The Royal Melbourne Hospital

Meet the team behind the RMH’s Mob Menu! Our First Nations Health Unit and Dietetics Department teamed up to create a Victorian first - a menu designed to help improve the hospital experience for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients 🖤❤️💛 The team conducted a benchmarking research paper which which found that only 13 out of 67 (19 per cent) of hospitals surveyed around Australia provided specific food items for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients. Food Service Dietician Aimee, says: “We received feedback from our First Nation consumers and worked with a supplier to develop the Mob meals, which includes curried sausages, kangaroo sausages and barramundi and lemon myrtle roast chicken.” This small gesture is helping improve the hospital experience for everyone in our community. You can discover their research here: https://lnkd.in/gy9y5qq2

Stem cells from the UK to Australia ✈️ Luke was first diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma 16 years ago and spent years in and out of hospital, receiving treatment, undergoing trials and experiencing relapses. In 2021, his care came under Dr David Ritchie at the RMH, who suggested Luke undergo an allogeneic transplant - which uses stem cells from a healthy donor to replace the diseased cancer cells. His perfect match? A generous donor from the UK. “You’re basically getting a brand new immune system,” Luke remembers, spending 100 days in isolation to ensure he didn't get sick. Now, Luke is getting back to work and finding a sense of normality after years of treatment. He and his donor continue to keep in touch and even think there could be a distant family connection, given the accuracy of the cells and the area from which Luke’s family are from. What a small world! 💙

🚉 Today, the RMH’s Chief Executive Professor Shelley Dolan, joined the Premier Jacinta Allan, Minister for Health, Mary-Anne Thomas and Minister for Transport, Gabrielle Williams, along with other representatives from the Victorian Government, Metro Trains, and the Parkville Precinct, to tour the new Parkville Station and celebrate the early opening of the Parkville Station pedestrian underpass. The underpass links the University of Melbourne, the Royal Melbourne Hospital, The Royal Women's Hospital and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre - making it easier for people to move around the precinct 👣 The underpass is now open between 9am and 7pm, for you to get to know the new station before train services commence. The Metro Tunnel opens on Sunday 30 November - visit Metro Tunnel Project to find out how your commute may change. Pictured: Prof Shelley Dolan, Karen Fox, Chief Operating Officer at Peter Mac, and Damian Gibney, Executive Director for Clinical Excellence and Systems Improvement at the Royal Women’s Hospital

Last night, the RMH hosted our annual Celebrating Excellence Awards to celebrate our people, values and achievements. ⭐ This year, we are proud to announce the joint winners of our prestigious Melbourne Award – the highest honour we bestow here at the RMH. Congratulations to Dr Glenn Harrison, Consultant Emergency Physician and our Director People and Culture, Maurice Davoli! Glenn is a proud Wotjobaluk man who has been at the forefront of pioneering innovative programs to increase First Nations representation in the medical profession - providing leadership through the First Nations Internship program at the Royal Melbourne. Maurice has been with the RMH for nearly three decades - always leading with humour and kindness, and treating everyone with respect. Beyond HR policies and strategies, it is his genuine care for people that has left the greatest impact. Congratulations to Glenn and Maurice! We would also like this congratulate Dr Elyssia Bourke who was the winner of our Next Generation Award. Since joining the RMH in 2023, Elyssia has driven a rapid transformation in emergency medicine research. In just over a year, she has established a vibrant research culture, attracted significant funding, mentored multidisciplinary teams, and advanced patient care through impactful, evidence-based projects. Congratulations to all the winners and finalists from the night! Thank you for all the important work you do to advance healthcare for everyone, everyday. Pictured (from left to right): Dr Glenn Harrison, Dr Elyssia Bourke, Prof Shelley Dolan, Maurice Davoli.

