Niche Consultants

Awake for eight hours of heart surgery

Niche Admin — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 23:48:37 +0000

Claire Hazenburg underwent a life-changing operation at St Andrew’s War Memorial Hospital to stop debilitating blackouts caused by tachycardia, or a rapid heart beat. Channel Seven news featured a story on Claire and her cardiologist Dr Paul Martin. Watch the clip here.

Coffee price shock

Niche Admin — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 23:42:19 +0000

Niche client Wayne Fowler from Gilkatho Coffee was interviewed on Sunrise about the rising price of coffee in Australia. Watch the clip here.

Five years of helping create little miracles like Alexis

Niche Admin — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 05:39:48 +0000

The City Fertility Centre on the Gold Coast celebrated its fifth anniversary in July 2010. Four-year old Alexis Lee Hoenstok, one of the first babies to be conceived with the help of the Centre, joined the celebrations. Gold Coast Medical Link magazine featured Alexis and the Centre’s anniversary. Read the full story.

MEM doubles business through GFC

Niche Admin — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 04:56:00 +0000

Mining Equipment Maintenance, part of the DPSA Group, announced a million dollar extension to their facilities and the renewal of several large contracts. Shift Miner featured an article on the story.

Read the full story.

Expansion safeguards jobs

Niche Admin — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 04:57:59 +0000

(published in The Morning Bulletin, Rockhampton 2 July 2010)

Mining Equipment Maintenance, part of the DPSA Group, announced a million dollar extension to their facilities and the renewal of several large contracts. The Morning Bulletin featured an article and picture on the story.

Read the full story.

State-of-the-art 3D technology at St Andrew’s

Niche Admin — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 04:22:44 +0000

St Andrew’s War Memorial Hospital, Brisbane, is the first hospital in Queensland to install the very latest technology to treat cardiac arrhythmias, or heart rhythm disorders. Since it installed the three-dimensional imaging, St Andrew’s has led the way by performing the most procedures in Australia using this technology.

Channel 9 featured a story on 21 June 2010:

New 3D technology is allowing doctors to view a patient’s heart from a range of angles. Patient Mark Jones says his lifelong irregular heartbeat has been very inconvenient. 3.7 million Austns suffer from cardiovascular disease. Cardiologist Dr John Hayes says the technology has the potential to save lives. The technology which is currently only available at St Andrew’s Hospital is expected to be rolled out to other Qld hospitals by the end of the year.

Delta set to dazzle

Niche Admin — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 06:46:57 +0000

(Published in The Courier Mail, Brisbane)

Queensland designer Richard de Chazal is working on quite the showstopper for Delta Goodrem to wear
at the St Andrews Hospital Crystal Ball on August 10.

See the full story.

High-tech implant puts John on deck

Niche Admin — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 06:38:00 +0000

(Published in The Sunday Mail, Brisbane)

Even a dangerous heart condition has failed to end John Gleeson’s world holiday dream – thanks to Australia-first
medical technology.

See the full story full story.

IVF journey leads to baby joy

Niche Admin — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 05:40:58 +0000

(Published in The Southern Star)

After trying for more than a year for a baby southside couple Freya and Matthew Young are proud parents. And hey’ve created history.

See the full story.

Rapid Freezing Improves IVF Results

Niche Admin — Mon, 24 May 2010 01:37:31 +0000

(Published in The Medical Link – May/June 2010)

This year has seen the arrival of scores of babies conceived using City Fertility Centre’s new rapid freezing embryo programme. City Fertility Centre’s Scientific Director, Adnan Catakovic, said the new vitrification or “rapid freezing” process worked 7,000 times faster than slow freezing and had resulted in a dramatic increase in pregnancy rates.

See the full story.

Multiple births to rise with IVF Bills

Niche Admin — Sun, 02 May 2010 03:51:51 +0000

(Published in the Sunday Age, 2 May 2010)

Australia’s twin and triplet birth rate could rise as more women undergoing IVF ask doctors to implant multiple embryos to reduce the cost of fertility treatment.

Read the full story which featured City Fertility Centre Melbourne’s Medical Director Dr David Wilkinson and patients Justine and Mark Tonner-Joyce.

Boost your chance for a baby

Niche Admin — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 03:45:18 +0000

(Published in bmag 27 April 2010)

Are your lifestyle choices sabotaging your chances to have a baby? Margaret de Silva of bmag asks the experts for their top tips to boost fertility.

