SoMS Newsletter - March 2006
Staff
Pathology
Patsie Polly is back on deck after maternity leave, and is now convening PATH3205. Sophia Champion and Manju Verma are continuing their involvement in Pathology teaching, backfilling during Rakesh Kumar's secondment to UNSW Asia.
Security
The new security system for Wallace Wurth is almost complete, it is expected that this system will be operational towards the end of March. A new School Visitor policy and Operation instructions are currently being finalised and will be circulated to all staff in due course.
Research
Paper of the Month
The Research Committee is very pleased to announce the Papers of the Month for December, January and February. December's award goes to a study by Y Ramaswamy, D R Haynes, G Berger, R Gildenhaar, H Lucas, C Holding, H Zreiqat, "Bioceramics composition modulate resorption of human osteoclasts" in Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Medicine 16(12):1199-1205. This is the first paper by one of our PhD students, actually in the first year of Yogambha's studies, and the first to report activity of human osteoclasts on bioceramic materials, so well done to all the authors.
The award for January is for an anthropological study "Description, new reconstruction, comparative anatomy, and classification of the Sterkfontein Stw 53 cranium, with discussions about the taxonomy of other southern African early Homo remains" published in Journal of Human Evolution 50: 36-77 by D Curnoe & P V Tobias. Well done Darren and Phillip. The award for February goes to a study by Phil Waite, Cath Gorrie, Nimali Herath and Lauren Marotte, "Whisker Maps in Marsupials: Nerve Lesions and Critical Periods" published in The Anatomical Record Part A (2006) 288A:174-181. This paper appeared in a special issue of the journal entitle "Many faces of somatosensory cortex" and made use of the unique features of marsupial development to address basic questions about cortical plasticity.
These awards will be presented at the next SOMS seminar on 30th March. The stock of Moet and Chandon has been renewed, so please keep the submissions coming in to Pam Parker. And don't forget Citation Classics for papers getting 50 or more citations in a 5 year period.
Research Committee Grants
The Research Committee will provide a small grant for 2006 Honours supervisors whose total research funding is less than $10,000. Eligible staff should contact Pam Parker. The deadline for applications is 31st March 2006. We will also be continuing travel grants for postgraduate students. Guidelines and application procedures can be found on the website at http://medicalsciences.med.unsw.edu.au/SOMSWeb.nsf/page/Postgraduate+Travel+Grants.
ORA Group
The non-IDRU, non-CVR, non-Neuroscience researchers in the School now have an official name - ORA (Other Research Areas). The new group leader is Shaun Sandow who'd be pleased to hear from anyone who'd like to be included.
Grant Deadlines
In the last Newsletter it was announced that a list of grant deadlines for 2006 would be made available. The list sent by Research Services has over 100 grants across all the disciplines (Science, Engineering, Medicine, etc) and many are out of date. Please email Phil if you'd like to look through them. In the meantime, Phil has asked the Research Office if they can provide a more current and focused list.
Grants and Awards
International Spinal Research Trust Grant
A team of investigators from SoMS have been awarded a major research grant from the International Spinal Research Trust. The new grant supports a three year study into cardiovascular problems which follow spinal cord injury. Quadriplegic patients who have suffered acute spinal traumas often experience disturbances in blood pressure, including autonomic dysreflexia, where pressures suddenly rise to dangerously high levels which can be life-threatening. The full news story is available on the SoMS website.
Cancer Institute NSW – Cancer Research Award 2006
The sponsor will confer a prize valued at $50,000, which must be used to further research, together with a commemorative award. Individual researchers in NSW are eligible for the prize but may not nominate themselves. The Award will be presented at the inaugural Cancer Institute NSW Cancer Research Awards Evening to be held on Thursday, 25th May 2006 at which the recipient must be present.
Website: http://www.cancerinstitute.org.au/
Research Office Deadline: 16 March 2006
Asthma Foundation Of Australia - Asthma Targeted Intervention Grants
Grants of up to $100,000 (plus GST) are being offered to trial innovative and practical evidence-based interventions that aim to improve the diagnosis and management of asthma within specific target groups. The grants are for one year and must commence in June 2006 and be completed by May 2007. Applications are invited from universities, service providers and community based organisations - consortia and/or partnership approaches are encouraged.
Website: http://www.asthma.org.au
Research Office Deadline: 17 March 2006
Events
Pathology Presentations
Rakesh Kumar presented a poster regarding the effectiveness of integrated teaching of histology and histopathology using virtual microscopy during the 3rd APMEC (Asia Pacific Medical Education Conference) meeting held at the National University of Singapore.
