UNNECESSARY TESTS AND TREATMENTS IN LOW VALUE CRITICAL CARE
Dr Gerben Keijzers
Senior Staff Specialist Emergency Physician,
Gold Coast Hospital at Department of Health, Queensland &
Adjunct Professor, Honorary Professor of Emergency Medicine
Griffith University & Bond University,
Queensland, Australia
RESEARCHER PROFILE
Filmed in Southport, Queensland | January 2025
Dr Gerben Keijzers is a Senior Staff Specialist Emergency Physician at the Gold Coast University Hospital Emergency Department. Dr Keijzers balances half of his time between clinical work and academic duties, including teaching medical students and conducting research. His role also include being an honorary professor of emergency medicine at Bond University and is an associate professor at Griffith University.
Dr Keijzers completed a master’s degree in epidemiology and medical degree in Nijmegen, The Netherlands. He came to Australia in 2002 and completed his Fellowship in Emergency Medicine in 2008. He has a PhD in the quality of trauma care.
He works clinically, conducts clinical research and is a clinical supervisor for medical students on emergency medicine rotation. Over the past 15 years, Dr Keijzers has helped create seven research pillars focused on critical care studies, such as sepsis and antimicrobial stewardship.
His research focus includes low-value care, which is in the area of unnecessary tests and treatments with minimal benefits. Dr Keijzers has contributed to over 100 publications and more than 20 grant applications. Through his involvement in multi-site collaborative research projects, he encourages critical thinking and curiosity among clinical staff, striving to enhance both patient care and the efficiency of healthcare resources.
He is the former chair of the Queensland Emergency Research Collaborative, a member of the Clinical Trials Group of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine, a member of the Research Advisory Committee for the Emergency Care Institute and is section editor for the peer-reviewed journal Emergency Medicine Australasia.
Note: Narrative adapted from University of Queensland website and interview
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Biostatistics in Clinical Trials
As a biostatistician working in research and clinical settings, Kate Francis plays a vital role in ensuring all projects adhere to best practice guidelines and are transparently reported. She has served as the lead statistician for the analysis of clinical trials across a broad range of subject areas, including neonatal resuscitation, BCG for allergy and infection, convulsive status epilepticus and her work has been published in the top journals such as The New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, and The Lancet. Most recently she was awarded the 2025 Excellence in Trial Statistics Award for her work on the PLUSS trial.
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CASE STUDY Next Generation Condom Contraception
Eudaemon Technologies, an early-stage medtech company with a focus on sexual reproductive health, is developing a hydrogel condom to address the need for a better feeling, next generation condom, with the potential to improve user experience and address issues with traditional latex condoms.
“Over 1 million STI’s being diagnosed every day and up to 120 million unplanned pregnancies every year result in a $60 billion health burden across the globe”, says Co-Founder and Executive Director of Operations, Dr Simon Cook.
Formed in 2018, the company focuses on developing tough hydrogels as an alternative to address issues with odour, colour, and taste commonly associated with latex condoms. This technology can be loaded with small molecule drugs for flavours or anti-STI compounds, and was developed in response to a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to address unplanned pregnancies and STIs.
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Life-changing donor milk for preterm babies
Dr Laura Klein is National Milk Research Leader at Australian Red Cross Lifeblood. Australian Red Cross Lifeblood is funded by Australian governments to provide life-giving blood, plasma, and transplantation and biological products.
Dr Klein works with clinicians and researchers across Australia to understand how donated breast milk can be used to improve outcomes for vulnerable babies. She’s passionate about generating evidence to improve the products and services that milk banks provide to donors and the families who receive donated breast milk.
