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Update from the Vice President and Executive Dean
In a week full of highlights, interacting with staff and students, learning of the impact that our educational and research programs have on individuals and communities, a couple have left an indelible impression.
I had the privilege of meeting with four final-year paramedicine students. They were celebrating after an assessment when a member of the public experienced an unfortunate event. They did the right thing, and immediately offered assistance until the fully qualified paramedics arrived. They were so impressive, as people, with diverse stories and backgrounds, and clearly had benefited from their paramedicine program in providing the sort of care that we would all hope for in that situation. I happened to sit next to an industry leader at an honorary awards ceremony on Monday night, and learnt that his son was doing our paramedicine degree, and was loving it. We are so proud of our paramedicine program, its students, its staff, our critical relationship with the South Australian Ambulance Service and St Johns in the Northern Territory, and the impact they have on the health of our communities when members are at their most vulnerable.
Yesterday, we held our annual appreciation afternoon tea, when we acknowledged our partners, sponsors, and supporters, as well as our students and staff. It was an amazing event as we learnt of the impact of how small and large acts of generosity really do matter. My thanks to those who contributed – Karen Lower, Andrew Makkink, Peter McDonald, Kayla Vitale, Luke Grundy, Aelon Rahmani, Billie Bonevski, and Courtney Ryder – as well as staff who invited industry partners and student reps. It was a marvellous celebration of the shared vision to make a difference to the health of communities through research and education.
Vice President and Executive Dean, College of Medicine and Public Health)
Congratulations
Congratulations to CMPH awardees in the National Industry PhD Program
Congratulations to Jon Karnon and Jean Winter, who have secured funding in Round 5 of the National Industry PhD Program. Their projects, in partnership with Central Adelaide Local Health Network and the Southern Oncology Clinical Research Unit respectively, are among seven awarded to Flinders University. See all awardees
Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Clinical Research Team: SA Science Awards finalists
The South Australian MND Clinical Research Team (SAMCART), including Vinod Aiyappan, David Schultz, Peter Catcheside, Leanne Davis, and Mary-Louise Rogers, have been named a finalist in the 2025 SA Science Excellence and Innovation Awards (Excellence in Collaboration Innovation).
Congratulations to the team for the recognition of their collaborative research efforts in improving outcomes for people living with Motor Neurone Disease.
Congratulations to James Smith on receiving an ARC Mid-Career Industry Fellowship, in partnership with Movember and other organisations. The fellowship will support his project on improving access to health and social services for vulnerable young men, with a focus on culturally and age-appropriate strategies. Read more
Out and About
An article in the Fleurieu Sun this week shone a spotlight on MD student Zac Dowling, who is completing his clinical year in Victor Harbor through Flinders’ Rural Medical Program. Raised on the South Coast, Zac speaks about the value of staying local for his medical training and his commitment to making a lasting impact in rural healthcare. His story highlights the importance of local training opportunities in helping to build a strong rural health workforce.
Get to know your College
Get to know your College: Tahlia Johnson
Tahlia Johnson is a passionate Midwife and emerging Aboriginal academic dedicated to improving pregnancy and postpartum care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Now a Senior Lecturer in First Nations Health within our Master of Public Health program, she is committed to empowering future health professionals to provide culturally safe, responsive care. Through research, teaching, and advocacy, Tahlia is driving meaningful change in women’s health - discover what inspires her and where her work is headed.
Get to know your College: Terasa Nearmy
Correction: The link to Terasa’s story was missing from last Friday’s edition.
Based in Mount Gambier, Terasa Nearmy is a Facilities Support Officer who helps ensure uni accommodation is comfortable and well-equipped for our Year 3 and 4 medical students. A keen soccer player and nature lover, she brings energy and care to everything she does.
Events
- Wednesday 30 July: HDR Community of Practice Coffee Catch Up (12:30-1:30pm at Urban Paddock Co.)
- Thursday 31 July: Medical Grand Round (12:15 - 1:30pm, Lecture Theatre 1, Lvl 5, FMC)
- Friday 1 August: GIDE Seminar: “Menopause and midlife” (12.30-1.30 pm, Alere South)
- Thursday 28 August: FHMRI's Road to Research (Register for a stall here)
FHMRI Inspiring Leaders Seminar Series: Next seminar Monday 28 July
12:30 (lunch provided), Level 2 Seminar Rooms, Health and Medical Research Building. No need to register – livestream link is in the calendar invitation. Open to all disciplines, these seminars offer valuable insights for everyone. Nominate a speaker
- Mon 28 Jul: Peter van Wijngaarden - Ophthalmic neuroscience (Florey Institute)
- Mon 1 Sep: Grace Lidgerwood – Stem cell disease modelling (University of Melbourne)
- Wed 24 Sep: Joseph Trapani – “Small molecule inhibitors of lymphocyte perforin as focused immunosuppressants for auto-immune and post-infectious immunopathologies” (Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre)
- Wed 29 Oct: Laura Downie – Optometry & vision science (University of Melbourne)
- Wed 19 Nov: Fiona Blyth - Public health & pain epidemiology (University of Sydney)
- Mon 8 Dec: Thomas Cox – Matrix and metastasis (Garvin Institute of Medical Research)
New to Flinders? Register for ‘Welcome to Flinders’ (Tuesday 29 July)
New staff who joined the University since May are invited to attend the next Welcome to Flinders event. The session includes a Q&A panel with Senior Leaders and a presentation from the Vice-Chancellor, providing insights into our vision, culture and strategic priorities. If you’re new to Flinders or support onboarding, enrolment is encouraged via the Staff Learning Portal.
