Editor's welcome
Cameron Wells
Deputy Editor, NZMSJ
Aleksandra Turp
Editor-in-Chief, NZMSJ
Kia ora, and welcome to Issue 27 of the New Zealand Medical Student Journal (NZMSJ)! This second issue of 2018 again demonstrates the
talent and dedication of the medical students of New Zealand in their academic studies, and looks to the future of medicine in our Aotearoa.
As prospective clinicians each of us needs to consider what the developing technology will bring to the world of medicine, and what
this will mean for our future practice. This issue’s theme is centred on the future of health care in both New Zealand and worldwide. We are
privileged to have a number of world-leading academics and clinicians contributing their thoughts on this subject, in addition to the outstanding
work from students featured in this issue. Associate Professor Tarik Sammour offers a perspective on the potential of robotic surgery, while
Associate Professor Robyn Whittaker argues “The Future of Health is Mobile”. Dr Richard Medlicott offers insight into how these technologies
may be incorporated into General Practice in the future.
Continuing in this theme, Nikhar Shah’s academic article entitled“Development of Physical Robotic Surgery Training Exercises Based on a
Systematic Literature Review” touches on the use of robotics in surgery and the training of surgeons in this emerging technique. With a focus
on palliative care, Claire Whitehead reports on a retrospective audit of deaths in Canterbury District Health, and Amy Rankin reviews the role
of spirituality in end of life care. Our other academic articles include case reports of rheumatoid arthritis and oesophageal cancer, by Hemi
Enright and Alistair Lock respectively, as well as a review of alcohol use in pregnancy by Amy Rankin. We also are proud to feature abstracts from
BMedSc(Hons) students from Auckland and Otago. The feature articles include a report from the New Zealand Medical Students Association (NZMSA) president, Jibi Kunnethedam, as well as the first articles from our new “Interview Series”, with Dr Cheyaanthan Haran interviewing Professor Sean Galvin, a cardiothoracic surgeon from Wellington, and Dushitanthi Rasanathan interviewing Ophelia Dadzie, a dermatologist from London. Joseph Chen offers an insight often missing from medical student discussions; “What happens to those students who don’t get into their desired programme?”. Amy Rankin and Isabell See also offer their respective insights into their elective placements in Tanzania and the United Kindgom.
Culture is touched on in many senses by our other features articles; Shilpan Patel offers a unique Persian perspective on the history of
Syphilis, while Doris Zhang and Dr Tanisha Jowsey discuss the culture of medicine and transformation of medical students during their training.
Brittany Park-Ng reflects on a patient she met during her fourth year placements, and many students will be able to relate to the experiences
and emotions from this article.
Highlighting the number of outstanding opportunities that are available to medical students, we have conference reviews from the New Zealand
Medical Students Association Conference, the Australasian Students’ Surgical Conference, and the Australia & New Zealand Association for
Health Professional Education (ANZAHPE) Conference. The issue also features the ideas presented in the NZMSA Hackathon at the Clinical
Leadership Forum held earlier this year. Our media reviews section is contributed to by Michaela Rektorysova, Sylvia Duncan, Sarah Maessen,
covering work by Dr Lance O’Sullivan, Doctors without Borders, and the story of Henrietta Lacks.
Finally, we are once more delighted to display the creativity of New Zealand medical students from our joint Creative Arts competition with
NZMSA. This issue for the first time features photography with Anne Chiang’s “Midnight Reflections”, while poems from Fardowsa Mohamed
and Emily Adam provide insights into life as a medical student. We hope more students will use the NZMSJ as a forum to share their creativity in
the form of visual art.
The NZMSJ Editorial Board would like to thank all of the student and expert reviewers who have contributed to this issue, as well as the
University of Otago and the University of Auckland for their financial and academic support, without which publishing this journal would not
be possible. We would also like to acknowledge MAS for their funding and the NZMJ for their guidance and support.
We hope this issue will provide readers with a variety of thought-provoking and engaging articles. We would like to congratulate all of the
authors who have contributed their work and encourage all students to submit to the NZMSJ, or join us as a reviewer or part of the editorial
board.
