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world model, and uncover any issues or gaps.” The research was completed through the Bushfire and Natural Hazards Cooperative Research Centre’s Tactical Research Fund, in partnership with international consult- ing firm Reos Partners and RMIT University. Other participating organisations included the Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council’s Climate Change Group and Natural Hazards Research Australia. Researchers worked directly with emergency management leaders, including QFES – which, in 2022, became the first agency in Australia to apply the scenarios to test strategy. “We can’t just look in the rear-view mirror and say, ‘that has worked before, let’s keep doing that’, as the dynamics of disaster management are constantly evolving,” Matthew says. “Climate change is a complex issue. If you haven’t got a schema or a model or experience of a highly complex event with lots of cascad- ing effects, you have to think outside the box. That’s what we’re trying to enable here.” Applying cutting-edge climate modelling QFES is also using cutting-edge climate and hazard modelling to inform planning and engage with the community around future natural disaster risks. The Severe Wind Hazard Assessment for Queensland, or the SWHA (Q), is a collabo- rative project between QFES and Geoscience Australia which provides realistic and tangi- ble information on the potential impacts of tropical cyclones. “We have some of the world’s best cli- mate modelling, and we make the most of that incredibly insightful research. We have

3D-PRINTED BRAINS AND DIGITAL TWINS: GOLD COAST’S TRAILBLAZING MEDICAL RESEARCH

By Rose Lane

Queensland’s Gold Coast usually brings to mind images of beaches and luxury high-rise apartments rather than cutting-edge medical research and innovation, but since 2021 is the site of world-first work that could change the lives of us all in the future.

T he Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct (GCHKP) is home to a university, teaching hospitals, a health sciences-fo- cused high school, residential buildings, shops, restaurants, and entertainment facilities. Some 20,000 people live, work, and study here; around them, ground-breaking research is taking place. In partnership with global company Philips,

the medical training hub is developing meth- ods of treatment for vascular injuries, such as strokes, enabling less invasive, individually-tai- lored surgery. Surgeons practice on 3D models printed from scans of the patient’s brain, finding and repairing the affected blood vessel before then performing surgery on the patient. Kathy Kruger, the GCHKP’s manager of

a responsibility to make sure we’re good at applying it,” Matthew says. While northern Queensland is no stranger to cyclones, the south-east – where most of the state’s population lives – is far less familiar, and it can be hard to make the risk feel real. “That’s where the SWHA (Q) is really making a difference. It makes very explicit the likely damage of particular scales of cyclones, and, frankly, where the greatest threat to human life could be,” Matthew says. “We can start doing work now to be ready to act when a cyclone is approaching, to min- imise its effects, and to plan for recovery. It’s about preparing our local governments, com- munities, and infrastructure for these large- scale events well in advance.”

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