It’s Trans Awareness Week! 🏳️⚧️ Did you know…the main referral received by the RMH LGBTIQA+ Patient Liaison Service is to support our transgender and gender diverse (TGD) patients? At the RMH, we acknowledge the challenges faced by TGD people. We also celebrate their strength and joy. We reaffirm our commitment to fostering a more welcoming and inclusive environment for TGD patients, visitors, and staff every day. To support our TGD community on their health journey, the RMH LGBTIQA+ Patient Liaisons are here to help. They offer a variety of services for patients and families, including: - Safety and inclusion assessments - Updates to medical records - Specialist advice and consultations - Patient advocacy strategies - Education for staff - Family support - Assistance with pre-admission and discharge - Help navigating complaints and feedback - Peer support Patients can self refer or request via their treating team. To learn more, check out our website: https://lnkd.in/ez_-jzJA

Since joining the RMH as a Graduate Registered Nurse in February this year, Evie has been making waves! She’s currently on rotation in our Infectious Diseases and Gastroenterology ward and she is enjoying every learning experience: 💡 “I love learning from the team and allowing them to pour their wisdom to me”, she says. Swipe to read a lovely message left by a family member of a patient Evie cared for. 🫶 Well done Evie - you are sure to go far in your nursing career and we can’t wait to see what you achieve!

Congratulations to Professor Neeraj Bhala, Academic Director and Head of Gastroenterology at the RMH, on receiving the prestigious Bisset Hawkins Medal. 👏 🏅 The Bisset Hawkins Medal is awarded every three years by the Royal College of Physicians of London to recognise outstanding contributions to advancing sanitary science or promoting public health. This award honours Neeraj’s research work in population health and he is also making history as the first clinician from an Indian background to be awarded the medal in its 125 year history – congratulations on this wonderful achievement Neeraj!

It’s our very own Hollywood Walk of Fame ⭐ The RMH Research Hall of Fame honours our trailbazing clinician researchers who have devoted their careers to advancing healthcare through research. Among the 2024 inductees is Professor Ingrid Winship AO, the RMH’s Director of Genomic Medicine and inaugural Chair of Adult Clinical Genetics. Prof Ingrid is a renowned clinical geneticist and dermatologist specialising in hereditary skin disorders and cancer genomics - translating her research into clinical genetic services. She also established the RMH Clinical Trials Centre where the effectiveness of new treatments, medications and medical devices are studied. We are lucky to have Ingrid at the RMH advancing health for everyone, every day.

👣 Celebrating 20 Years of Excellence 👣 On #WorldDiabetesDay in 2025, we’re proud to celebrate 20 years of the RMH Diabetic Foot Unit, a recognised centre of excellence in diabetic foot care. Head of Unit Associate Professor Paul Wraight says “the goal of the service is to bring together like-minded, motivated health professionals, from different specialities, working in the one location to get the best outcomes for our patients with foot complications”. This multidisciplinary team brings the brains from Endocrinology, Vascular Surgery, Orthopaedics, Infectious Diseases, Podiatry, Prosthetics & Orthotics, Clinical Psychology, Dietetics, Radiology, Allied Health, Diabetes Education, Wound Consultancy and Care Coordination. “This provides our patients with a broad range of care, all in the one place, allowing us to work with our patients to achieve the best outcomes possible.” says Professor Paul. Here’s to two decades of dedication, innovation, research and impact! 💙

Outstanding results for stroke care at the RMH! 🧠 The Neurology and Stroke team at the RMH has achieved outstanding results from the Australian Stroke Clinical Registry’s Stroke Performance Scorecard in several areas of care, including: - Thrombolysis therapy provision - Stroke Unit Care - Door-to-needle time within 60 minutes - Discharged on Antihypertensives - Discharge care plan 💉 In 2025, the RMH achieved a median time of 34 minutes for thromobolysis door-to-needle time* - exceeding the 2024 National Performance of 67 minutes. *Thrombolysis door-to-needle time refers to the time between a patient's arrival at the hospital and the administration of thrombolytic medication, which breaks up blood clots to restore normal blood flow in the treatment of strokes. Congratulations and thank you to the Stroke team - including our amazing neurologists, nurses, neurointervention and Mobile Stroke Unit team members - for continually improving care of our stroke patients! 💙🏥