By strengthening university links with hospital partners, we can better prepare for the future of healthcare, says the new Associate Dean (Clinical) of The University of Queensland’s Faculty of Health Sciences.
Professor Gerald Holtmann, who began in March, said it was crucial to understand the current and future needs of patients and the healthcare system, as this would pay dividends by adding value to the provision of healthcare services.
“At the same time we have exciting opportunities to better prepare our students for future healthcare needs,” Professor Holtmann said.
He said his vision to enhance the faculty’s reputation as a leader in health research and education would be driven by strengthening links with hospital partners.
“Our faculty has a strong philosophy of collaboration and it will be this philosophy that drives my aim to strengthen our partnerships with the hospitals, the Queensland Government and our philanthropic partners.
“To enhance this collaboration, a better reciprocal understanding of healthcare needs is critical and we as a University need to reflect and further define how we add value for our partners.”
Professor Holtmann’s passion for research is clear when he talks about the significant achievements he has experienced while working extensively in an academic healthcare environment.
“I always feel that the greatest achievement is when you succeed to infect a student with the virus of passion for research,” Professor Holtmann said.
“This is not immediately visible but several of my previous students have become successful academics, and all this started with a small student research project in year three of the medical course.”
Faculty of Health Sciences Executive Dean Professor Nicholas Fisk said Professor Holtmann had an uncommon skill set of business, clinical and research strength in academic hospitals.
“This will give our clinical enterprises much-needed senior representation at the faculty and University level, underpinning their core importance to our clinical teaching and research effort,” Professor Fisk said.
Professor Holtmann is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in London,a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, and has a Masters of Business Administration in addition to his research higher degree.
His research is focused in the field of neurogastroenterology and has consistently attracted peer-reviewed funding from national and international funding bodies such as the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), the German Research Foundation (DFG) or the Rome Foundation.
He has had more than 200 articles and book chapters published in leading journals including the The New England Journal of Medicine, The Lancet and Gastroenterology.
Media: Kirsten Rogan, Media and Communications, UQ Faculty of Health Sciences, 07 3346 4713, 0412307594 or k.rogan@uq.edu.au