Read the full story which featured City Fertility Centre Brisbane’s Medical Director Dr Ashish Das.

Clinic puts family first

Niche Admin — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 02:44:22 +0000

(Published in Northside Chronicle, 7 April 2010)

WOMEN struggling to start a family now have access to a leading expert following the opening of the City Fertility Centre’s clinic in Chermside during March.

Dr Ashish Das, co-founder and medical director of the centre, said demand for the service had prompted the northside business opening.

Read the full story here.

For the love of a child

Niche Admin — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 02:38:36 +0000

(Published in Gold Coast Magazine – April 2010)

The dream of being a mother is becoming more difficult for many women to realise. Women are having babies later in life whether it is because of a career, not finding a partner or their inability to conceive. Many turn to in vitro fertilization (IVF) and other treatments in the hope of falling pregnant but the journey is far from simple.

Read the full story which featured City Fertility Centre Gold Coast’s patient Tanya.

A matter of convenience

Niche Admin — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 04:31:47 +0000

St Andrew’s Hospital is implementing an online training program for their nurses, which is helping them complete training requirements more conveniently and efficiently.

The program was featured in the March 2010 edition of the Nursing Review.

Read the article

Anti-mullerian hormone or “egg timer” test explained

Niche Admin — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 06:14:46 +0000

Published in City News (Consult an Expert column)

Recent media reports have drawn considerable attention to the anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) or as some dub it “egg timer” test.

City Fertility Centre’s clinics in Brisbane, Gold Coast and Melbourne have had this test available since its inception and will continue to offer it as and when required.

The AMH blood test measures the AMH levels in the blood which reflect the number of small follicles present in a woman’s ovaries. These follicles enable reproduction by ensuring monthly ovulation.

Low levels of AMH (follicles in ovaries) in the blood are indicative of poor ovarian reserve and in many cases is therefore often a useful marker of fertility.

However, it is important to note, that many women who have low AMH levels still fall pregnant. It is therefore appropriate for this test to be ordered by gynaecologists and fertility specialists who are trained to interpret the results and explain them in detail to the woman involved.

Patients who wish to have the anti-mullerian hormone test at any of our clinics should obtain a referral from their GP.

By Dr Ashish Das
www.cityfertility.com.au

New hope for men with infertility problems

Niche Admin — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 06:13:50 +0000

Published in City News (Consult an Expert column)

Technological advances are providing real hope to men suffering infertility problems.

The good news is technology has advanced to the stage where men suffering from infertility, who had no chance of fatherhood a decade ago, now have every chance of successfully fathering a child.

For example, 15 years ago, men with azoospermia (no sperm present in the ejaculate) were destined to remain childless. Now we can retrieve sperm directly from the epididymis or testicular tissue.

These sorts of scientific advances mean men with physical blockages, vasectomies, low sperm count or low sperm motility can become fathers.

Recent studies have shown that 30 per cent of infertility is due to the male factor, 30 per cent to the female factor, 30 per cent to a combined male/female factor and up to 10 per cent remains unexplained.

Regardless of the cause, diagnosing the problem quickly is an important milestone whether the diagnosis is male or female-related or both.

For men, understanding the infertility condition will help them feel more in control and allow them and their partners to ask the right questions regarding treatment options.

By Dr Ashish Das
www.cityfertility.com.au

Healthy lifestyle tips for couples to boost fertility

Niche Admin — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 13:25:56 +0000

Published in City News (Consult an Expert column)

If having a baby is one of your goals in 2010, then one of the most important things you can do is make sure your lifestyle is healthy.

At City Fertility Centre, we see many couples seeking help with improving their fertility but we don’t limit our assistance to reproductive technology — we offer a free nutritional service to support patients in changing their eating and exercise habits.

Our fertility experts talk to patients about the impact that things like losing weight, giving up smoking, and reducing drug, alcohol and caffeine intake can have on their chances of getting pregnant.

For example, smoking reduces IVF success rates by half and even losing a small amount of weight can significantly increase your chances of pregnancy. In fact, 12% of primary infertility is linked to women being underweight or overweight.

Improving your BMI can improve your hormonal levels and ovulation. But nutrition and health also have a direct effect on the health of sperm, so it’s important for both partners to consider these issues.

