Emergency obstetrics: Critical skills when birth can’t wait

Dr Chris Selman is a postdoctoral biostatistician at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. He holds a Master of Biostatistics and completed his PhD in 2025, examining analytical methods for ordinal outcomes in randomised controlled trials (RCTs). Since joining MCRI’s Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics Unit in 2021, Chris has contributed to the design, planning, and analysis of a range of observational studies and RCTs.

Emilie is a research honours student at the University of Melbourne in the Department of Critical care. Her research focuses on describing current antiemetic practices and treatment efficacy for nausea and vomiting in the Emergency Department, with a focus on patient-centred outcomes. Through conducting patient interviews for her research project, she has gained valuable insights into the patient experience. On a personal note, she has also gained valuable understanding of the benefits and downfalls of the healthcare system as she has battled with endometriosis. Emilie plans to pursue a medical career, integrating practice with academic research.

Professor Simon Craig is a Paediatric Emergency Physician in Melbourne and current Chair of the PREDICT Network. He holds a Master of Health Professional Education and has been actively involved in clinical research, medical education, and trainee mentorship. Simon’s research interests include procedural pain, diagnostic accuracy, and evidence-based practice in paediatric emergency medicine.

Dr Watkins is an experienced emergency physician and researcher. She has been involved with the ACEM CTN since its inception. She has been involved in a range of multi-centre observational and randomised controlled trial work across Australasia.

Angela Dean is a senior ED nurse and experienced research coordinator based at Royal Melbourne Hospital. She has extensive experience coordinating both observational studies and randomised controlled trials. Angela has contributed to numerous successful ethics and governance submissions, and is highly knowledgeable about the processes required for trial approval and conduct.

Professor Gerard O’Reilly is Head of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the National Trauma Research Institute and Consultant Emergency Physician at The Alfred. He leads global health programs and previously completed Masters degrees in Public Health and Biostatistics, followed by a PhD focused on trauma registry development in low- and middle-income countries. Gerard is a passionate educator, mentor, and global advocate for data-driven emergency care.

Dr Thomas Shanahan is an ED Research Registrar at Royal Perth Hospital and a prospective ACEM trainee. He previously completed 3.5 years of integrated academic and clinical training in emergency medicine in the UK. Thomas was an Associate Principal Investigator for the RECOVERY trial at Manchester Royal Infirmary, and served as trainee member of the RCEM Research Committee and Research Lead for the UK’s EM Trainees Association. He is currently an Associate Editor for Heliyon Clinical Research and a regular contributor to the Emergency Medicine Journal.

Dr Elyssia Bourke is an Emergency Physician at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and Grampians Health in Ballarat. She is the Director of Emergency Medical Research at RMH and recently completed a PhD on the management of young people presenting to the ED with behavioural disturbance. Elyssia is Chair of the ACEM Clinical Trials Network and sits on the executive of the PREDICT network and the University of Melbourne’s Department of Critical Care. Her research focuses on clinical trials that build the evidence base for common emergency presentations.

Elizabeth Wake is an early-career researcher and the Clinical Nurse Consultant (CNC) Trauma Research Coordinator at Gold Coast University Hospital. She has led research implementation for patients affected by serious traumatic injuries and served as project coordinator for the FEISTY and FEISTY Junior trials across Queensland and Australia. Elizabeth is currently completing a PhD titled “A multi-phase mixed-methods evaluation of follow-up services for patients who have suffered major traumatic injuries.”

Professor Diana Egerton-Warburton is an Emergency Physician at Monash Health and Conjoint Professor for Emergency Care Research at Monash University. With a passion for patient and climate advocacy, she has led numerous large-scale pragmatic trials focused on reducing unhelpful care. Diana has secured over $14 million in grant funding in the past five years, including a $2.9M MRFF Clinical Trial grant as CIA. She also collaborates with the Monash Design Health Collab, integrating design thinking into healthcare research and innovation.

Associate Professor Viet Tran is the Deputy Director of Emergency at Royal Hobart Hospital, founder and director of the TASER (Tasmanian Emergency Medicine Research) Institute, and Chair of the ACEM Research Advisory Committee. His work empowers clinicians, patients, and health system leaders to create meaningful change across all levels of care. Viet is also Chair of the Tasmanian Emergency Departments Network and a frequent mentor to emerging clinician-researchers.

Professor Paul Buntine is Director of the Eastern Health Institute and an Emergency Physician at Box Hill Hospital. His leadership in research has driven numerous quality improvement projects targeting low-value care. He has secured over $12 million in research and improvement grants, and brings deep insight into the MRFF funding process through his past role as an assessor.

Professor Daniel Fatovich is a clinical researcher and senior emergency physician with over three decades of research experience. He is Head of the Centre for Clinical Research in Emergency Medicine at the Harry Perkins Institute, Director of Research for the East Metropolitan Health Service, and Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Western Australia. He leads the NHMRC-funded Emerging Drugs Network of Australia and is one of the most respected figures in Australian emergency medicine research.