News

Health professionals from around Queensland are gearing up to travel to Thursday Island for the much-anticipated HOT NORTH regional teaching workshop on 24-25 July. Attendees include nurses, Indigenous health practitioners, remote medical practitioners and allied health professionals.

In collaboration with James Cook University and Menzies School of Health Research, the HOT NORTH workshop will feature talks and presentations from clinicians, researchers and local and interstate experts about the latest work in northern Australia and beyond.

The workshop will give HOT NORTH researchers and Queensland health professionals the opportunity to strengthen relationships and facilitate learning experiences that develop and transform health practices across the north of Australia.

Dr Anthony Brown, the Executive Director of Medical Services for the Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service, said the meeting will concentrate on education, career development and mentoring of regional and remote health professionals.

“This is a very exciting event for the Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service (TCHHS) and especially the health professionals who live and work in the isolation of the Torres Strait and Northern Peninsula Area because this forum will support them to develop skills to deliver higher quality health care to the community they serve. It will also help the TCHHS to retain and advance the careers of our workforce,” said Dr Brown.

With a specific focus on regional issues, local experts will bring to light local health concerns facing the people living in the Torres Strait and other parts of far north Queensland (FNQ). Topics include the following:

• Local Torres Strait research interests and priorities
• Renal disease, diabetes in pregnancy and youth
• Vector borne diseases and cross-border issues
• Sepsis, pneumonia and melioidosis
• New initiatives in rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease
• Rehab, lifestyle and health in chronic disease

“It’s great to have a forum where TCHHS professionals can discuss career aspirations and what they see from their own practice as priority areas for locally relevant future research,” Dr Brown said.

Building off the success and feedback from workshops held in Broome, WA and Katherine, NT, Professor Bart Currie the Director of HOT NORTH believes the Torres Strait Islander workshop will provide important education, career development and mentoring to regional and remote health professionals in FNQ.

“It was clear from the Broome and Katherine workshops that attendees are especially keen to hear about how the latest research is being translated into practice relevant to their circumstances, but also to have their say in what is important. They value the regional engagement and collaboration that occurs and appreciate how events like this bring together organisations and people to share ideas and knowledge,” said Professor Currie.

NOT NORTH is a four-year National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) funded research program working to improve health outcomes in the tropical north of Australia.

Based at Menzies School of Health Research, HOT NORTH utilises a strong collaborative approach between researchers and community, drawing on the expertise of research professionals from eight of Australia’s leading research organisations:

• Menzies School of Health Research
• James Cook University
• Telethon Kids Institute
• Marie Bashir Institute
• Doherty Institute
• South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute
• QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute
• Burnet Institute

Event location:
Port Kennedy Hall, Thursday Island QLD

Media Contact:
Sean Rung | Communications Officer, HOT NORTH | T: 045 0701 003 | sean.rung@menzies.edu.au

Menzies School of Health Research
Menzies School of Health Research is one of Australia’s leading medical research institutes dedicated to improving Indigenous, global and tropical health. Menzies has a history of over 30 years of scientific discovery and public health achievement. Menzies works at the frontline, joining with partners across the Asia-Pacific as well as Indigenous communities across northern and central Australia. Menzies collaborates to create new knowledge, grow local skills and find enduring solutions to problems that matter.