Biography
Overview
Mike is a consultant paediatrician with an interest in:
- Clinical and health system research- increasingly in health sector decarbonisation
- Advocacy for Health in all policy, particularly regarding decarbonisation / sustainability and climate risk mitigation.
- Person-centred paediatric care- Integrated simulation / communication skills facilitation
- Leadership & Strategy to ensure child health access and equity
- Peer mentorship and student / clinician wellbeing
Academic appointments:
- Senior Research Fellow, Clinical Lead of the Sustainable Healthcare Network, Faculty of Health and Institute for Health Transformation, Deakin University, Aug 2022 - present
Non-academic employment:
- Consultant Paediatrician, Children's Health - University Hospital Geelong, Barwon Health, 2007 - present
Follow Mike @DrMikeDEA
Read more on Mike's profileAffiliations
Doctors for the Environment – Chair of Vic Committee & Member of National Sustainable Healthcare SIG
Teaching interests
-Undergraduate preclinical medical school lecturer re the role of the doctor in advocacy for health sector sustainability, and health in all policy.
-Clinical lecturer for 3rd year paediatric rotations. Deliver curriculum related to Clinical care, Cinical communication skills workshops with simulated patient actors, and Sustainable healthcare for med students.
Knowledge areas
Paediatric health care
Clinical Communication Skills
Health sector decarbonisation - Cobenefits for people and planet
Health in all policy advocacy
Professional activities
-Deakin – Healthcare decarbonisation research stream representative to the Sustainable Health & Environment Network (SHEN) steering committee
-Barwon Health - Consultant Paediatrician - Dept of Womens and Childrens Health
-Barwon Health – Deakin representative on the Env Sust Exec Comm (ESES)
Projects
Projects in progress:
-National Sustainable Asthma Roadmap – Stakeholder Roundtable Series. (IHT & GLOBE). Partnership with consumer host organisation Asthma Australia. The process seeks to bring all peak asthma bodies together (Techincal experts, Medical Researchers, Guideline developers, Consumer Rep Groups, Pharmacists, Nursing leaders, Pharma, Gov changemakers etc) to develop recommendations towards improving high value asthma care in Australia, with the cobenefit of decreasing the high propellant-driven greenhouse footprint of current care. Report to be completed Sept 2023.
-Envirohaler- Development of a zero Global Warming active Dry Powder Inhaler device for sustainable asthma care - (Collaboration with Deakin SEBE)
-Scope 3 Decarbonisation Opportunities of an all -electric hospital - (Supervision of PhD Candidate-Urvi Thanakar- with co-supervision from Deakin Fac Health and Health Economics, Menzies Inst, Karolinska Inst, Uni of Melb)
-Health sector plastics circular economy -Advisor to PhD Candidate-Omid Zahibi- (Collaboration with Deakin Inst Frontier Materials)
-Balancing environmental sustainability and cost: reusable isolation gowns case study N Dunbar (Co-supervision of successful completion of Masters of Health Economics project- Pub pending)
-Contribution of ultra-processed foods in a sample of Australian hospitals (Collaboration with Deakin IPAN)
-Progressing system-wide Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) implementation in Hospital Food Services (Collaboration with Deakin IPAN, co-supervision of PhD candidate, Sharon Ong)
Partner site projects in progress:
-WATCH Study – Multi site survey of health worker attitudes to health sector decarbonisation (Collaboration with Monash Planetary Health)
-Multi hospital site reusable gown trial 2024– (Collaboration with University of Melb)
-Strengthening Care for Rural Children – (Collarboarion with UoM / MCRI) NHMRC grant-funded project which aims to deliver and rigorously evaluate a primary health care system strengthening program for rural children
Publications
