Beyond Science

In October 2020, MTPConnect published a landmark workforce survey identifying deficiencies in the Australian Medical Biotechnology, Pharmaceutical and Digital health sector. Amongst the two main areas identified relevant to surgery were research and industry skills. Surgeon-scientists and surgeon-innovators have an important role in the entire medical technology translational cycle; not only from discovery to commercialisation, but in ensuring that health technologies are implemented in value-based manner.

This includes defining safety and regulatory standards, balancing patient outcomes against health care costs, and working with policy makers to ensure that funding is both sustainable and promotes equitable access to technology.

Where do surgeons learn these skills?

Despite a rich history of biomedical innovation in Australia, there are limited training opportunities for surgeons to develop these skills. Within NSW, there are no formal surgeon-scientist training pathways in Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery. Our limited understanding of technology commercialisation has impeded our ability to translate fundamental scientific breakthroughs to the bedside. Therefore, as research becomes more and more technology focused, developing these industry-ready skills will be essential so that Australian Otolaryngology will continue to deliver innovations to the community.

Learn more about us here, Beyond Science Ebook.

Board of Beyond Science

Clinical 

Associate Professor Payal Mukherjee (Co Founder)

Associate Professor Kelvin Kong

Professor Stuart Mackay

Professor Raymond Sacks 

Professor Richard Harvey 

Associate Professor Raewyn Campbell

Professor Nirmal Patel

Associate Professor Daniel Novakovic

Professor Jonathon Clark  

Scientific 

Professor Gordon Wallace (Co Founder)

Professor Ben Eggleton 

Professor Gregg Suaning 

Professor Svetha Venkatesh 

Associate Professor Hamish Macdougall 

Professor David McAlpine 

Professor Nigel Lovell 

Professor Laura Poole-Warren 

Professor Jeremy Crook 

Advisory Committee 

Professor Jim Patrick AO (Chair)

Professor Philip Truskett

Professor Susie Nilsson

Dr Jean-Frederic Levesque 

Dr Bridget Clancy 

Anne O'Neill