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.

Hannah McPierzie is a globally respected presenter, disability advocate, and educator who offers a unique perspective on disability and communication. She lives with Neurofibromatosis Type 2, a rare degenerative condition, and has two auditory brainstem implants. After 15 years teaching in the disability sector, Hannah acquired disability herself in 2020, when life-saving surgery left her deafblind.

On 27 August 2025, the Minister for Health, Disability and Ageing announced the release of the draft National Health and Medical Research Strategy (the National Strategy).

Involved in the initial consultation phase, was the Association of Australian Medical Research Institutes (AAMRI), the peak body for medical research institutes across Australia. Member institutes work on a broad spectrum of human health issues such as preventive health, chronic disease, mental health, immunology and Indigenous health. Their research ranges from fundamental biomedical discovery through to clinical research and the translation of research findings.

Dr. Carol Tran is an Oral Health Therapist and co-founder of Oral Health Home, an organisation focused on innovative, prevention-oriented oral health education and outreach. She is a Past President of Dental Hygienists Association of Australia (DHAA) and currently is the Scientific Program Chair, for upcoming congress in October 2025, for the newly formed Oral Health Association of Australia (OHAA).

Sarcoma, a rare and aggressive cancer, remains the deadliest cancer for children and young adults, accounting for nearly one third (30%) of cancer-related deaths among those aged 15–24 and one tenth (10%) of those aged 0–14. Further, still severely under-diagnosed, sarcoma only accounts for one sixth (15%) of all cancer diagnoses in the 15 – 24 age group, and less than a tenth (8%) among children under 10.

New research emphasises the role of cows’ milk, particularly A1 protein free milk, in enhancing cognitive function and quality of life for older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). A multi-centre, double-blinded, randomised controlled clinical study published in *The Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging* evaluated 88 milk-tolerant Chinese adults aged 65-75 over three months. Participants consumed either ordinary skim milk or A1 protein free skim milk, leading to improvements in various cognitive assessments.