Of course, a healthy lifestyle is not only important to boost fertility, it’s also essential during pregnancy to keep you well, and give your baby the best start in life.

By Adnan Catakovic
Scientific Director
Fertility – Lab Services, City Fertility Centre

Level 8, Brisbane Private Hospital
259 Wickham Tce Brisbane Qld 4000
P: 1800 123 483
City Fertility Centre Southside
Level 1, 309 Mains Road Sunnybank
P: 1800 483 483

Emmanuel student graduates with tears

Niche Admin — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 03:07:14 +0000

St Andrew’s War Memorial Hospital hosted a special ceremony this week – a high school graduation for a young man who missed his official school graduation after having heart surgery at the hospital. The Gold Coast Bulletin covered the story. Read it here.

Janette Sadik-Khan vision lesson for Brisbane

Niche Admin — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 05:51:00 +0000

The Brisbane Institute ran three forums in October and November 2009 to find out what Brisbane residents love about Brisbane’s inner city and changes they would like to see.

Niche worked closely with the Brisbane Institute to promote the seminars and help co-ordinate the speakers. One of the speakers, Kathleen Noonan, discussed the seminars in her regular Saturday column in The Courier-Mail.

Read the column here.

Trainee pilot shows heart despite career setback

Niche Admin — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:28:26 +0000

Brisbanetimes.com.au published a story about St Andrew’s Hospital’s successful treatment of Andrew Seymour, an aspiring cadet pilot diagnosed with a potentially career-ending cardiac arrhythmia. St Andrew’s Hospital cardiologist John Hayes was quoted in the story, which appeared on Brisbane Times’ home page on 20 November 2009.

Read the story

Radiation risks lowered at St Andrew’s

Niche Admin — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:02:03 +0000

St Andrew’s War Memorial Hospital has reduced radiation doses used during cardiac imaging procedures, based on research being conducted by the St Andrew’s Medical Institute that aims to reduce cancer risk in patients.

Doctor Q published an article on the dosage reduction in their November edition.

Read the article

The article has been reproduced with permission from AMA Queensland.

A cuppa costs more in Brisbane

Niche Admin — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:58:52 +0000

Niche has been working with Brisbane-based coffee machine distributors Gilkatho to promote their company and a recent interstate survey they ran to determine which east coast Australian city sells the most expensive cup of coffee. The story was run on the www.brisbanetimes.com.au homepage on November 4 (see the story on the homepage or read the story) and by mX Sydney (November 5).

Health takes leaps and bones

Niche Admin — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 05:22:25 +0000

Private Hospital Magazine published a story about the advancements in osteoporosis diagnosis and treatment in the past 20 years, and the quality of bone density testing at Queensland Diagnostic Imaging (QDI) at St Andrew’s War Memorial Hospital.

The story quoted Sue Baldwin, Head of St Andrew’s War Memorial Hospital QDI Nuclear Medicine section, and Dr John Tuffley, consultant orthopedic surgeon at St Andrew’s.

Read the article

Private Hospital Magazine is a quarterly publication produced by the Australian Private Hospital Association.

Shape Your City Heart

Niche Admin — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 04:23:38 +0000

Niche has been working with The Brisbane Institute on their series of free community forums about shaping Brisbane’s inner city. The series is supported by Brisbane City Council and The Courier-Mail. ABC local radio’s Breakfast program ran a segment on the series and journalist and author Matthew Condon also wrote about.

Listen to ABC Breakfast reporter Rebecca Levingston’s report.

Read Matthew Condon’s Viewpoint “Does Brisbane Have Culture” from The Courier-Mail.

Visit the Shape Your City Heart blog to read blogs from other speakers.

Fertility clinic growing fast

Niche Admin — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 04:59:21 +0000

The success of City Fertility Centre, Sunnybank was featured in the Southern Star.

Channel 7 News – Brisbane’s St Andrew’s Hospital helps stroke victims to walk again

Niche Admin — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 01:06:27 +0000

Seven News (Brisbane) featured St Andrew’s Hospital in a story about revolutionary new technology that is being used at the hospital to help stroke patients to walk again. The story was aired on September 16 on the 6.00pm news program, which is viewed across Queensland. The story included an interviews with a St Andrew’s health professional and footage of the technology being used in the hospital.

