Community Engagement & Impact on Government Policy

The MCRC engages with the community through a number of organisations that have directly benefit to the community and have impact on Australian Health Provision. In 2007 MCRC researchers were involved in translational and policy influencing roles including as immediate past chairman of the interventional working group of CSANZ and the current Victorian Chairman of the Cardiac Society of Australia and NZ (Prof Meredith). MCRCR provides a site for the proof-of-concept and evaluation of state-of-the art invasive cardiac therapies and thus ensures exposure of Australian patients to international best practice. MCRC members participate on a number of Industry based clinical advisory boards (St Jude Medical Australia Clinical Advisory Board, Medtronic Vascular, International Council of Advisors, Boston Scientific Corporation, Scientific Advisory Board). In 2007 Professor Julian Smith held multiple positions on Royal Australasian College of Surgeons Boards (General Elected Councillor, Deputy Chairman, Board of Surgical Research, and Member, Court of Examiners in Cardiothoracic Surgery and Deputy Chairman and Victorian State Committee). MCRC (Prof Smith’s group) impacts on quality of delivery of Cardiothoracic care in Australia by involvement as a major contributor to the establishment and management of the Australasian Society of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgeons Cardiac Surgery Database Initially commencing in Victoria in 2001, the Database will soon involve the majority of Australian public hospitals which perform cardiac surgery. The Database has major community benefit in the provision of reassurance that the standards of cardiac surgery in the participating hospitals and of individual cardiac surgeons is at an level acceptable by local and international benchmarks. Mr Andrew Cochrane, paediatric and adult cardiothoracic surgeon acts as Clinical Examiner for the Board of Basic Surgical Training, Instructor in the Basic Surgical Skills (BSS) Course (Melbourne, March 23-25, 2007, Instructor (Director since 2006) at the CCrISP (Care of the Critically Ill Surgical Patient) courses run by the R.A.C.S. These are designed to better equip junior surgical trainees to deal with sick and emergency patients in the hospital setting.   2007 – 2 courses: Melbourne, April 27-29, as Director, Melbourne, September 7-9, as Director. He is also involved in Cardiac Surgery in Developing countries programme in particular in the Asia Pacific area (In July 2007 to East Timor (via RACS/AusAid)).

Impact on government policy

The Monash Cardiovascular Research Group impacts health policy through involvement of its members with various government boards and departments.

MonashHEART (Professor Meredith) served on the Cardiac Services Planning committee for the Victorian Government. Department of Human Services, Victoria – Cardiac Services Advisory Committee as well as the Therapeutics Goods Association – Cardiac Expert Working Group.

Professor Smith holds Committee/Board of Directors positions within the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, the Australian Cardiac Research Institution Limited and the Australasian Society of Cardiovascular Perfusion.