The motivation of our Emergency Department Collaborative Research Group remains the same with every study: Keep patient care at the centre of its research. The team was awarded the Velocity Award at the Queensland Health Research Showcase. The accolade recognises teams that implement their research from theory into practice, implementing real-world solutions to improve the health of all Queenslanders.

Professor Julia Crilly OAM accepted the award on behalf of the team and was excited to see their research recognised, reflecting on how far the team has come.

More than $1.7 million in upgrades to Gold Coast University Hospital’s triage areas are now complete, assisting to further support patient safety and streamline offloading ambulance arrivals in Queensland’s busiest emergency department (ED).

Dr Gerben Keijzers is a Senior Staff Specialist Emergency Physician at the Gold Coast University Hospital Emergency Department.

Dr Keijzers balances half of his time between clinical work and academic duties, including teaching medical students and conducting research. His role also includes being an honorary professor of emergency medicine at Bond University and is an associate professor at Griffith University.

Dr Richard Pellatt has successfully secured over $27,000 in funding from the Emergency Medicine Foundation to work on the new project "Drug Overdose with Reduced Consciousness: Patient and Staff Perspectives. A Mixed Methods Study."

Through questionnaires and interviews, the project seeks to understand clinician attitudes to the airway management of patients with drug overdose. Concurrently, Richy and his team will also involve patients, building their narrative into this area of research for the first time. 

Embedding research into clinical practice was the theme of the second Gold Coast Health Emergency Care Research Symposium held on Thursday 23rd and Friday 24th May 2024.

An array of contemporary presentations ranging from bench to bedside research were delivered by speakers from across Australia, along with insightful sessions on topics such as consumer engagement in research and panel discussions on topics such as tips for successful research funding and integrating research into policy (and back).

Congratulations to Dr Gerben Keijzers for being named Gold Coast Health Researcher of the Year for 2023 .

Dr Keijzers was one of seven Research and Transformation Awards winners announced late last year as part of the Research, Innovation and Transformation Showcase.