Monthly Archives: July 2015

The elephant in the room – type 1 diabetes, adverse brain development and metabolic control

Arguably the pre-eminent developmental task of childhood is to grow a good brain. Glucose is the primary metabolic fuel for the brain- peaking at 140-170 grams per day at around 5 years of age with a constant supply critical for normal cerebral metabolism. Thus it is not surprising that developing brains in early childhood are more susceptible to metabolic insult, particularly those resulting from perturbations in blood glucose levels. Type 1 diabetes (T1DM) is one of the most common chronic diseases of childhood and the condition most likely to cause the greatest fluctuations in blood glucose

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Ethical Leadership Without Easy Answers

There is no easy formula for ethical leadership in a world where systematic ethical analysis is rare and cognitive processes work against us. We will explore how we can meet these challenges and lead more ethically

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The new frontiers of medical engineering

The development of new medical technology requires the collaboration of engineering, IT, medicine, science and industrial design. The Monash Institute of Medical Engineering (MIME) fosters the development of new medical technologies across the whole spectrum of medical science. A prime example of this is the bionic vision device which has been developed over the last five years. This is a ‘brain-machine’ device to restore visual function to blind individuals. I will be presenting this research project but also some of the other exciting areas of medical engineering including the development of replacement body parts such as the ear and the trachea using bio-printing techniques and ‘laboratory on-a-chip’ technology. There is great scope for medical engineering in paediatrics.

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Breastfeeding and health – providing evidence for the WHO mega-review

Although breast milk is considered the perfect food for babies, there is continued controversy concerning its association with a wide range of health outcomes. Dr Caroline Lodge has led three systematic reviews investigating the associations between breastfeeding and: allergic disease (asthma, eczema, allergic rhinitis and food allergy), acute otitis media and, childhood dental caries

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