Medical courses are like World Wide Web pages, according to the new head of The University of Queensland's Graduate School of Medicine.
"They are never finished and must constantly modify to meet changing community expectations and knowledge," Professor Ken Donald said.
Professor Donald will provide the strategic direction for teaching and learning activities of the 1000-student School, which this year graduates its first cohort of 250 students from the four-year graduate entry medical course.
"We now have sufficient student numbers to obtain detailed information on entry criteria, students' performances during the course and the effectiveness of assessment," Professor Donald said.
"Next year we'll conduct the first work performance analysis of how our graduates fit into the health system and this will further assist in fine tuning the process."
As head of School, Professor Donald is monitoring rapid changes in medical practice, scientific developments and social changes to make strategic decisions about the way the Graduate Medical Course will evolve for the future.
Already the trend towards evidence-based health outcomes practice, rather than a major dependence on theory and opinion, is being felt in curricula.
Tactical play is something with which Professor Donald is most familiar, as a former international Wallabies Rugby player during the 1950s and 1960s, and Wallabies manager for international tours in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
His subsequent career in health administration in the University and State sectors has given him a detailed understanding of the needs of both groups, and strategic ways to respond to those needs.
Professor Donald graduated Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery in 1962 and with a PhD in immunology in 1973, from The University of Queensland.
Originally trained as a pathologist, Professor Donald has held appointments as an academic pathologist, Director of Pathology at Royal Brisbane Hospital and in the past few years was Professor of Anatomical Pathology at the University of Newcastle and Director of Pathology at the Hunter Area Pathology Services.
He has also worked and studied in Holland, Norway and Edinburgh.
He remains on the Royal College of Pathology of Australia Professional Practices Committee and has participated in reviews of pathology services in every state in Australia over the past 10 years.
Professor Donald has also been Deputy Director-General of Health in Queensland (for more than 10 years) and in the 1990s has been Professor and Head of the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine at The University of Queensland.
The number of staff in his Department grew from 30 to 150 during his stewardship. He chaired a number of major national authorities and committees within the National Health and Medical Research Council, the AIDS Control, Cancer Control and Veterans' Compensation Systems.
He has wide-ranging publications and textbook contributions in Pathology, Health Sciences and Public Health.
Professor Donald took up his appointment on January 4, succeeding Professor Bryan Campbell, who has been appointed Chief Health Officer for Queensland Health.
Further information: Professor Ken Donald, telephone 3365 5316.
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