CMPH Biosciences Seminar (Tuesday 29 July)
Join Melissa Pitman (Ovarian Cancer and Drug Discovery Laboratory, Adelaide University) as she presents 'Sphingolipids in health and disease: one bond to rule them all’' from 9:30 - 10:30am in the HMRB (Level 2 Seminar Room 2). In person only. Recording will be available after the seminar, contact cmph.research@flinders.edu.au
Innovation Bytes: Supercharge Your Research with Cloud Computing
Researchers and HDR students are invited to attend Innovation Bytes at Flinders Tonsley (29 July) and Festival Tower (30 July). A one-hour workshop showcasing how the ARDC Nectar Cloud can accelerate your research using Australia’s national research cloud platform, now with a local Adelaide Nectar Node. The session offers practical tips, local resources, expert insights, and real-world case studies. Suitable for HDRs, EMCRs, researchers, and support staff. Register now
Higher Degree by Research Milestone presentations (from 12:30pm Fridays)
In the Level 2 Seminar Area, Health and Medical Research Building, or online via Teams. Join the next presentations on Friday 1 August:
12.30pm: Siena Centofanti - 'Mapping the Dengue Virus NS1 Protein Microenvironment in Infected Cells'
1pm: Quan Trong Luu (Luu) - 'Utilising plasma technology to fabricate ROS-responsive biomaterials'
HMRB Trade Display Morning tea
10am - 11:30am, Thursday 31 July, HMRB Lvl 2 Seminar Space
Flinders University researchers are welcome to come along and visit a huge number of suppliers as they showcase their products, services and great deals. Make sure to pick up your ‘Trade Display Passport’ on arrival for your chance to win prizes! For info email carlie.delaine@flinders.edu.au or elise.tucker@flinders.edu.au
Stronger Together: Building Collective Resilience (Thursday 14 August)
12:30 - 2:30pm, HMRB Seminar Room 2 (Lunch provided)
This interactive workshop is led by Kathryn McEwen (Global Lead of Working with Resilience) and explores how care, connection and shared purpose can support wellbeing and team effectiveness. Gain practical strategies and take part in collaborative activities designed to build resilience within and across teams.
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Introduction to Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property 12:30 - 1:30pm, Thursday 21 August. This professional development session will help Flinders staff engage ethically and effectively with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. It introduces the True Tracks® framework to build understanding of Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP), with a focus on best practice in teaching, research, collaboration, and respectful use of Indigenous knowledge, art, and language. Enrol here |
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Industry Engagement for Researchers – panel discussion 10 - 11:30am, Thursday 14 August. Learn how to build research capacity and connect with industry for long-term projects and collaborations in this session. Researchers from various colleges will discuss the value and benefits of collaborating with industry partners based on their own experiences: Ivanka Prichard and Ranjay Chakraborty (CNHS), Shane Pill (CEPSW), Udoy Saikia (CHASS) and Hannah Scott (CMPH). Enrol here |
The 2025 HERGA Conference will be hosted by Flinders this year on Wednesday 1 October. Registrations are open and are free of charge for University staff - a great opportunity to present your work, hear about others' work and network with educators across SA institutions.
Need to know
Important reminder for Researchers: Managing Staff Leave
Under the Enterprise Agreement, fixed-term staff are generally expected to take their annual leave before their contract ends. This helps prevent large leave balances from being carried into future roles at the University, which can create complications, particularly for staff in tied (grant)-funded positions, where leave is paid from the current salary account.
If you are appointing someone to a grant-funded role and they have previously worked at Flinders in another grant-funded position, they may have accrued leave that remains available. These staff are entitled to take their accrued leave with them into the new position. However, there are steps you can take to reduce the financial impact on your grant budget:
Encourage the staff member to take some or all of their accrued annual leave before starting their new role. This can help avoid large leave balances building up again and reduce ambiguity about who is responsible for paying out the leave.
Before they commence, discuss their current annual leave balance and explore options to minimise the amount carried into your project.
Where appropriate, you may reach an agreement with their previous supervisor about which salary account will cover some or all of the leave.
If you need any further information regarding this matter, email cmph.pc@flinders.edu.au.
Help shape FHMRI’s identity: Quick survey
FHMRI is developing a unifying statement and tagline to better express who we are and what we offer, and your input is essential. We invite you to complete a short survey (just one question), ranking a selection of draft statements from most to least preferred. There is also space to suggest your own. Your feedback will help inform the final statement and tagline used to represent FHMRI.
Help Shape Flinders’ Next RAP – Online Consultation Session 11 August
Flinders has officially wrapped up its second Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan, marking four years of progress in embedding cultural understanding and strengthening partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Highlights include the launch of key Indigenous strategies, the Elders on Campus Framework, and over $1 million in scholarships awarded. The University now look ahead to our Stretch RAP, launching in May 2026. Staff are invited to help shape the next phase by attending a Consultation Session on Monday, 11 August, 3:30–5pm (Online). For regional sessions, contact reconciliation@flinders.edu.au.
Reminder: Nominate for the 2025 Professional Staff Awards before August 1
Don’t miss your chance to recognise the work of our professional staff. Nominations close midnight, Friday 1 August. With six individual categories and the Dream Team Award celebrating collaboration, it’s a great way to say thank you. Nominating is quick and easy - nominate here! You can read the rules and eligibility criteria here. Expressions of interest to join the Selection Committee are also open. Email organisational.development@flinders.edu by 1 August with a short description of your role and why you'd like to be involved.
Vice-Chancellor’s Research Awards are now open: The Vice-Chancellor’s Awards for Research celebrate excellence in research, impact and engagement across six categories. Applications close 5pm, Friday 30 August. Details and guidelines will be available on the Vice-Chancellor’s Research Awards page. |
2025 Reconciliation Awards:The Reconciliation Awards recognise individuals or teams contributing to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participation, retention and success in higher education. Nominate by Monday 29 August: Nomination form. Rules and eligibility. |