The annual LBHS Research Symposium held last week has once again showcased the impressive strides in research happening across our health service.
Aligned with this year's theme of 'Ignite, Innovate, Inspire', guest speakers and presenters sparked enthusiastic discussions about the newest healthcare innovations.
Research Coordinator Dr Genevieve Kinna hailed the event a success, with over 40 participants joining each session, either in-person or online.
In addition to keynote speakers, the program featured 13 presentations, eight lightning-round presentations, and hours of invaluable networking opportunities.
Geriatrician Dr Leslie Gan and Senior Paediatric Dietician Grace Carson received recognition for their outstanding achievements, winning the Best Oral Presentation and Best Poster Presentation titles respectively.
Dr Gan said her presentation focused on a study comparing the effects of Attention Atlas, an immersive virtual reality program, with traditional pen and paper assessments when detecting people suffering from spatial neglect.
"Spatial neglect is a condition that can arise after various brain injuries, such as from tumours, strokes, or trauma. It affects a person's ability to perceive and respond to parts of their environment, despite having normal vision, impacting everyday tasks like eating, writing, dressing, and driving," she said.
Dr Gan and her team discovered that the Attention Atlas was 1.4 times more effective than conventional assessment methods and also noted positive feedback from staff after receiving appropriate training on using the program.
Read full study in the Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation.
Grace Carson said she was surprised to be announced the winner of the poster presentations for her work titled 'Paediatric Diabetes Dietetic Consumer Feedback Project'.
Grace said working with consumers highlighted important quality improvement measures and identified gaps in the way information was shared with patients and families who were newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes on the Children's Inpatient Unit at Logan Hospital.
"The feedback from our consumers has now been incorporated into our dietetic resources and delivery of education to patients and their families with type 1 diabetes," she said.
"It is important that we are translating health information to our consumers in a way they would like to receive."
Congratulations to our winners, presenters and all involved in making this year's symposium a success!