aussie first: project to establish full body imaging Quick whole-body scans will soon be a reality at the Royal North Shore Hospital. Australia’s first Total Body Positron Emission Tomography (TB-PET) scanner will be established in a joint venture between NSLHD and the University of Sydney. The machine, which will be a flagship of the National Imaging Facility (NIF), is expected to be operational by 2022. The $15 million TB-PET scanner project will greatly enhance Australia’s biomedical imaging capabilities, deliver improved patient outcomes and boost medical and health science research programs. Associate Professor Paul Roach, Clinical Director of Nuclear Medicine at NSLHD and Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Sydney, said Royal North Shore Hospital has a proud history of delivering world-class imaging to improve patient outcomes. “The TB-PET scanner will revolutionise patient care by producing faster and higher quality clinical whole-body PET/CT scans compared with currently available scanners,” he said. “Patients will undergo their cancer scans Congratulations to Northern Sydney Local Health District Director of Campus Strategy Allana Thompson who has been awarded Willoughby Local Woman of the Year at the NSW Women of the Year Awards. Allana was nominated for the award by NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, Member for Willoughby. Allana has held various positions during her career at NSW Health. She completed her nursing training at Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Hospital and worked in a number of nursing roles at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital before moving into capital works. “Whilst I enjoyed the career change I continued to work as a bedside clinical nurse on the weekends to keep my skills current,” she said. “I continued to work as a nurse in this capacity until 2020.” Throughout 2020 Allana played a key role within the COVID-19 logistics team, where
(Left to right): Associate Professor Paul Roach and Professor Dale Bailey
in about a quarter of the time they take currently, with some scans taking only a couple of minutes. “There is also the benefit of lower radiation doses, which is a great outcome for all patients, especially children. “To have a facility in Australia where we can perform our clinical scans faster, produce superior quality images with less exposure to radiation than currently in addition to having a dedicated research capability for researchers throughout Australia, will be a first.”
Unlike traditional PET scanners, the TB- PET will capture the whole body in a single scan, allowing doctors to diagnose, guide treatment and track patient’s progress more accurately. willoughby local woman of the year: allana thompson
(Left to right): Allana Thompson and NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian
she was tasked with rapidly increasing bed capacity at Royal North Shore Hospital. Allana said it was nice to be recognised for her work and accepted it on behalf of the team. “I’m pleased about the message to my daughters - who are just starting out in the workforce - that women who aren’t necessarily in the top executive positions nor have public profiles are getting recognised for the work that they do,” she said.
NSLHDNEWS | ISSUE 4 | 12 MARCH 2021
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