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
-
Genetic disease research imitating function and architecture of organs
Professor Wolvetang was among the first to bring the first human embryonic stem cells to Queensland, with his Wolvetang Group at the AIBN now renowned for its work with organoids: growing them, studying them, and using them to try and understand diseases and human development.
Using cutting edge technology, Professor Wolvetang designs and grows organoids both for their own work and for labs across the country, coaxing pluripotent stem cells or tissue samples into 3D structures that mimic the function and architecture of real brains, livers, kidneys, spinal cords, and intestines.
-
Exercise therapy for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease
Dr Shelley Keating is a Senior Lecturer in Clinical Exercise Physiology and Accredited Exercise Physiologist from the School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences at the University of Queensland. With a strong grounding in exercise metabolism and body composition, Dr Keating’s research centres on the utility of exercise as a therapy for obesity and related cardiometabolic conditions, notably metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD).
-
Dr Paul Griffin
MATER HEALTH SERVICES, QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA
