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Logan Z.J. Williams
Editor-in-Chief
Gisela A. Kristono
Deputy Editor
Welcome to issue 28 of the New Zealand Medical Student Journal
(NZMSJ)! We have collated a fascinating range of articles that high-
light the calibre of work conducted by medical students and academ-
ics in New Zealand. This issue focuses on the intersection of artificial
intelligence (AI) and the health care sector. As always, we are very
privileged to have a number of expert academics covering several
pertinent subthemes within the AI-health-care dynamic. Among our
invited articles, Professor Tim Dare details some of the ethical dilem-
mas that have arisen with the introduction of AI techniques and big
data approaches into health care. Dr. Mariam Parwaiz, a public health
medicine registrar, explores how the rise of AI will impact medical
education, and hints at how the role of a doctor might change in
a digitised health care sector. Following this, Professor Jim Warren
discusses how AI will impact the delivery of health care and the doc-
tor-patient dynamic. Professor Cris Print then outlines the synergy
between AI and health care using the example of genomics and other
‘omics, such as transcriptomics, in a passionate yet balanced manner.
Finally, an interview with Associate Professor Angela Ballantyne sum-
marises the benefits, limitations, and ethical concerns surrounding
electronic health records.
We are thrilled to see that a number of the academic articles we have
received have a technological flavour to them. This issue features two
outstanding reviews, which have won awards in their respective fields.
Elizaveta Rakhmanova and Nikita Quinn, winners of the Wilson-Alli-
son Memorial essay competition, answer the question ‘will machines
replace dermatologists in the diagnosis of skin disease?’. One field
that has been quick to adopt the use of machines is urology. Lauren
Smith provides the reader with a retrospective analysis comparing ro-
botic assisted with open partial nephrectomy. Virtual reality is rapidly
expanding into many facets of modern society, and is quickly gaining
traction as one method to improve medical education. One domain
of interest is the use of virtual reality in simulation-based training.
Shakeel Mohammed assesses the acceptability and feasibility of an
interactive, 360 degree video-based virtual reality simulation of an
acutely stressful clinical event.
Looking beyond the influence of technology, Michaela Rektorysova
sheds light on the complexity between oestrogen and cardiovascular
health, highlighting some fundamental limitations as well as the im-
portance of future research.
The features and media reviews in this issue serve as reminders of the
challenges that future and junior health professionals face when navi-
gating the health care system. Kaustubha Ghate reviews This Is Going
to Hurt: The Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor by Dr Adam Kay, where
the reader is taken on Dr Kay’s journey through his obstetric training.
He uses a juxtaposition of humour and heartbreak to bring home the
impact that medicine can have on the personal lives of trainees.
One student-led initiative that has had stood the test of time is
HealtheX, a conference for student researchers at the Faculty of
Medical and Health Sciences, The University of Auckland. Joseph
Chen reflects on the growth and successes of HealtheX since its
inception 12 years ago. Not to be outdone, Dr Megan de Lambert
outlines her journey in developing student-led mental health support
for clinical students at Auckland Medical School, after realising the
impact of the clinical environment on students’ well-being.
Often as students we get caught up in the minutiae of medical school
and lose sight of the numerous opportunities available to us as med-
ical students. Gisela Kristono and Evelyn Lesiawan reflect on their
time at the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand Annual Sci-
entific Meeting and Australia and New Zealand Endovascular Thera-
pies Meeting in 2018, and urge students to make the most of similar
opportunities. Logan Williams’ review of Deep Medicine by Eric Topol
concludes that a digitised health-care system, and further research
into the benefits and limitations of AI in health care may allow us to
redirect our focus back on providing humanistic patient care.
Last but not least, as part of our ongoing Creative Arts Competition
in partnership with the New Zealand Medical Students’ Association,
we would like to congratulate Dr Jared Vautier, Libby Whittaker, and
Jon Anderson for winning this issue’s competition round. We are al-
ways impressed with the calibre of submissions and proud of the
creative talents that our medical student whānau possess.
The Editorial Board would like to thank the University of Otago and
the University of Auckland for their ongoing support towards the
journal. Without their financial and academic support, publishing
this journal would not be possible. We would also like to thank the
Medical Assurance Society for their funding. Finally, we would like
to acknowledge the New Zealand Medical Journal and our Advisory
Board members for their guidance and support. We hope issue 28
will provide NZMSJ readers with a variety of engaging articles. We
would like to congratulate all of the authors who have contributed
towards it and encourage all readers to submit their work to NZMSJ
in the future!
Logan Z.J. Williams
Editor-in-Chief
Gisela A. Kristono
Deputy Editor
Welcome to issue 28 of the New Zealand Medical Student Journal
(NZMSJ)! We have collated a fascinating range of articles that high-
light the calibre of work conducted by medical students and academ-
ics in New Zealand. This issue focuses on the intersection of artificial
intelligence (AI) and the health care sector. As always, we are very
privileged to have a number of expert academics covering several
pertinent subthemes within the AI-health-care dynamic. Among our
invited articles, Professor Tim Dare details some of the ethical dilem-
mas that have arisen with the introduction of AI techniques and big
data approaches into health care. Dr. Mariam Parwaiz, a public health
medicine registrar, explores how the rise of AI will impact medical
education, and hints at how the role of a doctor might change in
a digitised health care sector. Following this, Professor Jim Warren
discusses how AI will impact the delivery of health care and the doc-
tor-patient dynamic. Professor Cris Print then outlines the synergy
between AI and health care using the example of genomics and other
‘omics, such as transcriptomics, in a passionate yet balanced manner.
Finally, an interview with Associate Professor Angela Ballantyne sum-
marises the benefits, limitations, and ethical concerns surrounding
electronic health records.
We are thrilled to see that a number of the academic articles we have
received have a technological flavour to them. This issue features two
outstanding reviews, which have won awards in their respective fields.
Elizaveta Rakhmanova and Nikita Quinn, winners of the Wilson-Alli-
son Memorial essay competition, answer the question ‘will machines
replace dermatologists in the diagnosis of skin disease?’. One field
that has been quick to adopt the use of machines is urology. Lauren
Smith provides the reader with a retrospective analysis comparing ro-
botic assisted with open partial nephrectomy. Virtual reality is rapidly
expanding into many facets of modern society, and is quickly gaining
traction as one method to improve medical education. One domain
of interest is the use of virtual reality in simulation-based training.
Shakeel Mohammed assesses the acceptability and feasibility of an
interactive, 360 degree video-based virtual reality simulation of an
acutely stressful clinical event.
Looking beyond the influence of technology, Michaela Rektorysova
sheds light on the complexity between oestrogen and cardiovascular
health, highlighting some fundamental limitations as well as the im-
portance of future research.
The features and media reviews in this issue serve as reminders of the
challenges that future and junior health professionals face when navi-
gating the health care system. Kaustubha Ghate reviews This Is Going
to Hurt: The Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor by Dr Adam Kay, where
the reader is taken on Dr Kay’s journey through his obstetric training.
He uses a juxtaposition of humour and heartbreak to bring home the
impact that medicine can have on the personal lives of trainees.
One student-led initiative that has had stood the test of time is
HealtheX, a conference for student researchers at the Faculty of
Medical and Health Sciences, The University of Auckland. Joseph
Chen reflects on the growth and successes of HealtheX since its
inception 12 years ago. Not to be outdone, Dr Megan de Lambert
outlines her journey in developing student-led mental health support
for clinical students at Auckland Medical School, after realising the
impact of the clinical environment on students’ well-being.
Often as students we get caught up in the minutiae of medical school
and lose sight of the numerous opportunities available to us as med-
ical students. Gisela Kristono and Evelyn Lesiawan reflect on their
time at the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand Annual Sci-
entific Meeting and Australia and New Zealand Endovascular Thera-
pies Meeting in 2018, and urge students to make the most of similar
opportunities. Logan Williams’ review of Deep Medicine by Eric Topol
concludes that a digitised health-care system, and further research
into the benefits and limitations of AI in health care may allow us to
redirect our focus back on providing humanistic patient care.
Last but not least, as part of our ongoing Creative Arts Competition
in partnership with the New Zealand Medical Students’ Association,
we would like to congratulate Dr Jared Vautier, Libby Whittaker, and
Jon Anderson for winning this issue’s competition round. We are al-
ways impressed with the calibre of submissions and proud of the
creative talents that our medical student whānau possess.
The Editorial Board would like to thank the University of Otago and
the University of Auckland for their ongoing support towards the
journal. Without their financial and academic support, publishing
this journal would not be possible. We would also like to thank the
Medical Assurance Society for their funding. Finally, we would like
to acknowledge the New Zealand Medical Journal and our Advisory
Board members for their guidance and support. We hope issue 28
will provide NZMSJ readers with a variety of engaging articles. We
would like to congratulate all of the authors who have contributed
towards it and encourage all readers to submit their work to NZMSJ
in the future!
