Head of School's Welcome

I wish you a warm welcome to the School of Medicine and Public Health at the University of Newcastle, Australia.

Since the inception of its medical degree, the Bachelor of Medicine, in 1978, the School has consistently delivered education programs and research outcomes that are internationally recognised for their innovation and excellence. The School was the first in Australia to offer Problem-Based Learning in its medical degree; and we have continued to deliver education programs and conduct research of the highest calibre over the last 30 years.

Education

Current activities include the undergraduate Joint Medical Program which is an expansion of the highly successful University of Newcastle Bachelor of Medicine program in partnership with the University of New England, Hunter New England Health and Northern Sydney Central Coast Health, postgraduate coursework programs delivered on-line through GradSchool.com.au and on campus in the areas of: Applied Management (Health), Clinical Epidemiology, Clinical Toxicology, Medical Statistics, Pain Medicine, Public Health and Health Science specialising in Drug and Alcohol, Stroke Management or Health Promotion. A Masters in Public Health will be available in 2009.

Research

The School's research efforts, which attract more than $15 million in external funding, operate in partnership with the Hunter Medical Research Institute's key themes of cancer, heart disease, asthma, mental illness, premature birth and stroke. The school contributes to the University's Priority Research Centres in the areas of Asthma and Respiratory Diseases, Brain and Mental Health, Reproductive Science, Gender, Health and Ageing and Bioinformatics, Biomarker Discovery and Information-Based Medicine.

Community

The School endeavours to ensure that the research undertaken will be of relevance and make a lasting and positive contribution to the people of our communities and be in keeping with our overall mission. Our teaching encourages students to identify their roles in serving the needs of the community and partnerships with Hunter New England Health and Northern Sydney Central Coast Health support this.