End-of Life project secures funding to 2023, Poche leadership update, national awards for film and science alumni, and students excel in Innovation Games.
Extension for End-of-Life Essentials project
The End-of-Life Essentials project – based at the College of Nursing and Health Sciences - has received ongoing recognition and support from an Australian Government Department of Health grant, securing funding for the project until 30 June 2023.
End-of-Life Essentials provides free online education and training for nurses, doctors and allied health professionals to improve the quality of end-of-life care in hospitals around Australia.
This is the third successful funding round for the project, which reflects its increasing registrations and 15,000 learners having completed the online training learning modules in the past five years.
Project leads Associate Professor Kim Devery and Deb Rawlings are delighted that the training modules are increasing professionals’ knowledge, skills and confidence in end-of-life care in Australian acute hospitals.
They will be developing further education for health care professionals in the crucial areas of providing care to under-served populations – specifically for people who are culturally and linguistically diverse, LGBTI communities and those people living with mental illness.
The new online modules will be developed and made available in addition to the project’s existing evidence-based and peer-reviewed modules, which include areas such as recognising end of life, goals of care, and dying.
More information about the project can be found at https://www.endoflifeessentials.com.au/
Spotlight on ace cinematographer
Creative Arts Alumni Nick Matthews ACS recently won the Milli Award at the Australian Cinematographers Association National Awards presentation.
The Milli Award, which is the highest award an Australian Cinematographer can receive from the association, recognised his work for the movie Hotel Mumbai, which was shot in Adelaide and India. This work also attracted the attention of Hollywood’s Variety magazine, who identified Nick as one of the “10 Cinematographers to watch”.
Since completing Hotel Mumbai, Mr Matthews has been shooting films in Hungary, France, New York, Boston and Texas, on projects starring Diane Keaton, Jeremy Irons, Ruby Rose, Sam Heughan, Andy Serkis, Elizabeth McGovern, Tom Wilkinson, Blythe Danner, Sam Waterston and Guy Pearce.
See also this Flinders University article on Mr Matthews’ success.
New Poche lead
Dr Maree Meredith has been announced Acting Director of Flinders University’s Poche Centre for Indigenous Health (Poche Flinders).
Previously Deputy Director of Poche Flinders, she steps into the role following the recent departure of Director Shane Mohor.
Poche Flinders has three sites in Darwin, Alice Springs and Adelaide, with Dr Meredith based out of the Darwin office.
Dr Meredith’s career with Flinders University commenced in 2012. From 2012- 2017 she was both a student and an academic located in Alice Springs at the Centre for Remote Health (CRH). In 2018 she became the first PhD graduate of the Flinders Poche Centre for Indigenous Health.
She received an Australian Research Council (ARC) Scholarship to investigate the health promotion benefits of art centres on the Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY Lands), which formed the basis for her PhD. Dr Meredith’s current research centres on how Aboriginal art centres are critical to maintain and improve health and happiness in remote Indigenous communities, and how western health systems can embrace the unique holistic health benefits and social networking created by these centres.
See also Dr Meredith’s profile this week.
Alumnus new science Fellow
The Australian Academy of Science has announced its new Fellows for 2020, including alumnus Dr Wenju Cai PhD(EarthSc) ’93, who received a Flinders University Convocation Medal in 2017.
Fellows of the Academy are among Australia’s most distinguished scientists, elected by their peers for ground-breaking research and contributions.
Dr Cai is the Director, Centre for Southern Hemisphere Oceans Research at the CSIRO. His specialist research area is global climate variability and change.
Innovative students on the winning team
Two students from Flinders University were in the winning team for the National Innovation Games in South Australia, a hack-a-thon inspired challenge that brings together organisations, students and researchers to find innovative solutions to real problems.
Daniel Shevyrou (Bachelor of Exercise Science) and Matthew Iasiello (PhD candidate in Mental Wellbeing) worked on the challenge with seven colleagues from the University of Adelaide, University of South Australia, Deakin University and Western Sydney University.
In the format of the competition, they worked alongside representatives from ECH, Personify Care, Global Centre for Modern Ageing and Adelaide Design Network, and mentors from SA Health and the Commission on Excellence and Innovation in Health in Adelaide to find new ways to deliver healthcare services for South Australians.
The National Innovation Games is funded by the Australian Government and delivered by Paddl Co. (a startup developing new ways to prepare business and talent for the future of work), through the Council of Small Business Organisations of Australia.