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CSIRO Education enquiries: Program enquiries: | Medical sciences
Dr Allison Abendroth, Senior Medical Scientist, Westmead Millennium Institute (WMI) - Viruses Episode
Dr Jason Acworth, Deputy Head, Emergency Medicine - Hospitals Episode 
So Jason how did you get to where you are? "Mostly by car....oh, seriously - 6 years Medical school, 15 years after that working in hospitals here and overseas, training in paediatrics (kids medicine) and emergency. I also had to do some big exams to become a Paediatric specialist about 9 years ago. And what do you like most about your job? I still get to act like a kid (be a bit of a goose) and people think I'm just doing it for the kid's sake. I really like being able to make a difference and help some really sick or injured or kids feel better. Describe a 'typical' day? I spend my day either seeing patients directly or checking on more junior doctors who have seen patients and help them. I spend some time teaching junior doctors and medical students how to deal with paediatric emergencies and some time doing research into paediatric emergency problems. ^TOP Rohan Anstey, Ambulance Paramedic - Hospitals Episode
^TOP David Blyde, Marine Vet, Seaworld - Vet Science Episode
He says the best part of his work is the variety; he may end up treating anything from large whales to small birds and amphibians, (although hopefully not all at once?). The main parts to his work are: making sure all the animals are healthy - preventative medicine; Reproductive management - pregnancy diagnosis; surgery; treating sick animals; rehabilitation and rescue of injured, diseased or orphaned wild marine animals. Check out where he works. When he is not running around after animals, he is chasing a small round white ball around a big green park (playing soccer), or just going for a run. ^TOP Tim Carroll, Medical Scientist, CSL Ltd - Human Body Episode
^TOP Dr Geoff Cleghorn, Professor & Head Discipline of Paediatrics & Child Health, The University of Queensland - Grossology Episode
^TOP Peter Coombs, Diagnostic Imaging, Casey Hospital - Sound Episode
He sees a range of patients. In one day he might scan a baby born at 25 weeks, a pregnant woman who gets their first vision of their foetus, maybe an athlete who has hurt a joint or a patient who needs their neck arteries scanned urgently because of a stroke. Then there is his part-time life as a Senior Lecturer at Monash University to fill the gaps in the day. Outside of his job, he loves to travel. Sonography has provided opportunities to get to Papua & New Guinea, Europe and Korea over the last 12 months. ^TOP Professor Ashley Craig, Neuroscientist, UTS - Human Body
A day may involve writing papers, applying for research funds, being interviewed about his research or conducting experiments. Some days can be tedious with little gain, and others can be exciting and really enjoyable. His other loves are coffee, music and kayaking. ^TOP Phil Diver, CEO, Skills Development Centre - Hospitals Episode 
Phil came to Australia a little over two years ago from the UK where he ran a company building and managing hospitals around the world. He went to University in New Zealand , England and the US studying management, and previously ran a hospital for the Royal family in Saudi Arabia . Upon arrival in Australia he applied for his current job because it looked interesting and so far it hasn't failed to live up to expectations! Phil particularly knowing that his team are making a difference by helping healthcare professionals becoming better and safer.When not at work. Phil likes to immerse himself in Australian culture (watching sport!), painting, and creating stained glass windows. He is also the curator of the Harries, the National Digital Art Award. ^TOP Dr Alex Forrest - Forensic Odontologist (Dentist) - Forensics Episode
He has a special interest in the analysis of bite marks, and in applying digital techniques to the analysis of evidence. He has spent time in Thailand helping with the international victim identification effort following the South Asian tsunami in 2004, and in Bali helping identify victims of the 2002 terrorist bombing. He now works as a consultant forensic dentist for Queensland Health and at Griffith University 's Forensic Science Research and Innovation Centre. ^TOP Dr Cameron Hastie, Specialist anaesthetist - Hopitals Episode 
Training to be an anaesthetist took 5 yrs (on top of his University degree), and in his final year of training Cameron sub specialised in paediatric anaesthesia. A typical day starts with Cameron at the ward seeing the children and their parents who are scheduled for surgery that day. He then goes to the operating theatre to prepare for the day. He gets the children off to sleep before surgery and looks after them during the operation. Often he has a trainee anaesthetist helping him, who he teaches about anaesthesia. At the end of the day there are often meetings where all of the anaesthetists discuss difficult cases and new issues and technologies in anaesthesia. ^TOP Geraldine Hunt, Associate Professor and Hospital Director, University Veterinary Centre, Sydney - Famous Scientists Episode
