BLISTER MANAGEMENT AND IMPACT ON FIREFIGHTERS
David Burns,
Senior Paramedic & Paramedic Practitioner
LifeAid, Victoria, Australia
RESEARCHER PROFILE
Filmed in Sydney, Australia | January 2025
David Burns, a Senior Paramedic with LifeAid, a private paramedicine company in Victoria and, has a diverse background in healthcare. He began his career as a registered nurse, progressing to critical care nursing specialising in liver transplants and cardiovascular surgery.
After serving on a rescue helicopter crew, he developed a passion for out-of-hospital healthcare, leading him to pursue paramedic training. Subsequently, he specialised in critical care and flight paramedicine, working in several regions in Australia including Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, and in the United Kingdom.
David’s journey in private paramedicine led him to reconnect with Alan Close, the Managing Director of LifeAid. After contributing during the devastating 16-week bushfire period known as “Black Saturday”, David became passionate about community and primary care aspects of paramedicine and joined LifeAid in 2023.
At the Australasian College of Paramedicine International Conference, David presented research focused on the foot care of firefighters during prolonged bushfire campaigns. During the 2019-2020 bushfires, over 10,000 firefighters sought care, with nearly 50% requiring attention for foot-related issues. David emphasised that inadequate foot care could bench firefighters for up to 10 days, diminishing their ability to protect communities and critical infrastructure. Recognising the economic benefits of prioritising firefighter health, David advocates that ensuring their well-being allows communities to recover effectively and enhances safety for all involved in firefighting efforts.
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Causal genes and pathogenic mechanisms underlying gastrointestinal diseases
Professor D’Amato has more than 25 years research experience in the field of human genetics and complex diseases, with activities most recently geared towards a translational application for therapeutic precision in gastroenterology. His team, the Gastrointestinal Genetics Laboratory, combine leading expertise in genomic, computational and pre-clinical research, and have contributed important breakthroughs linking specific genes and pathogenetic mechanisms to a number of gastrointestinal diseases like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), microscopic colitis (MC) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
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Computer science approach to detecting dementia
Watch Xinyi Wang, a researcher at the Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre, University of Tasmania talk on identifying new approaches to detecting dementia.
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Corneal and Ocular Surface Immunology and Regeneration
Assoc Professor Holly Chinnery’s career in ocular immunology began with a focus on animal models; however, it has recently transitioned into clinical imaging studies involving human research participants. The ability to visualise the immune system and sensory nerves in the human cornea represents a significant advantage in corneal immunology and neuroimmunology research.
