May 2009 update from Professor Chris Browne, Head
We are now well into the second year of our full operation with about 57 Year B students and 74 Year A students. The new facilities that we created on the Gippsland campus at Churchill have been tried and tested and we are fine tuning their operation to get the best use out of them.
Our Year A and Year B students have just enjoyed the first GMS "Back to Base" days, where the two groups were able to work together and share and compare experiences.
History of Medicine
On December 5th 2008 banners depicting 19th and 20th century medicine throughout the Gippsland area were launched. Dr. Ann Dettrick, a local historian and an Honorary Research Fellow at GMS, had spent four months visiting local historical societies, bush nursing hospitals, remote nursing areas and hospital libraries to gather the pictorial history of medicine in the Gippsland area. The launch was attended by local historians and descendants of people on the banners.
Summer Scholars Presentation Day
During the summer break four Year A scholars took up Summer Studentships to work on special projects with Professor Debra Nestel and Associate Professor Elmer Villanueva. The students worked hard to complete these projects and each gave short presentations on 21st January on their projects.
Orientation Week
The week of 27th January was Orientation Week for the incoming students of Gippsland Medical School. Professor Helen Bartlett (PVC Gippsland Campus) and Professor Chris Browne welcomed the students to the Medical School and to the Gippsland Campus. On Friday 30th students and staff were treated to a piano recital by A/Professor Brian Chapman and were then introduced to Professor Steve Wesselingh, Dean Faculty of Medicine and Professor Ben Canny, Associate Dean MBBS Curriculum.
Dealing with Trauma
Associate Professor George Somers, who has extensive and direct experience in seeing the effects of traumatic experiences in places such as Aceh in Indonesia and the Victorian Ash Wednesday bushfires, spoke at the recent free public seminar entitled "Dealing with Trauma" on 16th February at the Gippsland campus. Associate Professor Brian Chapman also contributed to this event by performing "Moonlight" by Ludwig van Beethoven and "Impromptu: by Franz Schubert on the piano.
Gippsland Medical School Inaugural Medical Education Symposium
The Symposium was held on 20th and 21st March. This two day event was organised by A/Professor Robyn Hill and was well attended by community members, health professionals and health educators. The focus of the Symposium was to provide a forum for participants to share their ideas and expertise in community based education in medicine.
Keynote speakers include Professor Paul Worley, Dean School of Medicine, Flinders University and Professor Liz Farmer, Dean Graduate School of Medicine, University of Wollongong . There were some 50 representatives from across Australia and from a number of different organisations, including representatives from Monash University and other leading Australian universities delivering presentations. Several Gippsland Medical School students participated in the meeting and presented work that they had undertaken relevant to community based education.
A full account of the Symposium and copies of the presentations can be viewed and/or downloaded. Download the 2009 Symposium presentation (pdf, 3.2MB)
May Information Day
We are now getting ready for the May Information Day 23rd May 2009 for the prospective students of the 2010 intake. We expect increased interest in our course over and above previous years and look forward to the challenges that will be presented to us in the selection of the third cohort of MBBS students for the Gippsland Medical School.
New Staff Members
A/Professor Norm Eizenberg joined the Gippsland Medical in January as coordinator for anatomy teaching in the MBBS course; Dr. Sam Lees also joined the School in January as a Senior Lecturer. Sam will be acting as a tutor in both clinical skills and PBLs and taking on a role as the main liaison person for GMS and general practitioners in the region. Dr. Kathy Brotchie, an experienced and well regarded general practitioner, joined the School in April as a Senior Lecturer. Kathy will be joining the Year A Theme IV team as a tutor in both clinical skills and problem based learning.
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