^TOP Danielle Loveless - Exercise Physiologist - Surfing Science
^TOP Danielle Magoffin, Virologist, CSIRO Livestock Industries - Viruses Episode
Outside the lab she enjoys playing basketball, skiing, travelling and going to Essendon football games. ^TOP Melanie McGrice - Accredited Practicing Dietitian, Dietitians Association of Australia - Food Episode
Even though she often talks about food all day long, she still loves eating it! So, going to new restaurants, cooking and having dinner parties rank among her favourite past times. She works at a large Melbourne hospital in the mornings, mainly on the surgical ward and in the afternoons, she works in her private practice. Being a dietitian is all about helping sick people to feel better, educating people so that they can understand their diseases better and counselling people about how to have a healthy relationship with food. ^TOP Dr Jennifer McKimm-Breschkin, Virologist, CSIRO Molecular & Health Technologies - Viruses Episode
^TOP Dr Steven McTaggart, Paediatric Nephrologist, Royal Children's Hospital & Mater Children's Hospital, Brisbane - Grossology Episode
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Dr Jonathan Mott, Surgeon - Hospitals Episode 
Jonathan's current job is at the Royal Children's Hospital as the Burns registrar and he is also on the surgical training program. At the end of this year he wants to specialise in plastic and reconstructive surgery which will involve a further four or five years of training (on top of the 6 year degree in medicine followed by three years as a resident medical officer that he has already done). These days sleeping is fast becoming his new hobby, because the job involves such long hours. His day starts with a ward round at 7.30 in the morning, followed by a morning clinic for burns or surgery, followed by operating theatres. Two afternoons a week he is involved in clinical research projects or additional theatre work. In addition, he is on call for surgery usually two nights a week and one weekend in three. This still leaves just a little time for Rugby Union, his biggest passion. ^TOP David Pyne, Sports Physiologist, Australian Institute of Sport - Sports Technology Episode
David has 18 years experience at the AIS and contributed to the preparation of several Australian Olympic Swimming Teams between 1988 and 2004. He also works with basketball, rugby, cricket and AFL which gives him the opportunity to service both Olympic and professional sports. Apart from his work at the AIS campus, David has also travelled overseas for training camps and sporting competitions, and he has worked with many international athletes, coaches, administrators and scientists. "There's always someone interesting to watch or meet, and to learn from," David says. "It's a privilege to help athletes achieve their dreams and goals in great sporting contests." ^TOP Catriona Smith, Accident and Emergency (A & E) Nurse - Hospitals Episode 
After finishing her nursing degree, with a post graduate certificate in paediatric nursing, Catriona worked as a nurse for 5 years in different wards in the hospital and intensive care unit. This provided extensive experience in different areas, which she now uses in Accident & Emergency. She really likes looking after children and continuing to learn about different medical areas, not to mention playing a bit of sport in her spare time. There is no such thing as a "typical" day in A & E. There are lots of different roles in the department: triage (what she was doing when we visited), resuscitations, and assisting with various procedures involved in emergency medicine. The focus is always on the best possible outcome for the patient. ^TOP Hayley Snelling, Research Scientist, CSIRO Australian Animal Health Laboratory - Viruses Episode
^TOP Dr Christopher Souvlis, Dentist - Fanous Scientists Episode
Other than the short hours, Chris loves his job because it gives him a chance to help people, whether it's a problem with pain or tooth aesthetics. He treats about 10 -12 patients a day, giving them quality time and information for preventative care. Chris also loves cooking, designing, sport and TV presenting. He enjoyed being on Scope so much that he has developed his own concept for a show: "Getaway and Cook with Chris", a travel cooking show. Look out for it in the near future! ^TOP Julie Steele, University of Wollongong - Plastics Episode 
Julie is a professor of biomechanics and head of the Biomechanics Research Laboratory at the University of Wollongong. Her laboratory conducts research into the way the body works (particularly the muscles and bones) in order to try and prevent injuries. Julie was planning to be a physical education teacher, but got sidetracked after she finished her Diploma of Teaching and found there were no jobs available. So she headed off to the University of Western Australia to study exercise science, then moved into biomechanics when she realised that there was virtually no-one else studying it, so there were sure to be jobs available! The appeal in her current job is the variety, says Julie. She might be teaching a room full of students one day, then jetting overseas to raise funds to commercialise her research the next. "I love the diversity of science," she says. "Although science requires a systematic approach to find answers, each answer throws up another ten questions. There's never a dull moment." ^TOP Stephen Trowell, Research Leader, Cybernose, CSIRO Food Futures - Food Episode