Mining CEO named Brisbane’s best owner-manager

Niche Admin — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 00:03:13 +0000

The Queensland Business Review profiled DPSA Group CEO Neill Clur’s win at the 2009 Australian Institute of Management Brisbane awards.
http://www.qbr.com.au/news/articleid/58492.aspx

Hospital culture change needed

Niche Admin — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 04:27:58 +0000

St Andrew’s War Memorial Hospital risk and quality manager Liz Rosmuller shared her views on making hospitals safer in an opinion piece published on www.brisbanetimes.com.au.

Read the article

Volunteers keep hospital ticking

Niche Admin — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 05:33:29 +0000

Brisbane’s Westside News (Quest News newspapers) published an article on the volunteer program at St Andrew’s War Memorial Hospital.

Read the article

Hospital role for Buddhist monk

Niche Admin — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 05:25:53 +0000

The Courier-Mail medical reporter Janelle Miles wrote an article about Eide McIntyre, a Buddhist monk who works as part of the chaplaincy team at St Andrew’s War Memorial Hospital.

Read the article

Brisbane News social pages – St Andrew’s Crystal Ball

Niche Admin — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 03:26:37 +0000

The Crystal Ball, a St Andrew’s Hospital fundraiser, was featured in the Brisbane News social pages.

View the photos

Sunday Mail social pages – St Andrew’s Crystal Ball

Niche Admin — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 03:31:05 +0000

The Crystal Ball, a St Andrew’s Hospital fundraiser, was featured in the Sunday Mail social pages.

View the photos

Climate change sceptic generates heat

Niche Admin — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 04:31:12 +0000

Dr Jay Lehr from the US Heartland Institute delivered a talk to The Brisbane Institute on the day the Emissions Trading Scheme vote was put to the Senate. Dr Lehr shared his views with Greg Carey from 4BC’s Mornings Program, while The Courier-Mail presented two sides of the argument with an opinion piece from Dr Lehr and a stinging retort from Graham Readfearn in his Green Blog.

Read Dr Lehr’s opinion piece.

Read The Courier-Mail’s Green Blog.

‘Her deepness’ dives in to save the oceans

Niche Admin — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 04:33:33 +0000

The Brisbane Institute’s seminar with oceanographer Dr Sylvia Earle was their most popular seminar of 2009. Dr Earle shared her powerful message about the state of the world’s oceans on:

ABC Radio National’s Late Night Live program with Phillip Adams. Listen to the program.
ABC local radio’s Conversations with Richard Fidler. Listen to the program.
A full-page Focus feature with The Courier-Mail’s Graham Readfearn. Read it online or view the original article (2MB).
Graham Readfearn also gave an insider’s view of his interview with Sylvia Earle on his Green Blog. Read the bl o g.

Young doctors prescribe change

Niche Admin — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 06:05:27 +0000

Popular columnist with The Courier-Mail, Mike O’Connor, featured St Andrew’s War Memorial Hospital Emergency Centre director Dr Duncan Murray in his regular Wednesday interview feature.

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,25781266-5003426,00.html

Obituarist in profile

Niche Admin — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 06:04:19 +0000

The speaker at this year’s Brisbane Institute annual gala cocktail party was obituarist and international lawyer Mark McGinness. He shared his perspective on writing about the dead with Phillip Adam’s Late Night Live program on ABC Radio National and locally on Conversations with Richard Fidler. Listen to LNL at http://www.abc.net.au/rn/latenightlive/stories/2009/2624438.htm or Conversations at http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2009/07/16/2627920.htm?site=brisbane.

St Andrew’s tops ACHS results

Niche Admin — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 02:13:45 +0000

The introduction of the Dysphagia Screening Tool at St Andrew’s War Memorial Hospital is an example of quality-focused procedures that make a real difference to patient outcomes. The hospital recently received an outstanding audit report by the Australian Council for Health Care Standards (ACHS), reports Private Hospital magazine. Read PDF >

Blogger details brain surgery – scars and all

Niche Admin — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 02:11:42 +0000

A St Andrew’s War Memorial patient who underwent surgery for a brain tumour has kept a remarkable blog about his treatment: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/blogger-details-brain-surgery–scars-and-all-20090614-c6yb.html

A better ‘public Brisbane’

Niche Admin — Fri, 15 May 2009 02:09:30 +0000

CEO of Southbank Corporation Malcolm Snow shared his views on the importance of the spaces in between buildings in an opinion piece in The Courier-Mail the day prior to his talk for The Brisbane Institute.