Fingeron thePulseUQ has long held a pre-eminentposition in health and medicalteaching and research in<strong>Queensland</strong>, and its impact isincreasingly being felt worldwide.12 UQ Contact WINTer <strong>2013</strong>
FeatureWhether you’re in the emergency room <strong>of</strong> a hospital in regional <strong>Queensland</strong>,undergoing an ultrasound in a Brisbane clinic, visiting your local GP for a routinecheckup, or even receiving specialised medical care in an overseas clinic, yourhealth practitioner may well have trained at UQ.UQ has a long history <strong>of</strong> healthand medical leadershipspanning more than 75years. Since the first cohort<strong>of</strong> medical students walkedthrough its doors in the 1930s, the <strong>University</strong>has grown to be a world leader in the field,as confirmed in the recent Excellence forResearch in Australia (ERA) report, whichfound all <strong>of</strong> UQ’s assessed health and medicalresearch fields to be above or well aboveworld standard. UQ was also ranked as one<strong>of</strong> the world’s top 35 clinical, pre-clinicaland health universities in the 2012-13 TimesHigher Education World <strong>University</strong> Rankings.The outcome has been a significantimpact on the health and wellbeing <strong>of</strong> peopleworldwide. As well as generating world-classhealth practitioners, some <strong>of</strong> the world’sleading medical technologies and excitingbreakthroughs in genomics, immunology,cancer research and nerve regeneration,to name a few, have their genesis in UQ’slecture theatres, laboratories and institutes.Philanthropy has played an important rolein the evolution <strong>of</strong> UQ’s health and medicalcapacity, not least the Mayne family’ssignificant donations in the 1920s and30s. As well as financing the acquisition <strong>of</strong>land for the <strong>University</strong>’s main campus at StLucia, the Mayne bequest established whatwe know today as Herston campus – the<strong>University</strong>’s core campus for clinical health,teaching and research.More recently, The Atlantic Philanthropies,in partnership with UQ and the <strong>Queensland</strong>and federal governments, has played acritical role in transforming Brisbane into aglobal biomedical hub, bringing togetherteaching, research and clinical practice.Between 1998 and 2007, The AtlanticPhilanthropies invested up to $250 millionin <strong>Queensland</strong>, with $150 million <strong>of</strong> thisdirected to UQ. The tangible results <strong>of</strong> thisFrom left: John Story, Chancellor; Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Perry Bartlett, Director, <strong>Queensland</strong> Brain Institute (QBI); The HonourableCampbell Newman MP, Premier <strong>of</strong> <strong>Queensland</strong>; Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Peter Høj, President and Vice-Chancellor; Pr<strong>of</strong>essor JürgenGötz; and Mr David Muir, Chair <strong>of</strong> The Estate <strong>of</strong> Dr Clem Jones AO, at the opening <strong>of</strong> the Clem Jones Centre for AgeingDementia Research earlier this year. Housed within QBI, the centre, headed by Götz, is Australia’s first facility focusedsolely on the prevention and treatment <strong>of</strong> dementia.investment included the establishment<strong>of</strong> three major research institutes – theAustralian Institute for Bioengineering andNanotechnology, the Institute for MolecularBioscience and the <strong>Queensland</strong> BrainInstitute, along with a $50 million gift towardsthe Translational Research Institute, in whichUQ is a joint venture partner.President and Vice-Chancellor Pr<strong>of</strong>essorPeter Høj said The Atlantic Philanthropies’investment dramatically changed<strong>Queensland</strong>’s research landscape.“Thanks to the vision <strong>of</strong> The AtlanticPhilanthropies founder Chuck Feeney,The <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Queensland</strong> and the<strong>Queensland</strong> Government, led by formerPremier Peter Beattie, Brisbane is nowhome to some <strong>of</strong> the world’s top medicalresearch and technology facilities, generatinggroundbreaking research that is changing theface <strong>of</strong> health and wellbeing globally.“The current government’s commitmentto excellence and impact in this spacewill continue to build on this incrediblefoundation, further enhancing UQ’s abilityto attract global partners and internationalexperts in the field.”In 2012, UQ and the <strong>Queensland</strong>Institute <strong>of</strong> Medical Research entered intoan historic 10-year alliance with US-basedEmory <strong>University</strong>, which will leverage theinstitutions’ combined research strengthsto generate a pipeline <strong>of</strong> commercialopportunities to address global healthchallenges.Such collaborations, together withpartnerships with major internationalbiotechnology and pharmaceutical companiesand continued support from governments,industry and private benefactors, ensure thatthe excellent work <strong>of</strong> UQ’s health and medicalexperts continues to spread across the globe.UQ Health and Medical timelineapp• Download the UQ Contact App to find out more aboutkey milestones in UQ’s health and medical timeline.The School<strong>of</strong> Dentistryis establishedThe faculties <strong>of</strong>Medicine andVeterinary Scienceare establishedThe UQ MedicalSchool at Herston<strong>of</strong>ficially opensDr James O’NeilMayne and MaryEmelia Mayneleave their estatesto the UQ MedicalSchoolThe first cohort<strong>of</strong> 21 studentsgraduate from themedical programThe Department<strong>of</strong> PhysicalEducation (nowknown as theSchool <strong>of</strong> HumanMovementStudies) opensUQ’s firstDoctorate <strong>of</strong>Medicine isawarded toR.K. Macphersonon environmentphysiologyWilliam SturgenAshburn giftsan estimated£15,000 toUQ for medicalwork, includingcancer research19351936193919401940194119481949UQ Contact WINTer <strong>2013</strong> 13