The Medical Journal of Australia

<p>Australia's premier general medical academic peer-reviewed journal.</p>

Episode 593: MJA Podcasts 2025 Episode 22: Finding a cure for asthma

My name is Sally Block, the MJA’s news and online editor. “The MJA acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land on which we live and work across Australia.  This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Wangal people. I pay my respects to their Elders past and present.” This week the MJA has published a supplement called Cure asthma – it’s a collaboration between keen Australian stakeholders, and co-ordinated by The University of Melbourne and Asthma Australia.   As the name states, the goal is to not just treat asthma, but to find a cure. To discuss this I am joined by Professor Gary Anderson who is a pharmacologist and immunologist and Director of the Lung Health Research Centre at the University of Melbourne.

11-16
18:39

Episode 592: MJA Podcasts 2025 Episode 21: Australia's first male infertility guidelines

Australia now has its first Male Infertility guidelines. The Guidelines are featured today as an Online First ahead of their official publication in MJA later this year. “The MJA acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land on which we live and work across Australia.  This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. I pay my respects to their Elders past and present.” Associate Professor Darren Katz is a Urologist at the University of Melbourne’s Department of Surgery. He is Medical Director of Men’s Health Melbourne. Here’s here to speak to us about the guidelines and joins me now. 

11-02
23:44

Episode 590: MJA Podcasts 2025 Episode 20 - Lung Cancer Screening Program

Australia has its first new cancer screening programme in 20 years, this time for lung cancer. Today we’ll be discussing this new programme in depth as well as the role of primary care and the supports available in delivering the programme.This podcast is Sponsored by the Australian Government National Lung Cancer Screening Program.Professor Vivienne Milch is Medical Director, at Cancer Australia. Professor Milch is also Medical Advisor to the Australian Commonwealth Department of Health, Disability and Ageing on cancer screening policy.Professor Milch holds a Master’s degree in Health Policy and is an Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor in the School of Medicine, Sydney Campus at The University of Notre Dame, Australia and Professorial Fellow at the Caring Futures Institute at Flinders University in Adelaide. Prior to joining Cancer Australia, Professor Milch was a General Practitioner and clinical researcher at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney. Relevant links: the Investigating Symptoms of Lung Cancer guide Healthcare Provider Toolkit The NLCSP website Program Guidelines GP guide resource Reducing stigma in the program Low-dose CT Scan request form eLearning modules developed by Lung Foundation Australia Actionable additional findings guidelines

10-19
17:42

Episode 591: MJA Podcasts 2025 Episode 19: Cardiac surgery in elderly patients

Today we are exploring cardiac surgery in elderly patients.This podcast is sponsored by Macquarie University Hospital, part of Macquarie University Health – a trailblazer in healthcare, education and research.Professor Michael Vallely is a leading cardiothoracic surgeon who has clinical and academic interests in minimising the invasiveness of cardiothoracic surgery and is a world authority on total arterial, anaortic, off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery. He also has interests in minimally invasive cardiac surgery (MICS and Da Vinci robotic surgery), transcatheter (TAVI and Mitra-Clip) cardiac surgery, thoracic aortic surgery, geriatric cardiac surgery, and hybrid procedures including the use of ECMO.Dr Nargis Shaheen is a consultant geriatrician with a special interest in perioperative medicine working at Macquarie University Hospital and Concord Hospital. She is a member of the ANZCA perioperative care working group and is involved in perioperative medicine teaching.

10-14
36:06

Episode 589: MJA Podcasts 2025 Episode 18 - Hong Kong Flu

Welcome to this podcast from the Medical Journal of Australia. My name is Sally Block, the MJA’s news and online editor. “The MJA acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land on which we live and work across Australia.  This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. I pay my respects to their Elders past and present.” Between 1968 and 1970, Australia was hit by a pandemic known as the Hong Kong Flu. The MJA is publishing an historical piece about the pandemic and its impact. Dr John Gerrard is the Infectious Diseases Physician at the Gold Coast University Hospital and  former Chief Health Officer of Queensland.

09-28
28:24

Episode 588: MJA Podcasts 2025 Episode 17 - Advances in glaucoma and age-related macular disease

Today we are exploring advances in glaucoma and age-related macular disease. This podcast is sponsored by Macquarie University Hospital, part of Macquarie University Health – a trailblazer in healthcare, education and research.Dr Helen Do is an ophthalmic surgeon with a specialising in medical retina and cataract surgery with a focus on diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration at Macquarie University hospital. She is a clinical lecturer at Macquarie University and Sydney University. And Dr Aparna Raniga is a glaucoma and cataract specialist surgeon with a focus on diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration at Macquarie University Hospital. 

