The Medical Journal of Australia

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.