Today we are exploring the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, treating dementia and how nutrition can help with cognitive decline.

This podcast is sponsored by Macquarie University Hospital, part of Macquarie University Health – a trailblazer in healthcare, education and research.

Dr Heather Francis is an endorsed Clinical Neuropsychologist. She is experienced in the diagnosis and management of neurological and neurosurgical conditions. She provides evidence based cognitive and lifestyle recommendations and interventions to improve brain health and mental wellbeing, as well as reduce risk of cognitive decline in aging. She has a research interest in the effects of diet on the brain.

Professor James Burrell graduated with a combined Arts/Medicine degree from the University of New South Wales in 2000. He completed basic physicians training at Prince of Wales Hospital, before progressing through advanced training in neurology at Concord and Royal Prince Alfred hospitals. He completed a fellowship in neuromuscular disease and neurophysiology in 2008. Professor Burrell completed a PhD, based at Neuroscience Research Australia, then took up a position as Senior Research Officer at the same institution from 2012-2016, before moving to the University of Sydney in 2017. His PhD and subsequent research contributions focus on the clinical, neuropsychological, neurophysiological, and neuroimaging characteristics of dementias, with a specific aim of improving diagnostic and prognostic markers. He was appointed Clinical Associate Professor in 2019.

Professor Burrell held a position as Staff Specialist in neurology at Concord Hospital from 2011 to 2025. He was appointed Senior Staff Specialist and Head of Neurology in August 2020. He is a Consultant Neurologist and Professor of Cognitive Neurology at Macquarie University. Professor Burrell is also a dedicated educator and mentor, with extensive publications in leading neurology journals.

My name is Sally Block, the MJA’s news and online editor.

“The MJA acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land on which we live and work across Australia.  This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Wangal people. I pay my respects to their Elders past and present.”

This week the MJA has published a supplement called Cure asthma – it’s a collaboration between keen Australian stakeholders, and co-ordinated by The University of Melbourne and Asthma Australia.  

As the name states, the goal is to not just treat asthma, but to find a cure.

To discuss this I am joined by Professor Gary Anderson who is a pharmacologist and immunologist and Director of the Lung Health Research Centre at the University of Melbourne.

Australia now has its first Male Infertility guidelines.

The Guidelines are featured today as an Online First ahead of their official publication in MJA later this year.

“The MJA acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land on which we live and work across Australia.  This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. I pay my respects to their Elders past and present.”

Associate Professor Darren Katz is a Urologist at the University of Melbourne’s Department of Surgery. He is Medical Director of Men’s Health Melbourne. 

Here’s here to speak to us about the guidelines and joins me now. 

Australia has its first new cancer screening programme in 20 years, this time for lung cancer. 

Today we’ll be discussing this new programme in depth as well as the role of primary care and the supports available in delivering the programme.

This podcast is Sponsored by the Australian Government National Lung Cancer Screening Program.

Professor Vivienne Milch is Medical Director, at Cancer Australia. Professor Milch is also Medical Advisor to the Australian Commonwealth Department of Health, Disability and Ageing on cancer screening policy.

Professor Milch holds a Master’s degree in Health Policy and is an Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor in the School of Medicine, Sydney Campus at The University of Notre Dame, Australia and Professorial Fellow at the Caring Futures Institute at Flinders University in Adelaide. 

Prior to joining Cancer Australia, Professor Milch was a General Practitioner and clinical researcher at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney. 

Relevant links:

Today we are exploring cardiac surgery in elderly patients.

This podcast is sponsored by Macquarie University Hospital, part of Macquarie University Health – a trailblazer in healthcare, education and research.

Professor Michael Vallely is a leading cardiothoracic surgeon who has clinical and academic interests in minimising the invasiveness of cardiothoracic surgery and is a world authority on total arterial, anaortic, off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery. He also has interests in minimally invasive cardiac surgery (MICS and Da Vinci robotic surgery), transcatheter (TAVI and Mitra-Clip) cardiac surgery, thoracic aortic surgery, geriatric cardiac surgery, and hybrid procedures including the use of ECMO.

Dr Nargis Shaheen is a consultant geriatrician with a special interest in perioperative medicine working at Macquarie University Hospital and Concord Hospital. She is a member of the ANZCA perioperative care working group and is involved in perioperative medicine teaching.

Welcome to this podcast from the Medical Journal of Australia.

My name is Sally Block, the MJA’s news and online editor.

“The MJA acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land on which we live and work across Australia.  This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. I pay my respects to their Elders past and present.”

Between 1968 and 1970, Australia was hit by a pandemic known as the Hong Kong Flu.

The MJA is publishing an historical piece about the pandemic and its impact.

Dr John Gerrard is the Infectious Diseases Physician at the Gold Coast University Hospital and  former Chief Health Officer of Queensland.

Today we are exploring advances in glaucoma and age-related macular disease. 

This podcast is sponsored by Macquarie University Hospital, part of Macquarie University Health – a trailblazer in healthcare, education and research.

Dr Helen Do is an ophthalmic surgeon with a specialising in medical retina and cataract surgery with a focus on diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration at Macquarie University hospital. She is a clinical lecturer at Macquarie University and Sydney University. 

And Dr Aparna Raniga is a glaucoma and cataract specialist surgeon with a focus on diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration at Macquarie University Hospital. 

A little over 10 years ago the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care released its first national clinical care standard.

A perspective on the subject is published in the MJA today and a webinar is being held tomorrow where the Commission will showcase the five stories of excellence discussed in today’s podcast. The link to the webinar will be is here

The Chief Medical Officer of the Commission Conjoint Professor Carolyn Hullick  and its Clinical Care Standards Director Dr Alice Bhasale join me on today's podcast.

The likelihood of a man or woman dying of coronary heart disease is much less than it was half a century ago with better treatments and a reduction in smoking.

However, as our special guests will explain today, the overall burden of coronary disease continues to grow and it still remains the single leading cause of death in Australia. 

Professor Will Parsonage is Clinical Director at the Australian Centre for Health Services Innovation and Senior Staff Cardiologist at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital and St Vincent's Private Hospital. Associate Professor Sarah Zaman is an Academic Interventional Cardiologist at Westmead Hospital and the University of Sydney.

They are co authors on  the The Lancet Commission on rethinking coronary artery disease and they have written about it for the MJA’s InSight+ and they join me now.

Australia’s privacy regulator has recently updated its guidance to clinicians about contacting their patients’ relatives about their genetic risk of disease.

The MJA is featuring an article on the subject by Dr Jane Tiller as an Online First this week, ahead of its publication in the Journal in August.

Dr Tiller is a lawyer, genetic counsellor and public health researcher. She’s the Ethical, Legal and Social Adviser in Public Health Genomics at Monash University.