Gary Velan made an invited presentation to the Board of Education of the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia on February 17th regarding the use of integrated case-based online formative assessments in the medical sciences (authored and delivered via QuestionMark Perception) for providing feedback and stimulating learning. The Board of Education expressed interest in establishing collaborations between medical schools to use and expand upon assessments already developed.
OHS
Inductions & Risk Assessments
Supervisors need to ensure that all new staff and students have received an OHS induction, especially before they undertake lab work. There are checklists for new staff and new students available on the SoMS OHS website. A risk assessment (RA) is also a part of the induction process and must be done by students and their Academic supervisor prior to work in laboratories. If you have any questions on completing an RA, please contact Michelle Price, (x58288).
Animal Handling Course
The Animal Ethics Committee of UNSW recently ran their Animal Handling course. This course is mandatory if you are working with animals. If you missed out, please contact Michelle Price and she will liaise with the Ethics Secretariat regarding their next course date. SoMS will also be making arrangements for a school-specific extension course.
“New to service” tag for electrical equipment
There is a “new to service” tag for any new electrical items you buy for your area, including computers. This is an important requirement for compliance with Testing requirements under our OHS Management System. Order forms for these tags can be obtained from Michelle Price, (x58288).
OHS Committee - vacancies
The OHS Committee still requires representatives from the areas of Health/ Sport Science, Administration, Phys/ Pharm & Facilities to sit on the OHS Committee to better reflect all departments and areas within SOMS. We also need a student representative for Postgraduates, so we can help address your specific OHS concerns and needs. Nominations for the postgraduate vacancy should be sent to m.price@unsw.edu.au. If two people are nominated for the same position, we will hold a ballot to select the successful person.
Training
There have been new courses added for Risk Assessment and Risk Management. For program details and schedules visit the RMU web site. Please send training requests to m.price@unsw.edu.au with the registrant's and supervisor’s full names, staff/student number, email address, contact number and course preference. RMU courses are free of charge. Staff and students are reminded to attend relevant OHS training programs identified by their supervisor or through their induction.
Museum
OHS in the Museum
The OHS Committee has initiated a risk assessment of the manual handling of Museum Specimens. As an interim measure, students and staff must wear covered shoes in the Museum, and must wear disposable gloves and covered shoes when handling Museum specimens.
If you manually handle the specimens you must be wearing gloves, and enclosed footwear (as in a laboratory). Disposable gloves will be supplied to you and your students. If you have a group of students who must manually handle a pot, they should be wearing disposable gloves. If a student is not wearing disposable gloves and covered shoes, then it is strongly suggested they are NOT to touch the specimen, but look on instead.
New Medical Students (Phase 1) will undergo an induction re: safe handling of specimens within the Museum, and I encourage all supervisors who plan to bring students into the Museum to ensure that they and their students are familiar with these procedures. Supervisors have an OHS responsibility to ensure adequate instruction and training is given to students.
For staff members who have already been inducted in the safe transport of Museum specimens, the wearing of disposable gloves whilst handling specimens is the only additional requirement.
We understand that this is a big change in the way that the specimens are accessed. Please bear in mind that we all have responsibilities as outlined in the UNSW OHS Rights and Accountabilities (which can be viewed at http://www.riskman.unsw.edu.au/ohs/UNSW%20OHS%20Accountability.pdf). This interim measure is a means to ensure that safe work practices and our duty of care to students are maintained within the Museum environment until a full risk assessment is completed.
"Best in Show" in Singapore
Teaching kits purchased with a generous donation from the U Committee, as well as posters and Powerpoint DVDs created by SOMS research groups for the Museum Launch and Medical Research Expo last year have proven very popular at the Education Exhibition held in Singapore from 2-5 March 2006. Along with exhibits on loan from other Faculties at UNSW, our contribution has helped UNSW win "Best in Show" at the Careers 2006 exhibition in Singapore, a large education exhibition for local high school students. Many students had the opportunity to learn about the latest SOMS research activities into the causes, potential treatments and cures for certain diseases, and view outreach kits and models that support the Museum’s school and community programs.
As there are large numbers of International students from Singapore currently enrolled in Medicine, perhaps we will see a further increase in enrolments from Singapore next year!
Swipe Access for Medical Students
Just a reminder that the Museum is open 9-5 Monday to Friday all year around, (excluding public holidays and certain holiday periods). Medical students enrolled in the New Medicine Program and MDSG4001 have been allocated year round swipe access. Students enrolled in PATH3205 will also have access to the Museum in Session 1 2006. PATH2201, PATH3206 and PATH3207 students will be given access in Session 2 2006. If a student is encountering difficulty swiping into the Museum, they may need to visit the e-spot to have their card re-encoded, or get a new card if their old one has expired.