Department of Anaesthetic and Perioperative Medicine

Research interests

• Thromboelastography (TEG) in Obstetrics benchmarking
• Safety of erector spinae and serratus plane catheters
• SQUEEZE study on perioperative vasopressor use
• Tissue cephazolin levels in surgical patients
• Just-in-time trial for pre-procedural teaching of nasal intubation

Quality improvement projects

• SCORE project - Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) protocols for patients having lower limb joint replacements
• Preanaesthesia Evaluation Unit (PAEU) project - preoperative workup adequacy
• Management of perioperative anaemia
• Management of perioperative diabetes
• First up neck of femur fracture (NOF) - early access to theatre for NOF patients
• On-time start for theatre efficiency
• Neuraxial connectors changeover
• Adult and paediatric fasting clock

Ongoing quality assurance audits

• Outcomes of rib fractures in the elderly
• ERAS protocol for laparotomy patients
• Management of surgical patients taking methadone and suboxone
• Cell salvage usage
• Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) audit of obstetric anaesthesia/analgesia outcomes
• Regional anaesthesia database

Cardiology

Research interests

• Computed tomography (CT) calcium scoring for cardiovascular risk assessment
• Use of pre and post-biotics on myocardial function in chronic kidney disease
• Primary prevention of cardiovascular disease
• Factors affecting myocardial blood flow
• Primary, secondary and registry healthcare data linkage
• Dynamic consent
• Predictors of outcome - COVID-19
• Assessment of microvascular function - cardiac and skeletal muscle injury
• Multimodality imaging

Clinical trial areas of interest and experience

• Treatments for heart failure
• Treatments for prevention of cardiovascular events
• Risk stratification following acute myocardial infarction
• New interventional therapies for the treatment of heart disease
• Novel methods for improving outcomes - cardiac rehabilitation
• Exercise therapies - improving outcomes for myocardial infarction and acute coronary syndrome

Dermatology

Research interests

• Collaboration with the Dermatology Research Centre at the University of Queensland’s Diamantina Institute into naevus research and melanoma prevention
• 3D body photography and dermoscopy for high risk melanoma patients
• Teledermatology
• Skin cancer
• Clinical trials
• Melanoma drug resistance

Clinical trial areas of interest and experience

• Treatment of skin cancers in immune compromised patients
• Hidradenitis suppurativa

Department of Emergency Medicine

Research themes and interests

• Care of the geriatric patient
• Care of the paediatric patient
• Drowning
• Mental health and vulnerable populations
• Emergency department staff welfare

Clinical trial areas of interest and experience

• Sepsis - RESPOND (paediatric) and ARISE-FLUIDS (adult)
• BUCKLED (paediatric fracture management)
• SONIC (paediatric neck injuries)

Gastroenterology / Hepatology

Research interests

Gastroenterology

• Pancreatobiliary diseases
• Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) including contrast-enhanced EU

Hepatology

• Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
• Viral Hepatitis
• Hepatocellular carcinoma
• Cirrhosis epidemiology in Australia
• Portal hypertension
• Community based treatment of liver disease

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

• Therapeutic drug monitoring
• Real world outcomes in biologic therapies
• Intestinal Ultrasound in IBD
• Acute Severe Ulcerative Colitis
• Checkpoint Inhibitor use in Colitis

Clinical trial areas of interest and experience

Gastroenterology

• Novel therapies for the treatment of Crohn’s disease
• Use of ultrasound to predict outcomes in acute severe ulcerative colitis

Hepatology

• Novel drug combinations for treatments of liver cancer
• Anti-viral therapies in Hepatitis C
• Community based assessment of Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (LOCATE-NAFLD)
• Effect of antibiotics on the natural history of primary sclerosing cholangitis

Intensive Care Services

Local research interests

• Aetiology of renal failure, identification of biomarkers and development of new therapies in collaboration with industry partners
• Shock resuscitation, microcirculation and metabolism with a focus on resuscitation strategies and phase of illness
• Medical emergency teams
• Paediatric sepsis
• Renal replacement therapy, regional citrate anticoagulation, electrolytes and acid base balance
• Out of hospital cardiac arrests
• Early mobilisation in ICU patients
• Critical Care Guideline based dosing of antibiotics in sepsis

Clinical trial areas of interest and experience

Optimising antibiotic treatment for bloodstream infections
ICU treatment of COVID-19 patients
Effects of early activity and mobilisation on ventilated ICU patients
Targeted treatments for out of hospital cardiac arrests
Comparing fluid therapies in diabetic ketoacidosis
Antibiotic pharmacokinetics in critically ill patients
Guideline based dosing of beta lactam antibiotics in critical illness
Therapies for paediatric sepsis
Citrate metabolism in renal dialysis patients
Platform trial for treatments of community acquired pneumonia
Antibiotic dosing in children in ICU
Nutrition in ICU
Examining biomarkers of stress in ICU patients

Mental Health and Addiction Services

Research interests

• Sexual health and sexuality in people with major mental illness
• Health-e-Minds participatory and personalised mental health platforms to encourage and support healthy living behaviours for people with mental illness
• Suicide prevention
• Reflective practice evaluation
• Metabolic abnormalities in mental illness
• Experiences of supported accommodation for people with a mental illness
• Outcomes of high-risk youth with severe, complex and persistent mental health problems
• Community clinical complexity and unmet consumer need

Nephrology

Research interests

• Dialysis vascular access
• Caregivers of people with kidney disease
• Chronic kidney disease mineral and bone disorder (CKD-MBD)
• Large clinical trials
• Disadvantaged populations with kidney disease
• Elderly and kidney disease
• Diet and kidney disease