^TOP Dunja Vasiljevic, Radiographer - Hospitals Episode 
Dunja completed 3 years of studies in Medical Radiation Science - Diagnostic Radiography for which the most useful high school subjects were physics and biology. She had always enjoyed helping people and wanted work in a hospital. She is now specialized in general radiography (which includes x-rays, screening, theatre, trauma radiography, paediatrics) as well as angiography and CT. She works in different hospitals too, so every day is different. One day she might be in theatres all day during surgeries, another day she might be in casualty working with the trauma team. Outside work she enjoys pilates, kickboxing, reading and heading to the beach. ^TOP Clinical Professor Fiona Wood, Plastic Surgeon, McComb Foundation - Human Body
She is currently a Clinical Professor at the UWA School of Paediatrics and Child Health and consults to burns units at different hospitals. In 2003, she was presented with an award from the Australian Medical Association for her outstanding contribution to her profession. It has taken a lot of hard work for her to get to where she is, and every day is full to the brim. ^TOP
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After completing her PhD in viral immunology, Allison went to the overseas to do a 3.5 year fellowship at Stanford University. This was a fantastic opportunity to work with, meet and chat with eminent medical researchers at one of the best universities in the USA. She returned to Australia in 2000 and setup the Varicella zoster virus research lab at the Centre for Virus Research, WMI. In 2004 she was appointed at the University of Sydney as a lecturer in Immunology. She really enjoys teaching students both in a large group setting (ie. lectures with 100 students) and in the research lab (6 students), as well as the challenges of medical research and the reward in knowing that my research program is trying to help people who suffer from chicken pox and shingles. There is the added bonus of travelling within Australia and overseas to talk about her research with other scientists at conferences. 
So what does Rohan do in a typical day? "My typical day involves firstly checking the ambulance and all its equipment to see that it is all there, working, and ready to use if needed. When we get a call we go out to the ambulance and head straight to the job, depending on how sick the patient is tells us whether we use our lights and sirens. When we arrive at the patient we assess them, administer any drugs that they need, monitor their heart, place them on a stretcher and take them to the nearest hospital. At the hospital we tell the doctors and nurses how sick the patient is and then write a report for the nurses. My dayshifts last 10 hours but my night shifts are 14 hours long!" To get to where he is now, Rohan firstly studied nursing and worked as a registered nurse for 2 years. He then started Ambulance Paramedic training, which takes 3 years to complete. 
David studied Veterinary Science at the University of Sydney and later completed a Diploma in Wild Animal Medicine. He then became a member of the Australian College of Veterinary Scientists and worked at Taronga Zoo and Western Plains Zoo. 
After Geoff graduated with a degree in medicine, like all medical doctors that was not the end of his studies. But 12 years and a lot of hard work later he is doing a job he really loves. He spends time in hospital, seeing patients and teaching medical students but he also sees patients in his private rooms. And as if that wasn't enough, a couple of time each week he has to perform surgery as well. When he has time off, he likes to go to anywhere interesting animals are involved, currently Africa is his favourite place and he is going back there in August to go on a walking safari in Zambia, where he plans to take lots of cool photographs (his other passion in life is photography).
Peter's fascination with ultrasound was developed in his early professional years working with x-rays as a medical imaging technologist. Sonography offered the opportunity make diagnoses inside the body in 'real-time' and the challenge of a rapidly changing technology. By far the best part of the job is the interactions with patients, particularly when he makes a difficult diagnosis that will greatly assist a patient's outcome.
After dreaming about studying the brain, Ashley eventually became a Professor in the neuroscience field, after many years studying at university at an undergraduate and post-graduate level. He really enjoys having the freedom to ask questions about how people function, such as the relationship between personalities and how the brain works. It is really exciting then to be able to design experiments to answer those questions. He also enjoys writing, and doing some teaching, especially if the students want to learn.
