ANZCA Bulletin June 2012 - final.pdf - Australian and New Zealand ...

ANZCAin the newsMedia coverage of ANZCA and the Facultyof Pain Medicine has reached a potentialcumulative audience of nearly 10 millionpeople (9,452,995 people) over the pastfew months, mainly due to media reportsgenerated from the annual scientificmeeting (ASM) in Perth.Highlights of the ASM media coverageincluded outgoing president ProfessorKate Leslie appearing on the new nationalChannel 10 breakfast show promoting theconference and talking about key topics,and the new ANZCA President, Dr LindyRoberts, taking talkback calls on ABC 720Perth’s Drive program with host RussellWoolf.Nine media releases were issuedpromoting the ASM, the Faculty of PainMedicine Refresher Course Day andthe Joint Trauma and Anaesthesia andCritical Care in Unusual and TransportEnvironments (ACCUTE) Special InterestGroup meeting, which focused on masscasualties and burns.Topics that generated the largestamount of media interest included DrBob Large from the Auckland RegionalPain Service talking about the usesof hypnosis in analgesia and painmanagement; Professor Geoffrey Dobsonfrom James Cook University explaininghow he is developing a resuscitationfluid for injured soldiers inspired byhibernating hummingbirds; AssociateProfessor Andrew Davidson fromMelbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospitaltalking about the increased risks ofanaesthesia for newborns; ProfessorJamie Sleigh from New Zealand’s WaikatoHospital explaining a possible geneticlink to anaesthetic awareness; Dr NolanMcDonnell from Perth’s King EdwardMemorial Hospital for Women outliningincreased complications associatedwith extremely obese pregnant women;Professor Amy Tsai from the Universityof California, San Diego, explaining howworms are being used to develop artificialblood; and visiting US Professor RuthLandau talking about the “love hormone”oxytocin.Seventeen speakers from theconference and associated meetingswere interviewed and ANZCA greatlyappreciates their contribution. Fullcoverage from the meeting can be foundon the ANZCA website under “Events”.Apart from the ASM, ANZCA alsocontributed to a 4000-word feature onchronic pain in the Weekend Australian(circulation 300,000) quoting AssociateProfessor Milton Cohen and ProfessorMichael Cousins, and a pain medicinecareer special in the MJA Careers sectionfeaturing FPM spokesmen. Also in thepain area, former FPM Dean, Dr DavidJones, was interviewed by a NZ wireservice about the need for New Zealandto follow Australia’s lead on prescriptionopioid tracking.A media release promoting publicationof the Safety of Anaesthesia: A review ofanaesthesia-related mortality reportingin Australia and New Zealand 2006-08received coverage, as did one about theSpecialist Training Program fundingsecured by ANZCA, which was widelyreported in regional and rural areas.Meaghan ShawMedia Manager, ANZCA60 ANZCA Bulletin June 2012