Research News

Keep up to date with new and exciting research projects being undertaken at East Metropolitan Health Service (EMHS).

EMHS Introduction to Consumer Engagement Webinar

Watch webinar (YouTube) which was run on Wednesday, 2 August 2023. 

The session facilitators were: Professor Daniel Fatovich – Senior Emergency Physician and Clinical Researcher, RPH; Mr Ben Horgan – Community Development Officer, RPBG; and Dr Stephen Macdonald – Emergency Physician, RPH and Clinical Associate Professor, UWA.

Panel members were: Ms Aleesha Thompson – Project Officer, HIVE, EMHS; and Ms Leana Stendell – Consumer Representative, Sepsis Working Group, EMHS.

EMHS Grant Application Preparation Series 2022

Watch Session 3 (YouTube): Grant Writing Forum. This session is facilitated by Dr Tegan McNab, Manager, Grants and Research Development at Telethon Kids Institute, and Lindsay Rowe, Innovation Manager at EMHS. The panel members are Professor George Yeoh, Professor Judith Finn and Professor Tomás Corcoran.

Watch Session 2 (YouTube): A Live Webinar with the Chair of the Future Health Research and Innovation (FHRI) Fund. This session is facilitated by Professor Daniel Fatovich, EMHS Director of Research, with speakers John Van Der Wielen FHRI Chair, and Dr Stacey Water, A/Director, Research and Innovation Office, Department of Health.

Watch Session 1 (YouTube): Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) and National Health And Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Opportunities. This session is presented by Dr Julie Glover, Executive Director, Research Foundations, NHMRC and Dr Saraid Billiards, Director, Health and Medical Research Office, Department of Health.

RPH Anaesthetist leads milestone trial

A large scale trial by Monash University has definitively found a drug commonly used during anaesthesia before surgery to prevent nausea and vomiting does not increase the risk of a surgical wound infection as once feared.

Professor Tomás Corcoran, Director of Research in the Department of Anaesthesia and Pain Medicine, at Royal Perth Hospital and Adjunct Clinical Professor in the Central Clinical School at Monash University, was the lead researcher in the Perioperative Administration of Dexamethasone and Infection Trial (PADDI).

Tomas said that the study had the potential to influence anaesthesia practice around the world.

Read the news article to learn more.

Science on the Swan – a snapshot of Research at EMHS

The three day 2021 Science on the Swan conference focused on Embedding Research and Innovation in Health Care and COVID-19 insights. EMHS was there and presented this snapshot of the research currently being undertaken across the health service.

Apple research

Are apples good for our health? Research conducted out at RPH have shown improvements in blood pressure and blood vessel function as a result of apple intake, among other benefits. Dr Catherine Bondonno featured on Our State on a Plate to teach us about the health benefits of apples:

Research provides new hope for breast cancer

Royal Perth Hospital and University of WA researchers have discovered an innovative new way to find and cure breast cancer by injecting tiny radioactive seeds into patients.

Mystery behind broken heart syndrome

Royal Perth Hospital researchers are trying to unlock the mystery and science behind extreme emotional trauma, hopeful that their findings will save lives.

Game-changing treatment

A game-changing study led by Royal Perth Hospital is expected to revolutionise the way collapsed lungs are treated internationally.

Congratulations RPH Head of Cardiology - $1.8M funding to investigate treatment of a common heart condition

Royal Perth Hospital (RPH) Cardiologist, Professor Graham Hillis, has been awarded more than $1.8M in funding for his research team to investigate treatment of a common heart condition.

The funding is from the Federal Government’s Medical Research Future Fund which aims to support researchers to make the next big medical discoveries that benefit all Australians. It will support an international team that will investigate if early valve replacement improves the outcome for patients with severe aortic stenosis, or narrowing of the valve between the heart and the major artery that carries blood around the body.

Read more here.

New Leukemia treatment dubbed 'a magic bullet'

Researchers from RPH’s Haematology department have helped uncover a new drug that can contain/treat a type of aggressive Leukemia. The immunotherapy is so effective they've dubbed it "the magic bullet".

The magic bullet includes two pills taken every day and a small injection of chemotherapy seven days a month. It's a form of immunotherapy that works by targeting mutant proteins in the blood.

Read the news article to learn more.

Building a Career in Clinical Research presentation

On 6 June 2019 we were delighted to host Professor Christopher Levi, Executive Director, Maridulu Budyari Gumal: Sydney Partnership for Health, Education, Research and Enterprise (SPHERE).

Professor Levi gave a presentation to inspire our early-career researchers. He recounted lessons from his career as a clinical researcher, including the need to persevere in the face of set-backs, the importance of building enduring relationships with mentors, and the benefits of ‘co-designing’ research with clinicians and patients. It was a terrific opportunity to hear from and meet with a world-renowned leader in translating research into clinical practice.

We thank Professor Levi for taking time while in Perth to present at Science on the Swan 2019.

Revolutionary new surgery technique

A revolutionary new surgical technique using a knife the size of a pin is being delivered at Royal Perth Hospital.

The surgery, which is for gastric cancer patients, is far less invasive than regular surgical methods which results in a shortened hospital stay and no scars for the patient.

Watch Gastroenterologist Dr Marcus Chin talk to 7 News Perth through this incredible technique:

Royal Perth Hospital's new bowel cancer operation

Royal Perth Hospital is at the forefront of a ground-breaking new bowel cancer operation which is less invasive, increases the chances of removing all of the cancer and leads to better recovery for patients.

Watch RPH's Dr Abraham Jacob and Specialist Surgeon Dr Shanthan Ganesh talk to 7 News Perth about the innovative surgery. Please be advised this video contains graphic images.

Putting a new thinking cap on – 3D printing skulls

Congratulations to the tissue engineering team from our Health Technology Management Unit, Cell and Tissue Therapy WA and the Department of Neurosurgery who have now progressed to the final round of the 2018 WA Innovator of the Year Awards.

The team of Dr Alan Kop (pictured, left) Dr David Morrison (pictured, right), Dr Stephen Honeybul and Dr Marian Sturm are now competing with only four other finalists in the Emerging Innovation Category of these important awards.

The team’s exciting research program involves a clinical trial that is underway to explore how tissue engineering can be applied to harvest the power of stem cells and utilise advanced manufacturing techniques such as 3D printing.

Learn more about this exciting research.

Scarless thyroid surgery

Royal Perth Hospital doctors have made history by performing the first scarless thyroid surgery.

Managing medication for people living with dementia

People with dementia often have coexisting health conditions that require medication.

The Medication Appropriateness Tool for Comorbid Health Conditions in Dementia (MATCH-D) study aims to determine to what extent improved medication management produces better health and functional outcomes for people with dementia.

Led by Royal Perth Hospital's Associate Professor Chris Etherton-Beer, the study is supported by a $586,000 grant from the National Health and Medical Research Council.

Learn more about the MATCH-D study.

Treating low blood pressure in sepsis patients

Sepsis is a life-threatening illness caused by the body’s response to an infection. When low blood pressure occurs in a sepsis patient the risk of organ failure is increased.

A team led by Royal Perth Hospital Emergency Medicine Consultant Dr Stephen MacDonald is trialling a treatment called Restricted Fluid Resuscitation in Sepsis-associated Hypotension (REFRESH).

The trial uses rapid intravenous fluids to treat hypotension rather than the more traditional vasopressor medications.

The results will be used to inform a large-scale international clinical trial.