Paediatrics & Youth Health
The Medical Foundation Chair of Adolescent Medicine
On Thursday 11 March 2010, in the presence of Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir AC CVO, Governor of New South Wales and the Hon. Carmel Tebbutt MP, Deputy Premier and Minister for Health, Professor Kate Steinbeck was celebrated as the new Medical Foundation Chair of Adolescent Medicine at the Children's Hospital at Westmead.
From left; Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir AC CVO, NSW Governor and Chancellor, the University of Sydney; The Hon. Carmel Tebutt MP, Deputy Premier and Minister for Health; Professor Kate Steinbeck, Medical Foundation Chair of Adolescent Medicine; Clinical Professor David Bennett, Head of the NSW Centre for the Advancement of Adolescent Health; Mr Richard Caldwell, Co-Chair of the Healthy Futures for Young People Appeal Advisory Committee.
Why was a Chair of Adolescent Medicine needed?
Incredibly, over 75% of deaths among Australian adolescents are from preventable causes. Each year 400 young people commit suicide, while other lives are claimed by drug use and risk-taking behaviour. An obesity epidemic is currently affecting 25% of young people, a figure rising every year. Meanwhile, 20% of adolescents are battling a chronic illness.
While exciting advances are being made by our staff in the Department of Adolescent Medicine at the Children's Hospital at Westmead, there is a need for a concerted effort to address the problems faced by our young people.
Some of the challenges facing the new Chair include:
- Risk-taking behaviour, Samantha's story
- Obesity, The Loozit Program
- Chronic illness, Kylie's story
Public Symposium & Launch of The Healthy Futures for Young People Appeal
On 27 September 2007, Sydney Medical School Foundation launched the Healthy Futures for Young People Appeal.
The appeal's aim was to raise the $4.5m needed to to support the establishment of a Chair of Adolescent Medicine at the Children's Hospital at Westmead and the University of Sydney. The chair would integrate the various strands of research and teaching and promote youth health issues, while giving doctors treating young people the education and support they require to help bridge the 'generation gap'.
Click one of the speakers below to view footage from the public symposium and launch of the Healthy Futures for Young People Appeal.
- Welcome & Launch with Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir AC CVO, Chancellor, The University of Sydney
- DVD: Falling Through The Cracks
- Teenagers are gaining weight - Why? Professor Ian Caterson
- Youth smoking is at an all-time low - Lessons for the future. Professor Simon Chapman
- Lock up your daughters - Protecting adolscents from sexually transmitted disease. Dr Edith Weisberg
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder - An old diagnosis with new evidence. Dr Simon Clarke
- Depression in adolescents - How serious is it really? Professor Ian Hickie
- Nurturing young people for health and wellbeing. Clinical Professor David Bennett
To view these files you may need to download Quicktime