Prepared for challenge

Professor Jonathan Craig

Vice President and Executive Dean College of Medicine and Public Health

2020 is a year that we are unlikely to forget.

No-one wants a pandemic. The scale of the direct and indirect health impacts has been enormous. Faced with these challenges, staff within the College of Medicine and Public Health have responded with speed, ambition and excellence to ensure our students have been supported, and educational and research programs maintained, albeit in different forms. The extent of continuity, despite the uncertainty and understandable anxiety has been extraordinary. Our students have been understanding and responsive. Research has pivoted to COVID-19 with unprecedented speed. Care, continuity, and ‘no-one left behind’. These principles have underpinned our communications and actions at every turn. This pandemic has served to drive our ambition to transform the health of our communities, through education and research, and to increase our endeavour for excellence.

With a pandemic that spreads with such alarming speed, there is no simple formula for success. There is no ready equivalent to ‘social isolation’ and ‘track and trace’. There is, however, great opportunity for our professions to lead, advise and innovate, and I am sure that has been the instinctive reaction of our College graduates in Australia and around the world, matching the actions of our staff. In the College, I have been very proud to work with a wonderfully diverse range of staff and students who responded to the pandemic with resolve and purpose. Without a simple formula, we harnessed a mixture of elements including logic, professionalism, creativity, camaraderie and collective purpose to serve our communities, to continue our business (often in novel ways), and to support each other. We were determined that everyone and all groups within the College felt supported and communicated with – ‘no-one was to be left behind’. As such:

• our actions remained consistent with the University and

Health authorities

• clinical placements for our MD students continued successfully • we worked in close partnership with external stakeholders • we supported our students with emergency financial help, and support for their learning and mental health • we supported our staff with regular communications and supportive communities of practice to enable them to move quickly to online delivery. Within the College, there is a heightened sense of responsibility because COVID-19 emphasises the importance of the work that we do, and the fragility of our communities. Our vision to make a difference to the health of the communities we serve through the transformative power of research, education and healthcare has been brought into sharp focus: it can no longer be solely a vision. It is now an imperative. So while a purpose of this Alumni magazine is to celebrate our collective achievements, it might also give us pause to reflect on the responsibility that behoves each of us, and the vital role that we play in our communities. Best wishes for your excellent, ongoing work – the sustainability of our efforts is critical. If there was ever a time to be especially proud of our alumni, it is now.

Professor Jonathan Craig

MBChB, DipCH, FRACP, M Med (Clin Epi), PhD, FAHMS Vice President and Executive Dean College of Medicine and Public Health