Author Archives: stevenrennie

The impact of a rare disease program on the Melbourne Children’s campus

Rare Diseases Now (RDNow) was established in 2019 with funding from The Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation to provide an advanced, clinically integrated diagnostic pathway for children with rare diseases (RD). We have delivered value to children and families by providing access to frontier multi-omics technologies, working on solutions to optimise rare disease care and upskilling the workforce.  In this Grand Round we will describe the impact of our work at the individual, team and national levels and show how the Melbourne Children’s Campus is positioned as a global leader in rare disease care.​

.

14th Annual Bioethics Conference – The Ethics of Innovation

From the invention of the wheel, the telephone and the light bulb, to the first computer, innovation has been inextricably tied up with human curiosity and our tendency to think about and try new and better ways of doing things. In medicine, advances such as vaccine technology, the development of pharmaceuticals and data gathering and processing methods, to the completion of the human genome project, have impacted the health of generations, arguably for the better. Yet innovation raises important questions about who scientific “breakthroughs” serve and what values drive such “progress”. This presentation explores the relationship between bioethics and innovation. It considers the role of ethics in innovation and team science, and proposes a framework for a “bioethics of innovation” in paediatric research and practice. It concludes with a reflection on what doing “innovative bioethics” might entail.

.

Every child in every community needs a fair go

This Grand Round, in the lead up to Child Protection Week 3-9th September, will focus on how as a health service we can identify children who are at risk of missing out on essential medical care. Each year at RCH thousands of health care encounters are missed when children and young people are not brought for scheduled appointments. For some children this can lead to harm, and rarely even have fatal consequences. As a health service we need to consider what the impacts are for these children and be aware of our role in reducing the risk of harm in this vulnerable group.  

.

Reddihough Symposium: Disability care in 2023

What does disability care for children and young people look like in 2023, and what could it be like in the future? In 2023 it is more holistic, more funded, more early intervention, more complex, and more positive for children and their families.

.

Equity research in Paediatric care: Challenges and opportunities

Unconscious bias can play a role in both clinical care and patient experiences.  Determining the presence and magnitude of inequity can be methodologically challenging in children’s research.  This presentation will frame opportunities to investigate and address inequities through the lens of improvement science using patient safety as a model.

.

What happened when we invited design students into the PICU

We are all problem solvers. We are accustomed to applying the scientific method and quality improvement models to deliver better care. Design thinking is an approach to solving problems that emphasizes a human-centred and iterative process to create innovative solutions. Six years ago, we invited design students into the PICU to see if we could find better ways of teaching congenital heart disease. This is the story of that journey.

.

reNEW: Transforming lives with stem cell medicine

Scientific advances now allow researchers to identify, isolate and engineer stem cells. reNEW aims to deliver treatment outcomes across the breadth of stem cell medicine – new drugs based on human stem cell models, new tissue therapies, and new cell and gene therapies. We look forward to presenting how stem cell medicine and reNEW are advancing treatments for delivery into the clinic across many currently untreatable diseases.

.

30 years of Musculoskeletal Research in Cerebral Palsy: From Melbourne to Basel and Boston (and back!)

In three parts, this Grand Round intends to describe the significant developments in the management of musculoskeletal conditions associated with cerebral palsy. First, the critical role that the Victorian Cerebral Palsy Register (VCPR) has played in epidemiological research, clinical research, and public health policy will be outlined. The second section will discuss technical developments in the management of Neuromuscular Hip Dysplasia, including novel imaging techniques and new aids for surgeons when considering surgical treatment. The final section will focus on common gait problems in children with cerebral palsy, as well as novel treatment concepts

.

NAIDOC Week – For Our Elders: celebrating the valuable contribution of Elders in the work of the Melbourne Children’s Campus

This year’s NAIDOC Week Theme, ‘For Our Elders’ celebrates the valuable contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders in all areas of Australia. Please join Melbourne Children’s Campus leaders in Aboriginal and Torres Islander healthcare in a panel discussion about the crucial role that Elders play in our services, programs, care and research. The panel aims to acknowledge and celebrate the often hidden guidance, influence and advocacy of Elders in health.

.

Medicines for ADHD: They work, but are they safe?

Meta-analyses show that medication is an effective treatment pathway in children and adolescents diagnosed with ADHD. These medications are also commonly associated with a number of side effects and risk factors for other conditions, which are less well understood by practitioners. This Grand Round intends to balance understanding of the efficacy of ADHD medication with the potential risks, and provide evidence for the safety of ADHD medication prescription in clinical practice.

.