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First #TalkResearch Newsletter of the year

Apr 13, 2023

Welcome to the March Edition of #TALK.Research

Kia Ora Koutou,

As we evolve as a research unit we have to respond to the opportunities that we see. The formation of Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand provides the opportunity for our unit to work more closely with other public hospitals through out New Zealand thereby improving the access to clinical trials across the country.

Thus we have made several changes most notably to our name which is now :

Aotearoa Clinical Trials Trust - ACTT

Together with growing partnerships with other hospitals and satellite sites we hope to help reduce the inequity within the health system. Ultimately we wish to make clinical trials part of the treatment paradigm for all New Zealanders.

Our presence in Middlemore Hospital is continuing to expand as the demand for us to be involved in more clinical trials continues to increase and as we grow to meet the needs of investigators, sponsors and participants in clinical trials.

New logos and designs of our offices and communications will slowly appear. However we look forward to increasing our engagement with the staff of Te Whatu Ora Counties Manukau Health and the people of our community.

Aku mihi.

Dr Ed Watson
CEO

What's In This Issue:

Meet the Resident Investigators at ACTT
ACTT in the community
Trials Starting at MMCT and Trial Statistics
Recent Publications by CMH Investigators

Meet our Resident Investigators

Introducing our Resident Investigators

At ACTT we have access to general physicians, known as Resident Investigators. Often departments wish to take part in research, but don’t have time or resources to do so. Our Resident Investigators are here to assist and help perform clinical trial activities including collaboration with clinical trial coordinators and nurses.

DR IAN ROSEN	DR JOHN BAKER
Dr Rosen completed his medical training in South Africa and worked in a general practice before he moved to New Zealand. He has worked at Middlemore Hospital in the General Medicine Department since 1997 as a Senior Medical Officer. Dr Rosen has been affiliated with ACTT since 2006. He has worked on many clinical trials ranging from vaccinology to clinical lipidology. He has a special interest in diabetes and worked on clinical trials investigating DPP-4 inhibitors, SGLT2 inhibitors, GLP-1 agonists, many of which are now currently available to public.	Dr Baker is an Endocrinologist and has been working on clinical trials here at ACTT since 2005. He is the Clinical Director at ACTT and has previously been involved in other management positions within the charitable trust. Following his medical training at Otago University, he became a Fellow in the Royal College of Pathologists of Australia and the Royal Australasian College of Physicians. Previously, he was Clinical Head of the Diabetes service in Counties Manukau, and he has industry experience in the private sector. Dr Baker has a special interest in diabetes, clinical lipidology, fatty liver and vaccine clinical trials.
Dr JOANNA WOJCIECHOWSKA Dr Wojciechowska is a General Medicine Consultant here at Middlemore Hospital, she started working on clinical trials at ACTT in 2020. She completed her medical training in Poland and went on to specialise in Internal Medicine and Diabetes in Poland. Dr Wojciechowska also completed a PhD in Cardiology and Post Graduate study in Clinical Education. She has worked in hospitals in Poland, UK, and Gisborne. She is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Glasgow and the Royal Australasian College of Physicians	DR RENATE KOOPS Dr Koops is a Consultant in General Medicine at Middlemore Hospital, with special interest in diabetes. She completed her medical training in the Netherlands and worked as a Medical Registrar in the Netherlands for several years. Dr Koops started as a Senior Medical Officer at Middlemore Hospital in 2009, and she also started working with ACTT on clinical trials in that year. Dr Koops has been an investigator on a many clinical trials, ranging from diabetes to hepatology.
DR ARITRA RAY Dr Ray is a Consultant Geriatrician at Middlemore Hospital and has been affiliated with ACTT since 2022. He completed his medical degree at the University of Auckland and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Palliative Medicine. He is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians in Geriatrics and General Acute Care Medicine with a strong interest in teaching, holistic health and disease prevention.	DR FARID SHABA Dr Shaba is a General Medicine Consultant here at Middlemore Hospital and works in the haematology and cardiology clinic and reviews psychiatric patients. Dr Shaba initially arrived in New Zealand in 2001 and worked as an interpreter for the handicapped population who could only speak Arabic, Kurdish and Assyrian languages. Dr Shaba worked towards converting his medical training from Iraq, to being a qualified doctor in 2007. He has Masters in Travel Medicine from the University of Otago and enjoys teaching and supporting medical students and house officers.

Get involved in valuable research

Interested in becoming a Resident Investigator or
do you want more information?

Contact Kate

ACTT in the community

ACTT staff attended the Manurewa’s Community Day “Our Rewa Our World”. This event allowed us to be present in the community and provide awareness of our brand and clinical trials. It was a great opportunity to engage with the community and talk about improving health outcomes.

