A trifecta of celebrations for Flinders’ medicine elite, SWIRLS experts strut their leadership prowess with international awards, top of the class for emerging engineering star and workshop takes on environmental governance.
Congratulations new Fellow
Professor Jonathan Craig, Vice-President of the College of Medicine and Public Health, has been elected an Ordinary Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences.
The prestigious appointment recognises distinguished achievements and exceptional contributions to health and medical science in Australia.
Fellows serve as a representative and independent voice for the academy and are a vital connection in its engagement with the community, industry and governments.
SWIRLS leaders set the standards
Flinders social work experts have taken out two awards at the Australian New Zealand Social Work and Welfare Education and Research Awards, announced at the ANZSWWER conference in Perth over 3 and 4 October.
Professor Sarah Wendt was co-awarded the Field-University Collaboration Award, which recognised the multiple research projects SWIRLS is undertaking with industry that demonstrate collaborative engagement, leading to real-world, translatable research impact.
Dr Priscilla Dunk-West was awarded the Active Social Media Presence Award, in recognition of her substantial media engagement over a sustained period of time, particularly for radio and print media around the nation on a range of topics connected to her expertise.
The conference announces seven awards to the top teachers and researchers in social work and welfare each year.
Taking home two honours from the 2019 event is testament to Flinders’ impressive strengths in social work, including its Social Work Innovation Research Living Space (SWIRLS) which is rapidly building an international reputation.
Leading surgeon adds No 1 reviewer to fortes
Professor Simon Carney has placed in the world’s top 1% of reviewers in the field of medicine and been named the world’s number one reviewer for head and neck surgery publications. The recognition was awarded by Web of Science, which is the world’s largest publisher-neutral citation index and research intelligence platform.
One of Australia’s leading ear nose and throat surgeons, Professor Carney balances his clinical and academic roles with extensive professional engagement. He is currently the Associate Editor for The American Journal of Rhinology and Allergy and sits on several Editorial Boards, including for Rhinology and Clinical Otolaryngology.
Vision for glaucoma screening sharpens with grant win
Glaucoma Australia announced the inaugural recipients of its Glaucoma Research Grants Program on World Sight Day last week, with Matthew Flinders Distinguished Professor Jamie Craig one of just two researchers to share in a pool of $200,000.
Professor Craig’s research aims to provide evidence to drive early intervention in high-risk individuals before they lose their vision to glaucoma.
The work enabled by the grant funds will form the basis for his five-year vision to deliver cost-effective mass screening for glaucoma. The project is anticipated to progress into a national study with Medical Research Future Fund support, subject to favourable pilot data and the acquisition of a suitable partner.
Professor Craig is Director of the Flinders Centre for Ophthalmology, Eye and Vision, Research Chair and Academic Head of the Department of Ophthalmology in the College of Medicine and Public Health.
Engineering a path to the top
Flinders University student An Lam has won the Craig Gibert Leadership Award, which is presented annually to a South Australian final-year engineering student who has demonstrated outstanding self-discipline, engineering ability, interpersonal skills, and leadership potential.
The award was conferred at Engineers Australia’s Sir Eric Neale Address, an event held in memory of the Honourable Sir Eric Neal who was a past Governor of South Australia and Chancellor of Flinders University.
“Receiving this award in my final year of studies is very special to me, as it marks how far I have come since my first year and reminds me how lucky I am to have had the experiences and opportunities to develop as a leader,” Ms Lam said.
A mechanical and biomedical engineering student, the judges said she had demonstrated consistent dedication in developing her skills and knowledge base, having taken on a range of extracurricular projects including student ambassador for Engineers Australia, and professional development programs throughout her studies.
Ms Lam will join Lockheed Martin as a graduate next year.
Three university medals were also presented at the event, with the Flinders University Medal awarded to Barbara-Anne Kerslake.
Workshop unites leaders for environmental governance
A recent workshop on Transforming Australia’s Resource and Energy Governance brought together Australia’s leading scholars on environmental politics and policy to address the past, present, and future of environmental governance.
The workshop, conducted at Flinders at Victoria Square on 26–27 September, included representatives from Greenpeace, Lock the Gate, the Australia Institute, The Department of Environment and Water and SA Department for Energy and Mining.
They discussed historical and contemporary challenges facing sustainable governance, including the origins of environmental, resource and energy policy failures and successes in Australia, and examining what dynamics shape today’s governance regimes.
It was a timely discussion, with environmental change effecting multiple aspects of Australia’s economy and society.
The workshop, hosted by the Climate and Sustainability Policy Research Group (CASPR) and the Democratic Futures research theme, was convened by Cassandra Star (Flinders University), Jonathan Pickering (University of Canberra) and Rebecca Pearse (University of Sydney), and funded by the Australian Political Studies Association (APSA).
