Co-hosted by Dr Verity Todd and Derek Collings-Hughes, the final instalment of the Talking Research webinar series for 2024 offered valuable insights into conducting clinical trials in the dynamic and evolving field of paramedicine.

Our guests, Lucas Litewka and Dr Ziad Nehme, shared valuable strategies when designing and implementing clinical trials, highlighting their potential to expand research participation, inform clinical practice, and enhance patient outcomes.

Presented by:

• Lucas Litewka: Director - Clinical Trials, University of the Sunshine Coast
• Dr Ziad Nehme: Director - Centre for Research and Evaluation, Ambulance Victoria

Moderated by:

• Dr Verity Todd, Senior Lecturer - Paramedicine, Auckland University of Technology
• Derek Collings-Hughes, Discipline Lead - Paramedicine, Curtin University

Biographies:

• Lucas Litewka Lucas commenced his role as Director – Clinical Trials at the University of the Sunshine Coast in 2015, where he oversees a team of over 120 staff working across 5 locations. Lucas has worked as an advisor, board member and consultant to various organisations specialising in clinical trial strategy development.

• Dr Ziad Nehme Ziad is a Paramedic and a Heart Foundation Future Leader Fellow with expertise in prehospital emergency care and resuscitation research. Ziad is the Director of the Centre for Research and Evaluation, Ambulance Victoria, Australia. Ziad holds appointments as an executive member of the Australasian Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium (Aus-ROC) and Task Force Member for ILCOR.

• Dr Verity Todd Verity is a Senior Lecturer within the Department of Paramedicine. Verity has recently completed over 5 years as the Clinical Research Fellow at Hato Hone St John. Verity is currently working on the First Responder Shock Trial, supported by the NZ Heart Foundation, and has interest in low-acuity patients, trauma, and resuscitation. Verity's research background includes a PhD in Genetics and postdoctoral fellowships in Ophthalmology (Genetics and Epigenetics) at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and The University of Auckland.