Laurence Weinberg

Biography

Director of Anaesthesia at Austin Health and Professor, Department of Critical Care, University of Melbourne, and Department of Surgery, Austin Health, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

• Contribution to field of research: Academic anaesthetist with >250 published manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals. H-Index 33. Invited speaker at >120 international and national scientific conferences, international and national symposia and hospital departments. Reviewer for numerous leading international journals including British Journal of Anaesthesia.

• Leadership and innovation: Responsible for anaesthesia workforce of >130 anaesthetists across 2 campuses providing anaesthesia care for >35,000 interventions. Driver of numerous department strategic innovations to respond to complex hospital system reforms. Responsible for safety, quality, governance and performance of anaesthesia services. Pivotal leadership role in strengthening inter-department partnerships, empowering anaesthesia staff group (including anaesthesia resource and research nurses), fostering meaningful relationships and working collaboratively in design and delivery of care. Responsible for delivery of numerous department strategic drivers e.g. advanced information technology systems, new models of anaesthesia care e.g. perioperative medicine services, simulation, surgery centre expansion, ERAS programmes and transparent funding focussing on value and sustainability. Key driver of expanding department’s national and international clinical research programmes that underpin our clinical excellence.

• Research leadership: Principal investigator for over 30 RCTs, expert in fluid intervention, patient optimization, goal directed therapy and interests in health economics. Beneficiary of >8.5 M in research funding, $1.1M NHMRC Grant - Chief Investigator (BEST-Fluid Study) evaluating fluid intervention in renal transplant recipients and 1.9M NHMRC Grant - Chief Investigator (CLIP-II Trial) studying cryopreserved platelets in cardiac surgery. Associate investigator for VAPOR C (4.9M NHMRC Grant), and beneficiary of numerous smaller research grants.

• Community engagement and participation: Active student educator and mentor, including PhD, Honours students, medical students and registrars. Active lecturer at the University of Melbourne and the ANZ College of Anaesthetists. Key opinion leader and noted expert in his field of research and has conducted interviews for Reuters Health. In 2017 he was a key champion in supporting the set-up of a Liver Transplant programme in Nepal and Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital.

• Professional involvement: Chairperson, Human Research Ethics Committee at Austin Health; Serves the Scientific Board of the PANCARE Foundation, a non-for-profit organisation that supports expert research into pancreatic, liver, biliary, cancers. Foundation member of the Australasian Perioperative Outcomes Collaborative, which integrates fluid prescription practices and goal directed therapy, and sits on several committees/boards including the National Intravenous Fluid Advisory Board, and Patient Care Review Committee at Warringal Hospital. Served as Faculty for the Asia Pacific Advances in Haemodynamic monitoring Symposium (2017/8). Served on the Annual Scientific Committee, Australasian & New Zealand College of Anaesthetists Annual Scientific Committee. Inaugural convener of the Austin Health Annual Anaesthesia Symposium.