09-21
45:51

Episode 587: MJA Podcasts 2025 Episode 16: Clinical Care Standards - a decade of excellence

A little over 10 years ago the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care released its first national clinical care standard.A perspective on the subject is published in the MJA today and a webinar is being held tomorrow where the Commission will showcase the five stories of excellence discussed in today’s podcast. The link to the webinar will be is hereThe Chief Medical Officer of the Commission Conjoint Professor Carolyn Hullick  and its Clinical Care Standards Director Dr Alice Bhasale join me on today's podcast.

08-17
18:10

Episode 586: MJA Podcasts 2025 Episode 15: Re-thinking coronary heart disease

The likelihood of a man or woman dying of coronary heart disease is much less than it was half a century ago with better treatments and a reduction in smoking. However, as our special guests will explain today, the overall burden of coronary disease continues to grow and it still remains the single leading cause of death in Australia.  Professor Will Parsonage is Clinical Director at the Australian Centre for Health Services Innovation and Senior Staff Cardiologist at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital and St Vincent's Private Hospital. Associate Professor Sarah Zaman is an Academic Interventional Cardiologist at Westmead Hospital and the University of Sydney. They are co authors on  the The Lancet Commission on rethinking coronary artery disease and they have written about it for the MJA’s InSight+ and they join me now.

08-03
24:59

Episode 585: MJA Podcasts 2025 Episode 14 - Clinicians’ discretion to contact patients’ at-risk relatives about their genetic risk

Australia’s privacy regulator has recently updated its guidance to clinicians about contacting their patients’ relatives about their genetic risk of disease. The MJA is featuring an article on the subject by Dr Jane Tiller as an Online First this week, ahead of its publication in the Journal in August. Dr Tiller is a lawyer, genetic counsellor and public health researcher. She’s the Ethical, Legal and Social Adviser in Public Health Genomics at Monash University.

07-13
22:20

Episode 584: MJA Podcasts 2025 Episode 13 - Indigenous voices in medical education

It’s NAIDOC week and the MJA’s – special issue on Indigenous Health “The MJA acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land on which we live and work across Australia.  This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Wangal people and pay my respects to their Elders past and present.” Associate Professor Paul Saunders is a proud Biripi man whose family comes from the mid north coast of New South Wales. He is the associate professor and academic lead for Indigenous Health in the Graduate School of Medicine at the University of Wollongong. He is one of the Guest editorial team and is our podcast guest today.

07-06
21:57

Episode 583: MJA Podcasts 2025 Episode 12 - Inflammatory bowel disease and Bowel cancer screening and treatment

Today we are joined by Dr Brandon Baraty and Associate Professor Viraj Kariyawasam, two leading experts in gastroenterology, to discuss the latest in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) management and bowel cancer screening. They’ll share insights into the most recent advancements in diagnostic techniques and cutting-edge treatment options shaping the future of patient care.This podcast is sponsored by Macquarie University Hospital, part of MQ Health - a trailblazer in healthcare, education and research.Dr Baraty is a senior Gastroenterologist, Hepatologist, and Endoscopist. He is the Head of Discipline of Gastroenterology at Macquarie University Hospital and the Director of Endoscopy at Ryde Hospital. Dr Baraty specialises in IBD care and is a leading expert in transabdominal ultrasound for IBD assessment in New South Wales.Associate Professor Kariyawasam is a Senior Gastroenterologist, Hepatologist, and Endoscopist at Macquarie University Hospital and Concord Hospital. He holds a PhD from Sydney University and has completed international fellowship training in IBD. He is dedicated to advancing IBD diagnosis and management while actively supporting patient advocacy and education.

06-22
49:23

Episode 582: MJA Podcasts 2025 Episode 11 - Pulmonary Hypertension - Associate Professor Martin Brown and Associate Professor Fred Joshua

 In this episode we are exploring advances in pulmonary hypertension as well as symptoms, treatments, and its connection to rheumatological patients and much more.This podcast is sponsored by Macquarie University Hospital, part of MQ Health – a trailblazer in healthcare, education and research.Associate Professor Martin Brown is a cardiologist specialising in advanced heart failure, complex structural heart disease, and pulmonary hypertension. A Clinical Associate Professor at Macquarie University, he currently leads several international trials on heart failure and pulmonary hypertension and has developed the right heart catheter virtual reality training program being used worldwide.Associate Professor Fred Joshua is a physician specialising in rheumatic diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and psoriatic arthritis. He pioneered rheumatological ultrasound in Australia and developed a degree for rheumatologists through the Australian Society for Ultrasound in Medicine. He is an Associate Professor of Medicine and the Rheumatology Clinical Discipline Head at Macquarie University.

