Supporting our communities

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

Pope Francis, in his comments on the recent Olympic Games, spoke about the power of sport “to unite people, to promote dialogue and mutual acceptance; it stimulates self-overcoming, fosters a spirit of sacrifice, and encourages loyalty in interpersonal relationships; it invites the recognition of one’s own limits and the value of others."

As the Paralympics continue these words resonate powerfully with the achievements of our students, alumni and staff. ACU has one current student and three alumni competing at the Paralympics in Paris. Brenden Hall, a physiotherapy student in Brisbane, has not only won a bronze medal in the swimming, but was also the Australian Flag Bearer for the Opening Ceremony. Celine Vinot, who graduated in 2021, with a Bachelor of Exercise Science/Bachelor of Business Administration is competing in badminton, and Melissa Tapper, who graduated in 2010 with a Bachelor of Exercise Science, is competing in table tennis. We should all take great pride in these remarkable individuals and their achievements.

I continue to be inspired by ACU’s staff, in the commitment they show to the greater good and to the value they place on their local, national and international communities.

With paramedicine students working with the Timorese Ambulance Service, physiotherapy and occupational therapy students working in the National Hospital in Dili; nursing and exercise science students working together with community partners in Baucau Veterans’ Clinic and exercise science students continuing the 15-year ‘Future in Youth’ partnership working with local schools to increase the quality and quantity of physical activity. Our students and staff remain committed to the greater good, working with communities less privileged than many of our own, whilst broadening and lifting our students awareness of how Australia operates in the region. All the programs continued the long running engagement and capacity building relationships that ACU has with myriad partners in Timor Leste – confirming and expanding our ongoing commitment to the country and our colleagues there. As part of National Colombo Plan funded programs, many of these students and staff visited the Australian Embassy to meet the First Secretary for Health and learn about the Australian Government’s work in Timor Leste.

A team of psychologists from the School of Behavioural and Health Sciences recently secured a grant from the ACT Road Safety Fund Community Grants Program to conduct workshops to understand the needs of ACT residents retiring from driving with a view to developing a toolkit with practical resources, psycho-social education, and links to established support services. It is anticipated that the resources will be available online following the project, to provide ongoing support to ACT residents at the conclusion of the project.

Meanwhile, an interdisciplinary health sciences team has successfully led the National Care Workforce Alliance (NaCWA)’s training session, ‘Care Work Essentials: Getting Ready to Work in the Care Sector’. Five of NaCWA’s partners, ACU, Ballycara, Burnie Brae, Centacare, and Xavier, co-created the training to provide a standardised industry-wide induction for all workers in the care sector, no matter their employer/s, to help inspire, prepare and empower them for a career in the care sector. The training trial was attended by a group of ACU allied health students together with job seekers from MTC Australia. Read more in the Australian Ageing Agenda.

Recently, the ACU Allied Health Clinic team put together a media release and article on its Occupational Therapy Boot Camp, a program designed to enable independence for stroke survivors. This is just one of the many great programs run in the ACU Allied Health Clinic, which provides both quality clinical placements to ACU students as well as valued services to clients in the community.

ACU's/NRI’s Professor Sandy Middleton together with her team at St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney Nursing Research Institute and the QASC Program have designed cost-effective and easy to implement protocols to improve stroke outcomes and survival rates in the 72 hours following a stroke. These protocols have now been successfully implemented across all stroke units in NSW, and in 72 hospitals across 18 European countries – saving lives and transforming stroke patient care. Now this life-changing research has been showcased as a prestigious NHMRC Impact Case Study and has ben summarised on Workplace.

A final thought as we move into spring. Spring is the season that brings the promise of renewal. After the winter period, spring brings new growth and life and is a symbol of hope. So, enjoy spring and all it brings for you, and thanks to our staff for their work to support our students’ success, and for the hope and inspiration they bring to our community.