Author Archives: pamela

Reshaping Mental Health Resources: A Collaborative Approach

Join us for a panel discussion to explore how integrating the voices of children and their parents can transform the work we do in mental health. We will share our projects and insights, emphasising the impact of lived experience on the supports and resources we create. We will discuss practical insights for supporting lived experience in research, knowledge translation and clinical practice and challenge current assumptions to reshape mental health resources and how they are created.

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Localising efforts to improve care for children in a global world, to reach those in greatest need

Globally, we face many common challenges. Yet how do we address these in different health contexts to ensure that the right care reaches those who need it the most, in the right way? Decentralisation, localisation, “glocalisation”…many labels been applied to approaches, and debate ensues about which approach is “right”. Yet the aim is common – best care, best outcomes, everywhere. 

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You could make this place beautiful – Narrative Medicine in a children’s hospital

In 2023, Dr Mariam Tokhi and Dr Fiona Reilly launched Australia’s first Narrative Medicine course at the University of Melbourne, teaching medical students. In this Grand Round, they will share the vision they have for integrating Narrative Medicine skills into the worlds of university education as well as community and hospital medicine. 

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Parental refusal of treatment for leukaemia – When courts decide

Olivia is a 14-year-old girl from rural NSW who was diagnosed with Pre B Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL).  The treatment is long and arduous, but if treated immediately has a 90 percent survival rate. Without treatment she will die within four weeks. Olivia has other conditions including epileptic encephalopathy (DEE), a severe intellectual disability, global developmental delay, communication difficulties, drug-resistant seizures and behavioural difficulties. The cancer therapy would require Olivia to have over 50 general anaesthetics as she won’t accept treatment without being restrained.  

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Aboriginal child health and Out of Home Care in Victoria

The Royal Children’s Hospital had over 7000 interactions with Aboriginal children and families last year.  Wadja Aboriginal Family Place Case Managers provide culturally sensitive support and care coordination to Aboriginal and Torres Strait families attending the hospital, either as inpatients or outpatients. 

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The revolution in the treatment of genetic skeletal disorders: precision therapy in practice

Over the past 15 years, the treatment of genetic skeletal disorders has evolved from purely symptomatic, to the emergence of several precision therapies that promise to change the health outcomes of children affected by these conditions. We have led this knowledge transformation, enabled and fueled by the genomics revolution. This Grand Round will update the progress on the precision treatment of genetic skeletal disorders that sets a template for the better treatment of many other rare genetic conditions.

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International Women’s Day 2024: Count her in: Invest in women. Accelerate progress.

Please join us for a thought-provoking International Women’s Day (IWD) Grand Round panel discussion with four exceptional women. As we continue to strive for gender equality and economic empowerment for women and girls, we will explore how best to invest in women and promote women in leadership, taking into account the impacts of the pandemic, with a focus on storytelling and learning from each other.

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The Centre for Adolescent Health: Supporting the healthy development of young people

Spanning the three campus partners, the Centre for the Adolescent Health has driven actions for adolescent health over more than 3 decades, with the aim of understanding and promoting the healthy development of young people, locally and globally. Newly appointed as a Professor of Adolescent Health, Professor Peter Azzopardi will share his personal journey in adolescent health, and in doing so will celebrate the legacy of the late Professor George Patton. 

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We need to talk about sepsis!

In the emergency setting, sepsis is the primary or differential diagnosis for a substantial proportion of febrile or unwell children. In this Grand Round, we will discuss challenges with early recognition and initial management of sepsis in children. We will discuss RCH efforts to improve the care of children with sepsis, including local, national, and international collaborations.

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