06-01
28:18

Episode 581: MJA Podcasts 2025 Episode 10 - GP special issue - President RACGP and MJA co-author Dr Michael Wright

This week is the General Practice issue of the MJA. One of the authors featured is Dr Michael Wright, the President of Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. He is a co-author on the paper "The impact of patient enrolment in primary care on continuity and quality of care around the world, 2014–2024, and lessons for Australia: a scoping review."

05-18
11:09

Episode 580: MJA Podcasts 2025 Episode 9 - Menzies School of Health Research 40 year anniversary

The Menzies School of Health Research is celebrating its 40th anniversary.It’s Australia’s leading medical research institute for improving health outcomes for First Nations people and its reach now extends beyond our shores to the Asia Pacific region.To commemorate this milestone, Menzies has chosen a collection of papers published in the MJA to highlight their research.Professor Alan Cass AO is the Director of Menzies and joins me now to discuss its work, its history and its future.

05-07
22:21

Episode 578: MJA Podcasts 2025 Episode 8 - 2024 Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and Healthy Bones Australia guidelines for osteoporosis

Osteoporosis, which is characterised by low bone density and bone tissue deterioration, affects two thirds of Australians over the age of 50.Healthy Bones Australia has been contracted by The Department of Health and Aged Care to update the 2017 guidelines for osteoporosis management.A summary of this update has now been published in the Medical Journal of Australia.Professor Peter Wong is a rheumatologist and head of Rheumatology at Westmead Hospital and the honorary medical director of Healthy Bones Australia.He is one of the co-authors of the guidelines and joins me now.

04-27
14:44

Episode 579: MJA Podcasts 2025 Episode 7: Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) burden in all infants

Today we are exploring Respiratory Syncytial Virus in infants including its spread, its treatment and impact on families.This podcast was created with the support of our sponsor Sanofi. Dr Rama Kandasamy is a paediatrician working at the Sydney Childrens Hospital network and the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance.

04-21
14:14

Episode 577: MJA Podcasts 2025 Episode 6 - Translational Orthopaedic Research in Practice

Today we are exploring the topic of Translational Orthopaedic Research in Practice.This podcast is sponsored by Macquarie University Hospital, part of MQ Health - a trailblazer in healthcare, education and research.Joining me is Associate Professor Sumit Raniga who is an award winning sub-specialist internationally recognised. orthopaedic shoulder and elbow surgeon. He is the Director of the Translational   Orthopaedic Research Lab and Head of Upper Limb Surgery and Therapy at Macquarie University Hospital. Dr Michael Dan is a lower limb orthopaedic specialist with further formal subspeciality training from the Lyon Knee School in France. 

04-13
29:33

Episode 576: MJA Podcasts 2025 episode 5 - Gender inequality in health

It’s coming up to this year’s International Women’s Day, and today’s guests will talk about continuing gender in equality in health. In an article published today in The MJA’s InSight+,  PhD candidate Rachel Mather who is a committee member of Women in Global Health Australia and Associate Professor Meru Sheel who is chair of the organisation state that women occupy 70% of frontline health positions and only 25% of leadership positions in global health. 

03-02
18:35

Episode 575: MJA Podcasts 2025 Episode 4 Perinatal Anxiety and Depression

Suicide is the leading cause of death for women during the perinatal phase of pregnancy. And one in 10 men suffer from perinatal depression according to Perinatal Anxiety and Depression Australia or PANDA.As healthcare practitioners – what signs should you be on the look out for when you’re seeing patients.To explore this, PANDA CEO Julie Borninkhof joins me now.

02-17
23:20

Episode 574: MJA Podcasts 2025 Episode 3 - Murru Minya: examining ethical research processes and practices in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and medical research

Today we are exploring an MJA supplement on ethics in health and medical research in relation to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It’s called Murru Minya and I’m joined by two of the co-ordinating authors Felicity Collis, a Gomeroi woman and Associate Professor Michelle Kennedy a Wiradjuri woman. 

02-02
29:09

Seth Hamon

thank you for this excellent and informative podcast.

06-26 Reply

mia norris

really fascinating insight. thankyou

12-02 Reply

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