Cameron Wells
Deputy Editor, NZMSJ
Aleksandra Turp
Editor-in-Chief, NZMSJ
Kia ora, and welcome to Issue 27 of the New Zealand Medical Student Journal (NZMSJ)! This second issue of 2018 again demonstrates the
talent and dedication of the medical students of New Zealand in their academic studies, and looks to the future of medicine in our Aotearoa.
As prospective clinicians each of us needs to consider what the developing technology will bring to the world of medicine, and what
this will mean for our future practice. This issue’s theme is centred on the future of health care in both New Zealand and worldwide. We are
privileged to have a number of world-leading academics and clinicians contributing their thoughts on this subject, in addition to the outstanding
work from students featured in this issue. Associate Professor Tarik Sammour offers a perspective on the potential of robotic surgery, while
Associate Professor Robyn Whittaker argues “The Future of Health is Mobile”. Dr Richard Medlicott offers insight into how these technologies
may be incorporated into General Practice in the future.
Continuing in this theme, Nikhar Shah’s academic article entitled“Development of Physical Robotic Surgery Training Exercises Based on a
Systematic Literature Review” touches on the use of robotics in surgery and the training of surgeons in this emerging technique. With a focus
on palliative care, Claire Whitehead reports on a retrospective audit of deaths in Canterbury District Health, and Amy Rankin reviews the role
of spirituality in end of life care. Our other academic articles include case reports of rheumatoid arthritis and oesophageal cancer, by Hemi
Enright and Alistair Lock respectively, as well as a review of alcohol use in pregnancy by Amy Rankin. We also are proud to feature abstracts from
BMedSc(Hons) students from Auckland and Otago. The feature articles include a report from the New Zealand Medical Students Association (NZMSA) president, Jibi Kunnethedam, as well as the first articles from our new “Interview Series”, with Dr Cheyaanthan Haran interviewing Professor Sean Galvin, a cardiothoracic surgeon from Wellington, and Dushitanthi Rasanathan interviewing Ophelia Dadzie, a dermatologist from London. Joseph Chen offers an insight often missing from medical student discussions; “What happens to those students who don’t get into their desired programme?”. Amy Rankin and Isabell See also offer their respective insights into their elective placements in Tanzania and the United Kindgom.
Culture is touched on in many senses by our other features articles; Shilpan Patel offers a unique Persian perspective on the history of
Syphilis, while Doris Zhang and Dr Tanisha Jowsey discuss the culture of medicine and transformation of medical students during their training.
Brittany Park-Ng reflects on a patient she met during her fourth year placements, and many students will be able to relate to the experiences
and emotions from this article.
Highlighting the number of outstanding opportunities that are available to medical students, we have conference reviews from the New Zealand
Medical Students Association Conference, the Australasian Students’ Surgical Conference, and the Australia & New Zealand Association for
Health Professional Education (ANZAHPE) Conference. The issue also features the ideas presented in the NZMSA Hackathon at the Clinical
Leadership Forum held earlier this year. Our media reviews section is contributed to by Michaela Rektorysova, Sylvia Duncan, Sarah Maessen,
covering work by Dr Lance O’Sullivan, Doctors without Borders, and the story of Henrietta Lacks.
Finally, we are once more delighted to display the creativity of New Zealand medical students from our joint Creative Arts competition with
NZMSA. This issue for the first time features photography with Anne Chiang’s “Midnight Reflections”, while poems from Fardowsa Mohamed
and Emily Adam provide insights into life as a medical student. We hope more students will use the NZMSJ as a forum to share their creativity in
the form of visual art.
The NZMSJ Editorial Board would like to thank all of the student and expert reviewers who have contributed to this issue, as well as the
University of Otago and the University of Auckland for their financial and academic support, without which publishing this journal would not
be possible. We would also like to acknowledge MAS for their funding and the NZMJ for their guidance and support.
We hope this issue will provide readers with a variety of thought-provoking and engaging articles. We would like to congratulate all of the
authors who have contributed their work and encourage all students to submit to the NZMSJ, or join us as a reviewer or part of the editorial
board.
