UQ health students put talents on display

Queensland – home to not only the nation’s champion rugby league and netball teams – but also Australia’s most ingenious health students.

University of Queensland’s Dr Emma Beckman  said she was ecstatic after the team she mentors claimed a second successive HealthFusion Team Challenge.

The HealthFusion Team Challenge is a national competition requiring students to collaborate and produce a gold-standard care program for a hypothetical client with complex needs.

Organisers purposely place contestants in a timed, pressurised environment and present unusual and complicated scenarios.

“We really do have some fantastically talented health professionals coming through the Health at UQ ranks,” said team mentor Dr Beckman.

“This is a great endorsement of not only the individuals concerned, but for the education and support provided by UQ’s health sciences faculties.

“To be outstanding in one area is an achievement, but this team brought students together from six different disciplines and they were all quite remarkable.”

This year’s winning UQ team consisted of Joanna Standen (Social Work), Michael Honnery (Occupational Therapy), Nicole Atkinson (Physiotherapy), Elizabeth Coomer (Speech Pathology), Mariam Rizk (Medicine), and Brittany Martin (Pharmacy).

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences Associate Dean (Academic) Professor Sarah Roberts-Thomson described the title defence in the HealthFusion Challenge as a proud achievement.

“The community is already well aware of the strength of the health sciences at UQ, but this is wonderful validation,” Professor Roberts-Thomson said.

“HealthFusion Team Challenge provides a platform by which we can identify and integrate our health leaders of tomorrow.

“It’s a great environment to stamp yourself as an innovator who applies absolute best practice towards patient care.”

This year’s final was held at the Queensland University of Technology campus in Brisbane City.

An Indigenous HealthFusion Team Challenge will be held on 28-29 November in Cairns, and UQ is actively seeking Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to participate.

Media: Dr Emma Beckman e.beckman@uq.edu.au , +61 7 3346 7904; Professor Sarah Roberts-Thomson, sarahrt@uq.edu.au, +61 3365 6549; UQ Communications – Robert Burgin, r.burgin@uq.edu.au , + 617 3346 3035, +61 448 410 364.