3 YEARS IN, PROGRAM BUILDS ON CAPABILITY AND CONNECTIVITY FOR EARLY CAREER RESEARCHERS IN ENT MEDICAL DEVICES Beyond Science gives in theatre opportunities, networking with stakeholders and support from mentors
With
Professor Payal Mukherjee, Adult and Paediatric ENT Surgeon
Otologist, Cochlear Implant and Skull Base Surgeon &
Clinical Professor, Macquarie University &
TGA Advisory Committee for Medical Devices &
Clinical Associate Professor, University of Sydney &
Surgical Innovation Lead, RPA Institute of Academic Surgery &
Head of Department ENT, Sydney Adventist Hospital &
Co-Founder & Co-Director, Beyond Science
Distinguished Professor Gordon Wallace AO,
Director, Intelligent Polymer Research Institute,
University of Wollongong &
Co-Founder & Co-Director, Beyond Science
AUSTRALIAN HEALTH JOURNAL SEGMENT
Filmed in Sydney & Wollongong | August 2025
Surgeon-scientists and surgeon-innovators have an important role in the entire medical technology translational cycle; not only from discovery to commercialisation, but in ensuring that health technologies are implemented in value-based manner.
This includes defining safety and regulatory standards, balancing patient outcomes against health care costs, and working with policy makers to ensure that funding is both sustainable and promotes equitable access to technology.
Despite a rich history of biomedical innovation in Australia, there are limited training opportunities for surgeons to develop these skills. Within NSW, there are no formal surgeon-scientist training pathways in Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery.
In 2022, Distinguished Professor Gordon Wallace AO and Professor Mukherjee jointly established Beyond Science as a clinician led, academically supported and clinician run Australian-first medical technology translation program.
The program is aimed at early career researchers and clinician-scientists working in medical device research specifically in otolaryngology (ear, nose, and throat), head and neck surgery.
Its core mission is to build capability and foster connections between researchers and key stakeholders such as industry, government, universities, and health systems.
This is through helping researchers understand health system priorities and translation pathways from research to real-world impact. Uniquely, this includes opportunity to enter surgical environments for observation and tissue collection.
Australian Health Journal spoke to its founders about how it supports academic mentorship and creates networking opportunities to help early career stage medical device researchers connect with clinicians, policymakers, industry leaders, and funding bodies.
Beyond Science is funded by Passe & Williams Foundation & the Sydney Local Health District
Source: Adapted from Beyond Science, RACS and University of Wollongong websites
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South Australia prioritises preventive health
On 28th November 2024, the SA Parliament passed legislation to make preventive health a key part of South Australian health system for the first time, through a new agency aptly named Preventive Health SA.
Preventive Health SA will lead evidence-informed and innovative action to prevent and reduce the burden of non-communicable health conditions and improve health equity across the South Australia population.
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Developing the nation’s first Health and Medical Research Strategy
Professor Steve Wesselingh serves as the CEO of NHMRC, having initially trained as an infectious diseases doctor. His career includes prominent roles such as Head of the Infectious Diseases Unit at the Alfred Hospital, Director of the Burnett, Dean of Medicine at Monash University, and the inaugural Director of SAHMRI. Under his leadership, NHMRC plays a critical role in funding health and medical research, allocating approximately a billion dollars annually to investigator-led projects, clinical trials, and various strategic initiatives. NHMRC also collaborates internationally with organisations such as the MRC and the EU, and manages grant allocation for the MRFF, which distributes $650 million each year.
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Diary of a Paramedic in a primary health care clinic
Alecka Miles is a lecturer at Edith Cowan University and works as a paramedic in a multidisciplinary team at Dianella Family Medical Centre in Metropolitan Perth, Western Australia.
Community paramedic roles have a history in Australia, dating back to 2007 in New South Wales and followed by similar initiatives in South Australia and New Zealand. Alecka’s position emerged after she sought to evaluate how paramedics could integrate into general practice, ultimately leading to a job offer post-COVID lockdown in 2020. Her skills, particularly in cannulation, proved valuable as healthcare shifted towards primary care.
