Health Check Issue 15 2007 ( PDF 439k) - Griffith University

Psychology honours
Professor Kim Halford, Director of the Griffith Institute for Health and Medical Research
and Dean (Research) for the Health Group, has been honoured with an Australian
Psychological Society President’s Award for Distinguished Contribution to Psychology
in Australia. Professor Halford, a clinical psychologist, is internationally recognised for
his research in the area of relationship education and couples therapy. His research also
encompasses the dynamics of relationships in supporting people through major life
events such as parenthood and serious illness.
School of Psychology’s Dr Heather Green has been elected national president
of the Australian Association for Cognitive and Behaviour Therapy (AACBT). The
interdisciplinary association is concerned with maintaining standards of clinical
practice and providing professional development for all health disciplines interested
in changing human behaviour and/or cognitions. Dr Green has been state president
of the AACBT’s Queensland branch for the last three years.
Dr Paula Brough, School of Psychology is guest editor for a special issue of Work-
Family Balance for Journal of Organizational Behavior.
Former School of Psychology lecturer Professor Paula Barrett, a specialist in child
and adolescent anxiety and depression, is a finalist for Queensland Australian of the
Year. National judging for the Australian of the Year Awards will be announced at
Parliament House in Canberra on 25 January, 2008.
Sports physiotherapist awarded Fellowship
Maria Constantinou, from the School of Physiotherapy and Exercise Science, has been
awarded a Fellowship of the Australia Sports Medicine Federation. The Fellowship recognises
her sustained contribution to the Federation and the discipline of sports medicine
through clinical practice, research and other professional activity. Ms Constantinou,
an accredited Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA) sports physiotherapist, has
worked as a volunteer sports physiotherapist at events such as the Sydney and Athens
Olympics and the Melbourne Commonwealth Games. She currently chairs the professional
education committee of Sports Medicine Australia (Queensland branch) and the
Queensland branch committee of Sports Physiotherapy Australia. She was also recognised
by the Australian Physiotherapy Association (Qld) for her contribution to promoting
the profession, in particular Sports Physiotherapy.
Stopping the pain of tennis elbow from bouncing back
Corticosteroid injections are the gold standard treatment for short term relief from
the pain of tennis elbow but new research is aiming to optimise management of the
condition with physiotherapy.
Leanne Bisset, from the School of Physiotherapy and Exercise Science, is collaborating
with University of Queensland colleagues in a randomised controlled trial to test the
effectiveness of a physiotherapy component to tennis elbow management.
Ms Bisset said while steroid injections provided immediate relief and were effective in the
short term, about 72 per cent of patients report a recurrence of pain after three months.
“We hope to show that adding in exercises targeting the affected muscles of
the forearm and providing an upper arm conditioning program will reduce the
recurrence rate and improve long term recovery.”
Ms Bisset said at present there was no evidence that anything was more effective
in the long term over a ‘wait and see’ approach.
“With the right ergonomic advice and modifying their activities, about 80 per cent
of patients with tennis elbow get better within 12 months. However we want
patients to have that relief earlier and this study will help develop the evidence
base for additional treatments.”
The project is funded by a grant from the National Health and Medical Research Council.
Ms Bisset has just been recognised by the Queensland branch of the Australian
Physiotherapy Association with an award for her contribution to research.
FUNDING:
Beck B. An investigation of comparative hip
fracture risk in indigenous Australians in the
Brisbane and Gold Coast regions. Brisbane
Southside Population Health Service and Logan
Beaudesert Community Health. $9,500.
Barrett R, Hall R, Scott-Young M.
Fluoroscopic assessment of lumbar
functional spinal unit kinematics in total disc
replacement. dePuySpine. $78,000.
Haseman BC, Stewart DE, Parker EA,
Hickling-Hudson A. Sexual health promotion
in Papua New Guinea: a community capacity
building approach using drama based
experiential learning methods. ARC Linkage.
$260,950.
Stewart D, Rowe F, Lee V, Robertson B.
Partnerships into Public Health. Cross Sectoral
Lighthouse Project. DEST. $220,000.
Aitken L, Mitchell M, Venkatesh B, Duce B.
Exploration of factors associated with sleep
disruption, Australian College of Critical Care
Nurses Hospira Grant. $10,000.
Rickard CM, Webster J, Wallis M, Gowardman
J, McCann D. The DRIP Trial: Developing a
research base for intravenous peripheral
cannula re-sites. NHMRC. $428,750.
Chaboyer W, Wallis M, McMurray A.
Clinical handover initiative – Identification
and development of standardised clinical
handover initiatives. DHA. $242,000.
Chaboyer W, McMurray, A, Wallis M.
Bedside nursing handover and whiteboard
multidisciplinary handover; An exploration of
strategies to improve communication and
teamwork in acute care hospitals. ACSQH.
$266,000.
Conrick M. Minimising the inappropriate and
unnecessary hospital admissions of frail older
people. ARC Linkage. $356,284.
De Leo D. Beyond psychopathology:
Pathways to suicide in mentally well young
adult males. ARC Discovery. $284,987.
Hutchinson L. Primary Health Care research
evaluation and development writing bursary.
DHA. $1,000.
Headrick J, Peart J, Ashton K, Pepe S.
The importance of p38 MAPK signalling
in ageing-related intolerance and failed
cardioprotection. NHMRC. $476,250
Khanna K. Understanding the role of the
corepressor protein KAP1 in DNA damage
response pathway. ARC Discovery.
$401,500.
Morrison N, Beacham I, Peak I. Host/
pathogen interactions in Burkholderia
infection. NHMRC. $471,000.
Morrison N. Chemokines in osteoclast
differentiation. NHMRC. $407,125.
Neuzil J, Ralph SJ. Developing efficient cancer
therapies by targeting of vitamin E analogues
to mitochondria. ARC.: $360,000
10 Health check