Health is wealth at ACTT and in the month of March, we saw 2 events of active participation. ACTT participated in the Southern Cross Round the Bays 2023 event and also the Goodman Highbrook Fun Run.

At the Goodman Highbrook Fun Run, the team participated in the 5km walk, 5km run and the 10km run. The annual event fundraises for charities in our area, including Middlemore Foundation. We watched our own, Ed Watson cross the finish line in 2^nd place in the 5km walk and Sophie Faulkner finished the 10km run in preparation for her half marathon. Great effort everyone!

Trials Starting at ACTT

List of upcoming trials that are planned to start recruitment in the next three months:

To learn more about the trials we are performing at Middlemore Hospital, please visit our website and see what trials in what disease areas we are currently working on.

Together through research we can improve the lives of many of the patients in Counties Manukau.

View Current Recruiting Trials

Recent Publications by CMH Investigators

Brandon, R., Jiang, Y., Yeu, R. Q., Tweedie-Cullen, R., Smallman, K., Doherty, G., Macaskill-Smith, K. A., Doran, R. J., Clark, P., Moffitt, A., Merry, T., Nehren, N., King, F., Hindmarsh, J. H., Leask, M. P., Merriman, T. R., Orr-Walker, B., Shepherd, P. R., Paul, R., & Murphy, R. (2022). Stratified glucose-lowering response to vildagliptin and pioglitazone by obesity and hypertriglyceridemia in a randomized crossover trial. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne), 13, 1091421. doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2022.1091421

Clements, J., Christensen, P. M., & Meyer, M. (2022). A randomised trial comparing weaning from CPAP alone with weaning using heated humidified high flow nasal cannula in very preterm infants: the CHiPS study. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed, 108(1), 63-68. doi.org/10.1136/archdischild-2021.323636

Denholm, J. T., Venkatesh, B., Davis, J., Bowen, A. C., Hammond, N. E., Jha, V., McPhee, G., McQuilten, Z., O'Sullivan, M. V. N., Paterson, D., Price, D., Rees, M., Roberts, J., Jones, M., Totterdell, J., Snelling, T., Trask, N., Morpeth, S., Tong, S. Y., & investigators, A. A. (2022). ASCOT ADAPT study of COVID-19 therapeutics in hospitalised patients: an international multicentre adaptive platform trial. Trials, 23(1),
1014. doi.org/10.1186/s13063-022-06929-y

Franklin, D., Babl, F. E., George, S., Oakley, E., Borland, M. L., Neutze, J., Acworth, J., Craig, S., Jones, M., Gannon, B., Shellshear, D., McCay, H., Wallace, A., Hoeppner, T., Wildman, M., Mattes, J., Pham, T. M. T., Miller, L., Williams, A., O'Brien, S., Lawrence, S.. . . Schibler, A. (2023). Effect of Early High-Flow Nasal Oxygen vs Standard Oxygen Therapy on Length of Hospital Stay in Hospitalized Children With Acute Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure: The PARIS-2 Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA, 329(3), 224-234. doi.org/10.1001/jama.2022.21805

Nevill, E., Mildenhall, L. F. J., & Meyer, M. P. (2023). Effect of Breathing Support in Very Preterm Infants Not Breathing During Deferred Cord Clamping: A Randomized Controlled Trial (The ABC Study). J Pediatr, 253, 94-100 e101. doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2022.09.025

Sundborn, G., Lesa, F., King, G., Vennell, K., Kozak, H., Pickering, K., & Baker, J. (2023). Empagliflozin and dulaglutide: community awareness project promotes improved access to newly funded medications for Pacific patients with type 2 diabetes. N Z Med J, 136(1572), 66-74. PMID: 36958323

Tan, E., Beck, S., Haskell, L., MacLean, A., Rogan, A., Than, M., Venning, B., White, C., Yates, K., McKinlay, C. J., & Dalziel, S. R. (2022). Paediatric fever management practices and antipyretic use among doctors and nurses in New Zealand emergency departments. Emerg Med Australas, 34(6), 943953. doi.org/10.1111/1742-6723.14022

ACTT Contacts

Type of Enquiry	Person	Email Address
Feasibilities	Kate Msiska	feasibility@middlemoretrials.nz
Trial Contracts	Kate Msiska	contracts@m iddlemoretrials.nz
Finance	Emani Setefano	finance@middlemoretrials.nz
Investigator Initiated/Grant Funded Trials	Dr Nicola Jackson Dr Hannah Burden	grants @mi ddlemoretrials.nz
Regulatory/Ethics	Catherine Howie	ethics@mi ddlemoretrials.nz
For support when a clinically significant event occurs with a trial	Dr John Baker	John.Baker@mi ddlemoretrials.nz
To refer a patient for a clinical trial	Please visit our website	participants @mi ddlemoretrials.nz