Industry breakfast inspiring regional innovation
The University of Newcastle is inviting business and industry representatives to explore powerful new pathways to innovation at their inaugural Industry PhD Breakfast event.
Featuring inspiring accounts of local success stories, the event is an opportunity for businesses to connect with the University and start a conversation about their specific research and development (R&D) challenges.
For speech pathology student Hollie-Ann Shortland and her industry host, Myo Munchee, a PhD industry placement is providing the ideal pathway to evaluate the feasibility of myofunctional devices - therapeutic devices aimed at treating potentially life-threatening issues in vulnerable populations associated with oral health and swallowing disorders.
As a core part of her PhD, Ms Shortland conducted a clinical trial on the use of Myo Munchee’s myofunctional device, ‘The Munchee’ in vulnerable aged care populations. Similar in appearance to a mouthguard, the device has tiny silicon bristles which the wearer bites down on and chews, assisting a range of possible health benefits including cleaner teeth and gums, appropriate positioning of the tongue, lip closure, and increased jaw strength and function.
“The device is used quite a bit in the United States and Europe by Speech Pathologists and in dentistry, however, it has been slower to gain traction in its use in Australia within the Speech Pathology profession, despite being invented here by a dentist in Maitland. The limited studies with a strong evidence base have likely played a significant role in that,” said Ms Shortland.
Focusing specifically on use of The Munchee in improving oral hygiene and assisting in preventing the development of aspiration pneumonia – a potentially fatal condition arising from inhalation of food particles left in the mouth after eating, Ms Shortland said her PhD project achieved the first systematic review of myofunctional devices and therapies globally.
“By undertaking the first ever review of scientific literature on myofunctional devices, we were able to see what evidence was out there, and perhaps more importantly, what gaps existed. My clinical trial, while not yet published, is seeking to fill some of those gaps. And all this work has now laid the groundwork for studies on other patient populations and other health issues,” said Ms Shortland.
“As a clinical speech pathologist for almost twenty years, it’s been incredibly rewarding to know my PhD is contributing to new knowledge in my field. The end goal here is to improve and prolong lives, which is so tangible and motivating.”
Myo Munchee CEO, Mary Bourke said that while their product had been around for over 50 years and had been shown to be very beneficial in many clinical applications, it lacked the objective research they knew would be crucial for market expansion.
“The PhD placement collaboration will be transformational for us as a small business. We've unearthed areas of application we hadn't considered and paved the way for exciting new growth,” said Ms Bourke.
Dean of Graduate Research, Professor Kylie Shaw said the University was committed to supporting more PhD industry placements in the region, and that students were making an impact in short and long-term placements in industries such as engineering, advanced manufacturing, defence, local government, business, health, and education.
“Global rankings schemes consistently reinforce our world-class research status across a wide range of disciplines. Our students, backed by this incredible network and cutting-edge research facilities are ideally placed to drive meaningful innovation outcomes for business and industry. By hosting this breakfast event, we hope to unearth businesses who have a problem to solve but may not have considered taking the problem into their own hands or didn’t know where to look for solutions,” said Professor Shaw.
“For students, the prospect of undertaking research in a ‘live’ industry setting means no time delay from knowledge generation to real-world implementation and impact, which besides being incredibly motivating, is potent real-world experience they’ll have for life. It’s a win-win scenario.”
The Industry PhD Breakfast is a free event, open to all business and industry representatives. Registration essential via Eventbrite.
Event details:
Location – Q Building
Date – Tuesday 28 June
Time – 8.30am-10.00am
The event is taking place as part of the larger ‘HDR Student Festival’.
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Aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
The University of Newcastle acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands within our footprint areas: Awabakal, Darkinjung, Biripai, Worimi, Wonnarua, and Eora Nations. We also pay respect to the wisdom of our Elders past and present.