Humans in Health

Dr Tiba Alhilal is an International Medical Graduate from Iraq currently living in Australia and searching for a role as a Doctor.

Tiba bravely shred her journey so far: since fleeing Iraq when ISIS attacked her city in 2014, finishing her Internship in Baghdad, living and working in Amman and Jordan for 6 years and then moving to Australia.

Tiba shared her passion for Medicine, and frustrations faced as an International Medical Graduate trying to secure a job in Australia. She is bright, energetic and magnetic and it was a pleasure to hear her story.

Professor Trent Twomey is the National President of The Pharmacy Guild of Australia and shared with us his experiences navigating what have been some of the most challenging years in the history of community pharmacy.
We loved hearing about Trent's love of far north Queensland, and how his professional and personal supports aid his unwavering resilience. Trent passionately shared his mission to advocate for co-designed reform and his pride for the culture within the Pharmacy Guild of Australia.
What a pleasure it was to hear from Trent: who wholeheartedly wears his heart on his sleeve and whose kids allow his ego to remain in check.
Thank goodness for a shared diary..

What a pleasure to interview Xander Van Der Poll. Xander is a South African born, 24 year old medical student studying at Bristol University in the UK. In May 2018, Xander suffered a life-changing injury, leaving him paralysed from his waist down and reliant on a wheelchair for mobility. Despite his new challenges, he has continued with his career in medicine, having recently completed a placement in the Emergency Department at Gold Coast University Hospital.

Xander is also a keen athlete, currently training on the GB sprint canoe paralympic pathway. Outside of his work life, Xander and his fiancé love adventure and have just got back from a three-month trip around South Africa and Australia.

You can find out more about their journey on Instagram on @ourchaoticadventure

It was a pleasure to have Dr Bec Jenkinson on the podcast who is a maternity consumer advocate and researcher. After more than 10 years of volunteer work as a maternity consumer rep, Bec completed a PhD exploring refusal of recommended maternity care. She went on to co-lead the development of Queensland Health’s Guideline for partnering with the woman who declines recommended maternity care.

Bec shared with us her personal journey as a consumer of obstetric and midwifery care: an experience many of our listeners will resonate with in some way, shape or form. We also heard of Bec's journey to find where she fits which has found her currently in her first "real research job" as a Qualitative Research Fellow with the Australian Women and Girls Health Research Centre at UQ. Bec provides clarity around how we can best have consumers as part of our conversations: an important viewpoint we must always seek to hear.

Dr Gerben Keijzers is adjunct Professor of Emergency Medicine. His research revolves around topics relevant to clinical practice in critical care, with special interest in sepsis, appropriateness of antibiotic use and respiratory medicine.

We loved chatting with Gerben about what makes him so curious and how this has led to a research career testing how less can be more. Gerben explains what is behind his perceived direct feedback style.

Importantly, we also heard what makes Gerben tick, such as his love of his dogs and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and Gerben explains how being an "Emergency Medicine" Doctor is the last thing he would introduce himself as.

An inspiring, curious and honest conversation, we hope you enjoy.

Books mentioned:
- Drive by Dan Pink
- Bounce by Aaron Fruh
- The Discovery of Heaven by Harry Mulisch

Professor Ian Coombes and Doctor Judith Coombes are a Pharmacist Dream team from Brisbane, Queensland.

With professional career’s full of leadership, education and research and Personal lives filled to the brim with family, friends and adventure, it is Ian and Judith's long ties with Sri Lanka that we loved hearing about during this conversation.

Judith and Ian have worked tirelessly (and joyfully) over the last 15 years to build capacity within the Sri Lankan health care system: through education and research. These experiences are a true reflection on their passion for Pharmacy and Life. It's impossible not to be inspired and uplifted by their approach to moving their family to Sri Lanka whilst on long service leave and all the places that initial visit has taken them over the years.

We hope you enjoy hearing their story.

Dr Kendall Sharpe is a Dermatologist on the Gold Coast, having just completed her training.

Kendall is an accomplished Doctor, Researcher, Educator and Clinician. She is passionate about environmental sustainability, holistic medicine, ethical and evidence based skin care and procedures.

We loved hearing Kendall's views on what drew her to Dermatology, just how long the journey is to where she is today and what the sacrifices looked like along the way. We also gained some insight into Kendall's love of art and furniture and how this has translated into 1. curated information used in her patient consults and 2. some excess chairs.

Kendall shared insights into the influence of Social Media (and the rise of the Celebrity Doctor) on Dermatology and how this translates to her own practice.

We finally pinned her down and she was worth the wait.

Dr Kendall Sharpe is a Dermatologist on the Gold Coast, having just completed her training.

Kendall is an accomplished Doctor, Researcher, Educator and Clinician. She is passionate about environmental sustainability, holistic medicine, ethical and evidence based skin care and procedures.

We loved hearing Kendall's views on what drew her to Dermatology, just how long the journey is to where she is today and what the sacrifices looked like along the way. We also gained some insight into Kendall's love of art and furniture and how this has translated into 1. curated information used in her patient consults and 2. some excess chairs.

Kendall shared insights into the influence of Social Media (and the rise of the Celebrity Doctor) on Dermatology and how this translates to her own practice.

We finally pinned her down and she was worth the wait.

James Fletcher is an exercise physiologist, physiotherapist and breathing specialist and is the founder of businesses called Fletcher Techniques and Safe and Healthy. We loved the roller coaster ride that was our conversation with James as we unpacked his journey thus far.

James has worked with some of the planet's leading athletes across a multitude of sports in helping them bring science to their breath and boost performance through respiratory muscle training. James spent years working with elite circus performers in the Cirque Du Soleil, has worked with Australian 100m freestyle record holder and Olympian Cam McEvoy, other Olympic swimmers including James Roberts and Madi Wilson and big wave surfers such as Kai Lenny.

We loved hearing about how James got to this unique place as a physiotherapist and allied health practitioner and that the small wins with individual patients are in fact the big wins for James.

James also shared his own personal experience after being stabbed and how even in this traumatic experience he was able to lean into his unique set of skills and knowledge both in the moments following the event and in his longer term recovery.

Books mentioned:
A confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
Cured by Jeffrey Rediger

You can find James at:
safeandhealthy.com.au
www.fletchertechniques.com

James Fletcher is an exercise physiologist, physiotherapist and breathing specialist and is the founder of businesses called Fletcher Techniques and Safe and Healthy. We loved the roller coaster ride that was our conversation with James as we unpacked his journey thus far.

James has worked with some of the planet's leading athletes across a multitude of sports in helping them bring science to their breath and boost performance through respiratory muscle training. James spent years working with elite circus performers in the Cirque Du Soleil, has worked with Australian 100m freestyle record holder and Olympian Cam McEvoy, other Olympic swimmers including James Roberts and Madi Wilson and big wave surfers such as Kai Lenny.

We loved hearing about how James got to this unique place as a physiotherapist and allied health practitioner and that the small wins with individual patients are in fact the big wins for James.

James also shared his own personal experience after being stabbed and how even in this traumatic experience he was able to lean into his unique set of skills and knowledge both in the moments following the event and in his longer term recovery.

Books mentioned:
A confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
Cured by Jeffrey Rediger

You can find James at:
safeandhealthy.com.au
www.fletchertechniques.com