College of Health and Human Sciences

CDU Menzies School of Medicine

About

CDU has established the CDU Menzies School of Medicine in partnership with Menzies School of Health Research and National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre (NCCTRC).

The CDU Menzies School of Medicine will build upon CDU/Menzies strength in partnering with Indigenous Australians and communities and their understanding of health service delivery challenges in the Northern Territory. The School of Medicine will complement the existing and expanding suite of health programs available at CDU.

CDU Menzies School of Medicine

Addressing a great need

The NT population has some of the lowest health outcomes in Australia, high levels of social disadvantage and too many live with the burden of chronic disease. While half of the population live in Darwin, Palmerston and Alice Springs - the other half live in remote, very remote and regional areas.

We are committed to providing the NT with doctors who are trained in the Territory, who stay in the Territory and understand its health challenges.

Our goal is supported by clear evidence that shows that medical students with a regional/remote background are more likely to practice in regional and remote locations.

Professor Scott Bowman AO

World leaders in Health Research

Menzies and CDU are world leaders in health research that is Territory-relevant, with outcomes at “well above world standard”, as recorded by Australia’s national research evaluation framework, ERA.

Menzies outperforms most medical schools in Australia in medical research with a National Health and Medical Research Council success rate (greater than 40%) more than twice the national average (falling to less than 15%) in 2018, 2019 and 2020.

The CDU Menzies School of Medicine has three goals: 

  1. Specialist postgraduate professional development 
    Four postgraduate courses for medical professionals will be available:

  2. Consultation on a Medical Program

    Formal consultation with the medical profession and all levels of government on an authentic and autonomous medical program for the Northern Territory will begin shortly. Extensive consultation will occur throughout the Territory, including Central Australia.


  3. The teaching School for the proposed new medical program
Professor Dianne Stephens

Our Dean

Professor Dianne Stephens has been appointed as the Dean of the School of Medicine.

Professor Stephens moved from Melbourne to Darwin in 1998 and commenced work as the Director of Royal Darwin Hospital (RDH) Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and their first Intensive Care Specialist. She developed the RDH ICU into a tertiary level ICU recognised as a highly effective training and research unit by the ICU community.

For her leadership role in the ICU management of the 20 critically ill Bali bombing victims in 2002, Professor Stephens received the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM).

She joined the RAAF Specialist Reserves in 2004 and deployed for three months to Iraq in 2005, where she worked as Clinical Director of ICU in the only US tertiary hospital facility in Balad.

Professor Stephens has been involved in the National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre (NCCTRC) from its inception following the first Bali bombings. She has been an Instructor and Course Director on courses run by the NCCTRC and been involved in the NCCTRC response to local, national and international disasters.