Notre Dame medical school leads the way in ultrasound training

The Medicine students of The University of Notre Dame Australia’s Sydney Campus will be the first in the country to learn advanced ultrasound skills in their undergraduate training.

This has largely been made possible by the donation of a HDI5000 ultrasound system by leading health and well-being company, Philips Electronics Australia.

The CEO of Philips Electronics Australia, Harry van Dyk, said the company is very proud to support Notre Dame’s cutting-edge education initiatives in the area of medicine.

“Our company is dedicated to improving the lives of others through timely healthcare innovations, so it is critical that we ensure Australia’s young clinicians are trained to their utmost on the latest technologies,” said Mr. van Dyk.

Pro-Vice Chancellor and Dean of Medicine, Professor Julie Quinlivan said a major feature of the course is to provide exposure to surgical anatomy and medical imaging at the highest level.

“We had heard the criticisms that medical graduates did not know enough anatomy and consequently could not interpret medial imaging from ultrasounds".

“We already have a dissection based anatomy program with a strong focus on surgical anatomy, but are now taking the next step and ensuring that all our graduates can also undertake ultrasound imaging as apart of the routine clinical assessment,” said Professor Quinlivan.

A Chair in Radiology has been appointed in conjunction with St Vincent’s Hospital to coordinate the new ‘imaging program’ and medical imaging has already been integrated into the first and second year anatomy and pathology programs.

Traditionally, ultrasound training is a postgraduate medical skill; however, in the last decade ultrasounds have been used increasingly in examining patients and obtaining excellent diagnostic results.

“It is extremely important for students to start practicing medicine with the knowledge of how to use an ultrasound machine,” said Professor Quinlivan.

A ceremony was held to thank Philips for their generous donation and to launch the new imaging training room and machine.

In this photo: Dean of Medicine, Professor Julie Quinlivan, CEO of Philips Electronics Australia, Harry van Dyk and Notre Dame Vice Chancellor, Professor Celia Hammond with Medicine students, Kate Manollaras, Jobe Shatrov and Ann Sunderland and the HDI5000 ultrasound system.

For further information, please contact:

Moira Saunders
Public Relations Officer
The University of Notre Dame Australia, Sydney
Phone: +61 2 8204 4407
Fax: +61 2 8204 4422