I see to the delivery and logistics of the biomedical wet lab practicals of the Phase I Medicine Curriculum. Using my lab background I see to the setup of practicals and training of staff to do this. I will be working with the executive team to increase the clinical relevance of biomedical wet lab practicals. With my colleague, I lead the setup of biomedical wet labs at Wagga campus. As an indicator of the skills I have brought to the team, I lead the delivery of a large number of wet labs that were previously being delivered online, which significantly enhanced the rural student experience, based on direct feedback. I believe wet lab practicals are the heart and soul of a biomedical sciences program.

My teaching of wet lab biomedical practicals emphasises bench to bedside translation and the clinical relevance of the biomedical lab concepts students are learning. I encourage students to ask questions about protocols to understand their basis and see lab practicals as a means of also developing clinically relevant skills such as ability to follow a protocol, understand the basis of lab diagnostics and advances in biotechnology that will form the basis of future clinical therapies such as CRISPR and checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy and basics in understanding basic science medical literature. As educators and having been students ourselves we know that learning only occurs when students engage with the material in different ways. The hands-on wet lab practicals bring the basic sciences to life in a different way that textbooks and lectures simply cannot.

 I strongly believe medical students need some grounding in basic science medical research, as most will do research at some point in their career. Phase I, a predominantly biomedical curriculum, is the right time to get this exposure. The wet lab practicals remaining in the curriculum is therefore appropriate.

 There is also significant reason to believe that given the massive innovations in biotechnology in recent years wet lab knowledge and proficiency will form the basis of clinical care for doctors in the near future.  For example the creation of RNA vaccines were the basis of the world recovering from the covid pandemic and RNA therapy is likely to become commonplace in the near future. There is also a significant need to augment the current wet lab practicals to incorporate advances.