New building supports education and research to foster healthy minds and bodies

Research and postgraduate education in pharmacy, psychology and orthoptics will be uniquely integrated with special clinics accessible to the public at the University of Technology Sydney's newest campus development.

A new Faculty of Science and Graduate School of Health Building opened last night by NSW Health Minister, the Hon Jillian Skinner, is the third major building completed as part of UTS's billion-dollar City Campus Master Plan.

Head of the UTS Graduate School of Health Professor Charlie Benrimoj said the School's research-led postgraduate health education programs had been specially designed to offer unique learning opportunities for students ensuring they be highly skilled clinicians that can meet the needs of our rapidly evolving health system.

"Our programs offer a distinct and fully integrated set of learning experiences incorporating realistic settings – combining theory and practice in a holistic way rather than piecemeal," Professor Benrimoj said. "In other words, our students learn about the disease, medicines, treatments and vital clinical-setting communication skills as an integrated whole."

Accessible and affordable psychology clinics will be located at the new building in Thomas Street, Ultimo, as well as an orthoptics clinic dealing with eye conditions in children.

"Unlike most public clinics, UTS will provide early intervention and specialist clinics for a range of services that are most in demand," Professor Benrimoj said. "These clinics serve not just the public but are the unique settings in which our graduates can learn how to provide the best services and support to patients."

"Although most Australians have limited experience with orthoptics as a profession, practitioners are becoming a vital force now dealing with eye conditions sometimes missed in the very young. Conditions such as strabismus (squint) and amblyopia (lazy eye) often associated with childhood have in the past lead to far worse problems in old age.

"Early identification enables better treatment and our clinic will be the only university-based and affordable orthoptics clinic open to the public in Australia."

A Family and Child Behaviour clinic is due to commence as part of the Graduate School of Health's offerings in mid-2015.

"This will be a very important service we will offer for families who have been identified as needing parenting assistance and referred to us by government and non-government agencies," Professor Benrimoj said.

"Our uniquely-designed programs integrate our health disciplines, enabling us to offer early intervention services to the public that are difficult to access elsewhere, for example, treatments for a pain-related condition within our psychology clinic might be followed with physio therapy treatments and include a medication review by our pharmacists. Such a holistic approach to health and treatment can mean faster patient recovery."

Vice-Chancellor Professor Attila Brungs said the new building and facilities further consolidates a decades-long investment by UTS to be a hub for innovative applied research and highly valued practice-oriented education in health and science.

The new building on the corner of Jones and Thomas Streets, Ultimo, overlooks UTS's revitalised Alumni Green in the heart of the campus. Its opening follows those of UTS's new Faculty of Engineering and IT and Business School buildings during the past nine months and an underground robotic Library Retrieval System.