Sink or Swim: Drowning the Next Generation of Research Leaders?
In life, heroes are few and far between. Yet passionate, selfless and inspirational people abound in the discipline of health and medical research; or at least they did once. In an increasingly competitive sink-or-swim academic environment is Australia doing enough to nurture the talents of our next generation of inspirational research leaders? Or are we allowing our future heroes to drown?
Moira Clay
Spacecraft, Clocks and Black Holes
You might say that Astronomy is the art of staring into space, yet for over 50 years the Parkes radio telescope in NSW has been undertaking research that has changed the way we look at our past and our future. From televising the Moon Landing to listening to the heartbeat of the universe, the Parkes telescope is proof that the stars do have an effect on our everyday lives and that it may be more than you think.
George Hobbs
Closing the Evidence-Practice Gaps
With increasing research evidence and continuous development of innovations in health care, it is often considered this will result in improved quality and safety of at the point-of-care. However, this is not always so. The difference between what we know from the best available research evidence, and what actually happens in current health care practice, is called evidence-practice gaps. The impact of these gaps can be significant, and overcoming them is complex but necessary for the future health of all Australians.
Saravana Kumar
Personalising Medicine: Are We There Yet?
The use of genetic and other detailed biological characteristics of an individual to improve the clinical outcomes of drug therapy has been widely touted in the context of a paradigm shift in medicine. Yet how far away are we from medicines and treatments tailored to our specific genetic roadmap, able to maximise drug efficacy and minimise side-effects – or are we there already?
Michael Sorich and Ross McKinnon
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