Why I keep stuffed animals in my consultation room — they’re not just for children
My daughter has a stuffed monkey named HaHaHa. He has been an important part of our family since she was about a year old. Before…
Heather Saxena
Heather is a medical reporter for Australian Doctor Group.
Medical Must-See: Snake snack opens can of (tape)worms
A routine laparoscopic hernia repair proved anything but when surgeons discovered a decades-old tapeworm, measuring 26cm, lodged in their patient’s peritoneal cavity. The 71-year-old South…
Medical board chair issues warning to telehealth doctors prescribing unapproved drugs
The Medical Board of Australia chair says she is worried that poor prescribing of unregistered medicines such as peptides or medicinal cannabis could undermine patients’…
Passing the $250,000 pressure test: Nurse Vinnie Gibaldi on winning MasterChef
Nurse Vinnie Gibaldi is the 2026 MasterChef winner, and he credits his nursing experience with helping him to keep his cool during the stressful grand…
Dr Duncan Graham: Meet the doctor turned barrister who represents medical negligence plaintiffs
As barrister Dr Duncan Graham puts it, he has joined the “forces of darkness”. Once a doctor, he is now a lawyer representing patients in…
‘Everyone acknowledges we’ve shown the proof of concept’: The fight for a population-based DNA screening program
Associate Professor Jane Tiller.Around one in 50 patients might unwittingly have a genetic time bomb — a gene variant that places them at substantially increased…
‘Not all drug-dependent behaviour looks alike’: Coroner on 72-year-old who tried to wean herself off painkillers
The death of an older woman who tried to reduce her medicines without medical oversight shows not all prescription medicine overdoses are alike, a coroner…
Medical Must-See: Cervicothoracic screwdriver impalement
This octogenarian was lucky to survive after accidentally impaling herself in the neck with a 40cm flat-head screwdriver and piercing her aorta. US doctors say…
Tribunal suspends surgeon who performed colonoscopies in 5-10 minutes
A surgeon whose failure to detect a patient’s cancer prompted a recall of 2000 colonoscopy patients — and whose “catastrophic error” contributed to another patient’s…
Patient fails in tribunal bid to overturn doctor’s VAD rejection
A tribunal has determined a patient with chronic pain has the capacity to request voluntary assisted dying, despite his doctor’s concerns, but has refused to…
