the corresponding computing solutions. Students use fictitious but realistic linked data files in the hands-on exercises. A lecturer will be available in the computing laboratory session each afternoon and conducts an end-of-day tutorial for those who need additional assistance.

In preparation for the teaching week you will be sent pre-reading on 25 November 2011.

Learning objectives: The unit acquaints health researchers, clinical practitioners and managers with the theory and skills needed to analyse linked health data at the introductory to intermediate level. Upon completion the participant will: * possess an overview of the theory of data linkage methods and features of comprehensive data linkage systems, sufficient to understand the sources and limitations of linked health data sets * understand the principles of epidemiologic measurement and research methods for the conceptualisation and construction of numerators and denominators used in the analysis of disease trends and health care utilisation and outcomes * understand sources of error in epidemiologic measurement, the difference between confounding and effect modification, and use of regression models in risk adjustment in health services research * be able to perform statistical analyses on linked longitudinal health data * be able to conceptualise and perform the manipulation of large linked data files * be able to write syntax to prepare linked data files for analysis, derive exposure and outcome variables, relate numerators and denominators and produce results from statistical procedures

Unit prerequisites: Basic familiarity with computing syntax used in programs such as SPSS, SAS or Stata and methods of basic statistical analysis of fixed-format data files.

There are no formal prerequisites in epidemiology for the course. However, it is recommend that participants who have not previously completed an introductory course in epidemiology, familiarise themselves with the basic principles and terms used in that discipline. A working knowledge of statistical concepts, including regression models, used in data analysis in the medical and social sciences is assumed.

Please note that this is a full 5 day unit with associated enrolment and fee requirements. Please visit our website for details.

Come along to the School of Population Health Postgraduate Course information sessions. We'll present information about the degrees below and will have course experts on hand to answer all your questions.

- Master of Health Professional Education (4.30pm) - Empower yourself as an educator in the health professions by developing and enhancing your teaching and research skills.

- Master of Public Health (5.30pm) - Gain a leadership role and an understanding of public health and the latest research methods.

- Master of Nursing Science (5.30pm) - build on your undergraduate degree in any field and become eligible to qualify as a Registered Nurse.

- Master of Social Work (5.30pm) - build on your undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline and become an accredited Social Worker.

- Master of Nursing Research (5.30pm) - A degree for Registered Nurses to gain a solid grounding in clinical research methods and develop skills to design, conduct and lead clinical research.

- Master of Public Health (by Research) and PhD (5.30pm) - World-class research training is available with top researchers in a wide range of health-related fields. Conduct research on a topic you're passionate about.

Health informatics is a relatively new scientific discipline that incorporates knowledge from biomedicine, computer science, information science, psychology, business and other fields.

It deals with the systematic processing of data, information and knowledge in health in order to improve decision making. It is both multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary.

With ever-increasing complexity of health care and pressures on health professionals to do more with less, health informatics principles and information technologies are becoming more important. Moreover, the storage, processing and communication of health information directly affect the quality of delivered health care.

Course outline This course provides an overview of this broad field with an emphasis on fundamental principles as well as health information technologies. It teaches important concepts in health informatics and computing, including: modelling of health, communication theory, information retrieval, medical decision making, terminology and standards, evaluation, ethics, computer hardware and software.

It also examines applications of health informatics such as electronic medical records, clinical decision support systems and telemedicine.

This is a five-day course consisting of lectures, small group tutorials and computer lab work. In preparation for the teaching week, you will be sent pre-reading on 2 December 2011.

Who should attend? Health informatics is short of specifically trained individuals nationally and globally. This course provides the foundation for those who wish to begin a career in health informatics. It will also appeal to health care and information technology people who wish to cross over into health informatics. It will be informative to anyone who has a curiosity about this emerging and diverse field.

Please note: this is a five day unit with associated enrolment and fee requirements. Please visit our website for full information.