Alex started out as a dentist but soon realized there were more interesting things to do than fill teeth and extract them. He has a strong interest in anatomy, and this combined naturally with dentistry to lead him into the field of forensics. He was lucky to have the chance to work with a colleague who was already a forensic dentist and this influenced his choice of career.
Danielle has a degree in Biomedical Science and a degree in Exercise Science with Honours. After she began working Danielle focussed on exercise physiology including athlete performance and training. Danielle decided to combine her work with her passion for outdoor activities and surfing by beginning a PhD in surfing physiology, which is supported by Surfing Australia. Her day's vary quite a lot, "One day I'll be at the desk reading or writing, the next I'll be in the lab and the day after that I'll be in the gym or on the beach", Danielle explained. She hopes her work will make a difference to surfing in Australia and around the world. Apart from surfing, she is also a keen tri-athlete and a bit of an adrenaline junky. 
After completing an honours degree, Danielle accepted a position as a research assistant at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, USA. After almost 3 years of working in cancer research, she decided that she wanted to pursue a career in virology (her honours year was virology research). So she returned to Australia to start a PhD at CSIRO, which is now almost finished. Her project has focused on creating a reverse genetics system to study J-virus, a rodent paramyxovirus. She likes studying virology as she has had the opportunity to be a part of the discovery of a new virus, and you exciting you never know when a new virus might be discovered. 
Ever since high school Melanie wanted to be a dietitian. She had to do a Bachelor of Science followed by a Masters of Nutrition & Dietetics, but now they have an undergraduate degree, so you can become a dietitian in only 4 years!
Jenny went through university (she did a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Australia and a PhD in Microbiology in the USA) with the intention of being a secondary school teacher, where most female science graduates ended up in those days. However, when she did her Honours year she found she loved venturing into the world of research and especially working with viruses. She loves working with viruses as they are so minute, the only way to see them is with a powerful electron microscope, it is amazing how something so small can cause so much damage. In fact, much of her time is spent working with clear solutions containing viruses and proteins that she can't actually see. She was also part of the team to develop Relenza, the world's first drug specifically for treating influenza, and has seen this drug go from our laboratory bench to the pharmacy shelves. 
During medical training Steven became interested in children's health. And after graduating, he found that he was really interested by the clever things that kidneys do - they are the most complex organ in the body after the brain. So he combined these two things and came to specialise in children's kidney diseases. A day for Steven involves a mixture of seeing children who are in hospital because of their renal (kidney) problems and also seeing some who just visit the clinic for an appointment. But he is also involved in research that is looking at trying to improve the outcomes of kidney transplantation. 
David Pyne is a sports physiologist in the 
Hayley is currently doing her PhD at CSIRO, enrolled through University of Melbourne, but she did a lot before getting to this point. It started with a Bachelor of Biological Science and then a Masters of Science, before 10 years working in various places such as the Peter McCallum Cancer Institute, Monash University and a short trip to Papua New Guinea as a volunteer diagnostic scientist. Her current work is in the area of the glycosylation of viruses. A typical day would see her undertaking analysis of structural proteins from two viruses called Nipah and Hendra, nasty little fellows! Very dangerous! She is trying to find out what sugars these viruses have on their proteins as this may help design a treatment or preventative vaccination. She is also looking into how the host of this virus, the flying fox, does not get sick and die when all other species do. 
Although he no longer does any experiments with his own hands, being the manager of a big research portfolio like Food Futures keeps Stephen on his toes. He has a degree in Biochemistry attained in the UK and a PhD which he completed in Australia . After 17 years at CSIRO he is still pretty enthusiastic about his work. For Stephen the best thing is the excitement of discovering new things - being the first to know. Along the way he gets to work with a bunch of clever, interesting people and learn so many things in addition to the science.
Fiona Wood was the 2005 Australian of the Year and was also the 2005 West Australian of the Year, having been awarded this honour for the second consecutive year in a row. Back in 1999, Fiona co-founded the McComb Foundation, a research-based organisation established to conduct research into tissue engineering. But is was 3 years later that Fiona rose to prominence when she coordinated the burns treatment of 25 Bali bomb blast victims, trialling the spray on skin treatment.