Clinical trial areas of interest and experience

• polycystic kidney disease
• diabetes mellitus
• anaemia
• dialysis filters
• dialysis treatment hours
• renal and cardiovascular outcomes
• dietary outcomes including use of pre- and probiotics
• chronic kidney disease

Neuroscience and Geriatrics

Research interests

• Growing a strong Neuroscience and Geriatric Research Collaborative to increase research activities in collaboration with stakeholders. This includes:
  • multidisciplinary care
  • physical activity
  • cognitive recovery
  • health service research
  • rehabilitation and recovery from age related diseases and impairments.
• Investigate the impact of clinically led innovation of the integrated electronic medical record (ieMR) for stroke on integrated care, interprofessional practice and real-time data analytics
• Contribute to large international, multi-site randomised clinical trials
• Efficacy of telerehabilitation post stroke as a new model of care

Clinical trial areas of interest and experience

Optimal early mobility training in patients after stroke
Novel therapies for the prevention of stroke
Therapeutic medical approaches to treating acute ischaemic stroke
Therapies to reduce haemorrhage in stroke

Oncology

Research interests

• Immunotherapy in Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 positive Breast Cancer
• Elacestrant in Metastatic Breast Cancer
• Adjuvant Ribociclib in Breast Cancer
• Immunotherapy in Small Cell Lung Cancer
• Niraparib in Metastatic Prostate Cancer
• Immunotherapy and Denosumab in Kidney Cancer
• Regorafenib in Advanced Gastro-Oesophageal Cancer
• Clinical Trials
• Zanubrutinib in Mantle Cell Lymphoma
• Tafasitamab plus Lenalidomide in Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma
• ctDNA informed Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Pancreas and Rectal Cancers

Clinical trial areas of interest and experience

All staff have clinical trials experience with the following tumour streams:

Medical oncology

• bladder
• breast
• colorectal
• upper gastrointestinal tract
• lung
• melanoma
• ovarian and gynaecological
• prostate
• pancreas

Haematology

• diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
• multiple myeloma
• mantle cell lymphoma
• chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Respiratory and Sleep Medicine

The Respiratory Medicine Department sits within the Sunshine Coast University Hospital. It's a multidisciplinary team focused on delivering quality respiratory and sleep care across Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service.

We lead local translational research in addition to participating in state, national and international clinical trials. We use research to improve patient care, and give individual patients access to the best current and future therapies.

The Respiratory Department is currently part of a variety of investigator-led studies and holds a number of active local and national research grants. We collaborate with local stakeholders including the University of the Sunshine Coast and the Sunshine Coast Health Institute, as well as other state and national health and research organisations.

Surgery

Surgery sub-specialties

• Colorectal Surgery
• Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Surgery
• General Surgery
• Ophthalmology
• Orthopaedic Surgery
• Plastics and Reconstructive Surgery
• Surgical Nursing Research
• Trauma Service
• Urology
• Vascular Surgery

Maternal and child health

Our research concentrates on two main areas:

• optimal care in the peri-partum period (the time preceding or following childbirth)
• the first 1000 days of a child's life.

We want to increase our understanding of:

• promoting healthy pregnancy and normal birth
• early identification and care for infants, children, and families with identifiable risk factors.

Our Women's and Families department leads this research.

Research interests

Maternity

• promoting normal birth and reducing unnecessary caesarean section
• intravenous access and fluid management in labour
• haemorrhage after the birth
• gestational diabetes and working with women with high body mass index (BMI)
• midwifery models of care and upscaling of continuity approaches

Neonatal, Paediatrics and Child Health

• paediatric inter-facility transfers
• neonatal (newborn) nutrition
• safe sleeping practices for infants
• health of children in care
• cerebral palsy
• service delivery for high risk-infants

Clinical trial areas of interest and experience

• multi-site trials
• quit smoking initiatives

Practice education

In our research into practice education, we concentrate on these three themes:

• interprofessional education and collaborative practice
• workforce and career development pathways
• education technology.

Our Practice Development department leads this research. They work on:

• professional practice leadership
• nursing and midwifery leadership, education, and support
• clinical practice education
• clinical coaching
• coaching tools in practice
• leadership coaching.

Infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance

We focus on biomedical research into all aspects of human infectious diseases. This topic has several broad research themes that represent our strengths:

• better understanding of the presence, origin, and transmission of infectious diseases and their antimicrobial resistance
• enhancement of antimicrobial stewardship measures
• characterisation of chronic infectious diseases
• optimise pharmacodynamics for combating antimicrobial resistance infections.

Infectious Diseases Services

Research interests

• infection and society: the social influences on infection prevention, management and antimicrobial use
• antimicrobial resistance/microbiology.

Clinical trial areas of interest and experience

• Australasian COVID-19 Trial (ASCOT): An international multi-centre randomised clinical trial to assess the clinical, virological and immunological outcomes in patients diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 Infection (COVID-19).
• Ri-CoDIFy: Comparison of ridinilazole versus vancomycin treatment for Clostridium difficile infection.
• Australian HIV observational database: The first and the largest national observational cohort of HIV positive persons in Australia investigating treatment uptake and monitoring disease progression.

Pharmacy

Infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance

We work on:

• optimising antibiotic dosing in critically ill adult patients
• new methodology to deliver evidence-based dosing of antibiotics to treat infants and children with severe infection
• antimicrobial use in children evaluated for sepsis during the introduction of a statewide sepsis collaboration in Queensland, Australia
• penicillin allergy de-labelling at the front door - pharmacist-led implementation at SCUH
• new strategy for piperacillin/tazobactam and ceftriaxone, Infection Risk and Evaluation Study (INSPIRE)
• stability of Beta-lactam antimicrobials during home antimicrobial therapy.

Optimising health service delivery and management

• evaluation of our Pyxis implementation