Innovation in practice

 A message from Executive Dean of Health Sciences Professor Suzanne Chambers.

Last month, on 21 June, we saw the passing of our winter solstice, the day when the tilt of the earth’s axis is such that the sun follows its lowest and shortest path through the sky, resulting in the shortest day and longest night of the year. 

The winter solstice is an annual astronomical turning point that for many prompts a reflection on the passage of time, the cycles of nature, balance, and hope for renewal and the future.  And winter has certainly been a season of future-thinking and action for the Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS), and for innovation and leadership.   

‘Action’ describes what our exercise scientists have been up to as they actively encouraged everyone on the McAuley at Banyo Campus in Brisbane to ‘just move’ for this year’s theme of Exercise Right Week, 20 - 26 May, an initiative of Exercise & Sports Science Australia (ESSA).

Exercise Right Week is an annual awareness initiative held in May every year to highlight the benefits of exercise for health and well-being, and to help people access tailored advice for their individual needs.   One of the main initiatives was the ‘stairway to heaven’, whereby staff and students were encouraged use the back car park and climb the 80 stairs to campus under the sounds of various versions of Led Zeppelin’s ‘Stairway to Heaven’.  Many of our exercise scientists were co-authors on a report showing that being active, particularly walking or jogging, yoga and resistance training are the most effective forms of exercise for treating depression, especially when intense.  Dancing was very beneficial, so get on your dancing shoes!

A number of ministerial visits to the university took place in May, including a visit by the Honorable Ged Kearney MP to our Melbourne Campus, where she spoke to our nursing students.  The focus of these visits was the recent Federal Government budget announcement for financial support for nursing, midwifery, social work and teaching students during mandatory placements.  I continue to be in awe of the incredible work of our staff and students who never hesitate to step up.  Our students are indeed bright stars for the future of health and teaching.

In an innovative initiative, FHS and community partner cohealth have collaborated on a project titled ‘Interprofessional Student-led allied health service for residents in social housing: An evidence-based co-designed initiative’. cohealth is a not-for-profit community health organisation, which aims to improve the health and wellbeing of our communities and to address health and social inequity. The project will explore how interprofessional student-led services might sustainably increase capacity to meet the unmet demand for health services in social housing. ACU students will get the opportunity to work in this specialised area, gain valuable skills in interprofessional working, and in doing so increase sustainable work placements for students with cohealth and Access Health and Community within the City of Yarra.  This is innovation in practice.

And last, but not least, it was wonderful to see our Associate Dean, Learning, Teaching and Professional Experience, appointed to the Executive Committee for the Australian Council of Senior Academic Leaders in Digital Health (ACSALDH).  The ACSALDH will harness the combined academic power of leaders from across the 34 founding member universities to advance the application of digital technology, informatics and data science to health in Australia.  So, back to Stairway to Heaven.  Many people have mused and written about what this lovely song means.  The take I like is that it is an invitation to move, learn, see and listen in commune with nature.  It sounds like good advice to me and fits with our recent BMJ article, where the authors hypothesised thatdifferent approaches combined, for example immersion in green spaces and social support alongside actual exercise, likely work in combination for better wellbeing.  I think that’s good advice and encourage you all to look for opportunities to put this into practice. And dance whenever you can!  And as we move into August, lets enjoy our winter!  And perhaps reflect on the words of Paul Theroux, who described winter as a season of recovery and preparation.