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The Department has a long established and very close relationship with the Ritchie Centre for Baby Health Research whose scientific team has an international reputation for work that is relevant to the physiology and health of the fetus and newborn.

In addition to the research opportunities provided by the unit's extensive clinical caseload the Department enjoys the use of a neonatal laboratory, situated in the Ritchie Centre for Baby Health Research, in close proximity to the nursery. The Department also has easy access to world-class animal laboratories located within the main hospital complex.

Many joint collaborative research projects have been undertaken that bring together the clinical expertise of Monash Newborn staff and the scientific expertise of the Ritchie Centre for Baby Health Research. Unrivalled opportunities exist to undertake projects that have both clinical and basic scientific components which is reflected in the large number of clinical and scientific staff who have been jointly supervised as B.Med.Sc, Physiology Hons, MSc and PhD students.

Some areas of current research interest include:

• Assessment of cerebral autoregulation in the fetus and newborn
• Cerebral blood flow and oxygenation in the preterm infant using Near Infrared Spectroscopy
• Blood volume and NIRS in the immature brain
• MRI and MRS in neonatal encephalopathy
• Amplitude integrated EEG in neonatal brain injury
• Objective analysis of movement abnormalities
• Role of inflammation in development of chronic lung disease
• Evaluation of novel therapies in a mouse model of chonic lung disease
• Chest wall motion as a measure of lung inflation in HFOV
• Evaluation of techniques of mechanical respiratory support
• Measurement of lung volume and airway patency using acoustic methods
• Mechanisms underlying respiratory irregularity in the preterm infant
• Evaluation of non-invasive techniques of BP measurement
• Role of baroreflex sensitivity in early hypotension
• Evaluation of indomethacin in PDA using using functional echocardiography
• RCT to test effects of use of frusemide in neonatal blood transfusion
• Neurodevelopmental follow-up of high risk infants

The Department also has close associations with various Centres within the Monash Institute of Health Services Research. These include a project with members of the Health Operations Research Group that has been commissioned by the Department of Human Services, Victoria to employ simulation modelling to estimate statewide requirements for neonatal intensive and special care services.

A partnership has also been established with the Centre for Clinical Effectiveness to develop an evidence based guideline for establishing feeding in preterm infants.

The Australasian Cochrane Centre is also based within the Monash Institute of Health Services Research and provides a very valuable resource for those wishing to undertake systematic reviews.

The program employs 90 senior medical staff and 38 hospital medical officers attending the paediatric wards and emergency department. In conjunction with the Royal Children’s Hospital we deliver statewide initiatives including the Paediatric Integrated Cancer Service (PICS), Paediatric Rehabilitation Centre, and the Victorian Forensic Paediatric Medical Service (VFPMS).

Southern Health is unique in having both obstetric and paediatric departments on the one site at Monash Medical Centre Clayton providing a holistic approach to care and research.

•  Research Directorate, Southern Health (general info and research report)  http://www.southernhealth.org.au/page/Research/
• Monash Health Translation Precinct http://www.mhtp.org.au/

We also have a long established and very close relationship with the Ritchie Centre for Baby Health Research whose scientific team has an international reputation for work that is relevant to the physiology and health of the fetus and newborn.

The Department maintains a very active academic program which is designed to meet the needs of Australian trainees and of International Medical Graduates who come to Monash Newborn to advance their neonatal training. Australian graduates training under the auspices of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians may come to the Department as basic paediatric trainees undertaking their first neonatal position, or as advanced trainees following a paediatric or neonatal/perinatal career path. The Department’s accreditation with the Neonatal/Perinatal Specialist Advisory Committee of the Royal College has recently been renewed with re-approval to provide the full amount (2yrs) of accredited training of which a maximum of 18 months can be core training

Key components of the academic program include a 3 day orientation program for new staff, a core lecture program that covers all major neonatal topics, regular Grand Round presentations by Registrars and Fellows, joint perinatal meetings and clinical audit and research meetings. Fellows also attend the monthly full-day teaching programme of the Melbourne Neonatal Fellowship. This programme is provided as a joint initiative of the 4 Melbourne NICUs with each NICU hosting the monthly program on a rotating basis.

All Registrars and Fellows attend a full-day resuscitation training programme based on the NRP training as part of the Monash Newborn orientation programme and receive graded supervised ‘hands-on’ experience until credentialed as skilled in basic and advanced resuscitation. Monash Newborn also provides all its medical staff with the opportunity to attend a half day neonatal session at Southern Health’s state of the art Simulation Centre which provides team and communication skills training in the context of neonatal resuscitation.

The local program at Monash benefits greatly from the wide range of paediatric sub-specialists who contribute to the lectures and from the generous support of the Centre for Clinical Effectiveness whose staff provide educational sessions designed to promote critical appraisal of evidence by the nursery staff.

Nursery medical staff are also encouraged to attend, where possible, the academic meetings of the Paediatric Department and where relevant, parts of the Post Graduate Academic Program of Southern Health.

In addition to the scheduled teaching program the Department provides structured and individualised support to address the training needs of each of its Registrars and Fellows. Each junior doctor is assigned a member of the senior medical staff team as their personal supervisor who takes responsibility for working with the Registrar or Fellow to identify their training goals, monitor progress, and provide their trainees with regular feedback and guidance through a documented performance appraisal process.
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