O Zabihi, R Patrick, M Ahmadi, M Forrester, R Huxley, Y Wei, S Hadigheh, M Naebe
(2024), Vol. 919, Science of the Total Environment, C1
Shelf-Stable Bingham Plastic Polyurethane Thermosets for Additive Manufacturing
Tung-ping Wang, Liyang Shen, Michael Forrester, Ting-Han Lee, Sabrina Torres, Cornor Pearson, Eric Cochran
(2024), Vol. 6, pp. 1077-1085, ACS MATERIALS LETTERS, C1-1
The National Health and Climate Strategy - Response to the Australian Government Consultation Paper
Doctors for the Environment Australia Group
(2023), Melbourne, Vic., A6
Infant pacifier sanitization and risk of challenge-proven food allergy: A cohort study
V Soriano, J Koplin, M Forrester, R Peters, M O'Hely, S Dharmage, R Wright, S Ranganathan, D Burgner, K Thompson, T Dwyer, P Vuillerman, A Ponsonby
(2021), Vol. 147, pp. 1823-1829.e11, Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, United States, C1
P Vuillermin, M O’Hely, F Collier, K Allen, M Tang, L Harrison, J Carlin, R Saffery, S Ranganathan, P Sly, L Gray, J Molloy, A Pezic, M Conlon, D Topping, K Nelson, C Mackay, L Macia, J Koplin, S Dawson, M Moreno-Betancur, A Ponsonby, S Vashee, M Torralba, A Gomez, T Dwyer, D Burgner, M Forrester, C Symeonides, E Bandala Sanchez
(2020), Vol. 11, Nature Communications, England, C1
Andrew Hardy, David Fuller, Mike Forrester, Kym Anderson, Chris Cooper, Bernard Jenner, Isaac Marshall, Christine Sanderson, Jane Standish, Janie Worth, Peter Vuillermin, Kathleen McCloskey
(2019), Vol. 55, pp. 441-445, Journal of paediatrics and child health, London, Eng., C1
iValidate: a communication-based clinical intervention in life-limiting illness
N Simpson, S Milnes, P Martin, A Phillips, J Silverman, G Keely, M Forrester, T Dunning, C Corke, N Orford
(2019), pp. 1-7, BMJ Supportive and Palliative Care, London, Eng., C1
T May, M Forrester, M Webber, J Roberts, M Spreckley, A Scheinberg, K Williams
(2018), Vol. 54, pp. 7-10, Journal of paediatrics and child health, London, Eng., C1
Per capita increase in hospital presentations and admissions among children since the 1990s
A Hardy, D Fuller, M Forrester, K Anderson, C Cooper, B Jenner, I Marshall, K Mccloskey, C Sanderson, J Standish, P Vuillermin
(2016), Vol. 52, pp. 935-938, Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, Australia, C1
Cohort profile: the Barwon infant study
P Vuillermin, R Saffery, K Allen, J Carlin, M Tang, S Ranganathan, D Burgner, T Dwyer, F Collier, K Jachno, P Sly, C Symeonides, K McCloskey, J Molloy, M Forrester, A-L Ponsonby
(2015), Vol. 44, pp. 1148-1160, International journal of epidemiology, Oxford, Eng., C1
BioKin: an ambulatory platform for gait kinematic and feature assessment
S Ekanayake, A Morris, M Forrester, P Pathirana
(2015), Vol. 2, pp. 40-45, Healthcare technology letters, Stevenage, Eng., C1
P Azzopardi, M Forrester, S Ehtisham
(2010), Vol. 46, pp. 439-441, Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, Australia, C1-1
Multiple sclerosis in childhood: Clinical and radiological features
M Forrester, L Coleman, A Kornberg
(2009), Vol. 24, pp. 56-62, Journal of Child Neurology, United States, C1-1
T Forbes, E Goeman, Z Stark, J Hynson, M Forrester
(2008), Vol. 44, pp. 392-398, Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, Australia, C1-1
Z Stark, J Hynson, M Forrester
(2008), Vol. 44, pp. 399-403, Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, Australia, C1-1
Funded Projects at Deakin
Australian Competitive Grants
Identifying underlying causes of craniofacial defects in newborns
Dr Daniel Mcculloch, Prof Alister Ward, A/Prof Nicky Kilpatrick, Dr Mike Forrester
Financial Markets - Foundation for Children
- 2016: $24,409
- 2015: $59,364
- 2014: $32,514
Industry and Other Funding
Inhaler Project
Dr Mike Forrester, Prof Steven Allender, Dr Cindy Needham, Dr Susan Perlen, Prof Alison Hutchinson
Asthma Australia Ltd
- 2023: $35,000
Supervisions
No completed student supervisions to report