MQ Health is the new name for Macquarie University Health Sciences Centre, bringing together Macquarie University Hospital, Macquarie University Clinical Associates, the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences and clinical components of the Faculty of Human Sciences.

We spoke to Professor Patrick McNeil, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, and Carol Bryant, CEO of Macquarie University Hospital, to discuss the reasons behind the change and why the world is starting to take notice of Macquarie’s future-focused approach to healthcare.

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Why the new name?

We needed a shorter name – Macquarie University Health Sciences Centre was simply too long and not patient-friendly. Our new name reinforces our commitment to putting patients first.

Does the new name signal a change to Macquarie’s healthcare strategy?

Our concrete plan since 2013 which had been in the making years before was to create Australia’s first university-led integrated academic health campus. We wanted to integrate patient-centric clinical care in Australia’s only university-run not-for-profit hospital, together with distinctive educational programs that develop the healthcare professionals of tomorrow, and evidence-based research that improves lives.

Our vision remains unchanged. We continue to believe that this combination delivers the best patient outcomes – it is the emerging best practice in healthcare on which we are building our reputation.

Under the name MQ Health we’ll continue to bring our underlying purpose – Heal. Learn. Discover ­­– to life.

Can Macquarie staff be patients of MQ Health?

Absolutely – staff have access to world-class medical services on their doorstep. Staff can visit a GP, see a specialist, have imaging or laboratory tests, receive treatment including, if necessary in-patient care at the hospital, all in one location on campus.  We’ll also be opening a Men’s Health Clinic on 20 September.

Like all patients of MQ Health, Macquarie staff will benefit from the combination of clinical care, research and learning to deliver the best possible healthcare solution.

Which MQ Health innovations should we be particularly excited about?

A number of our signature clinical and research programs are attracting national and international attention, shaping our reputation as a world-class academic health sciences centre.

You may have recently seen media coverage of Professor Anand Deva’s research into a bacteria causing lymphoma in breast implant patients, or stories on how our new Lymphoedema Clinic is improving lives for people with this condition.  World-first research is being conducted by our MND (motor neurone disease) centre into drugs that could help slow this disease.

We’re also leading the way in delivering integrated and community-based clinics that serve unmet healthcare needs. Alongside the new Men’s Health Clinic, our first community-based clinic will open in Blacktown in September.

Development work is under way on a doctors-in-training program which will be run by MQ Health and we have already employed our first four Registrars and Fellows. Growth of this program will be a major achievement in our learning strategy – helping create the next generation of healthcare professionals and leaders.