September 10, 2024

UOW expert commentary (10 September)

UOW academics provide expert commentary, opinion and analysis on a range of ongoing and breaking news stories

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Making mobile phones an essential service

Professor Katina Michael can provide expert commentary on growing calls to make mobile phones an essential service. Telstra is paid approximately $270 million dollars a year to maintain landlines and payphone, but this does not extend to mobile services. Professor Michael says Telstra and other providers recently decommissioned older mobile phone networks – and the 3G network is switching off from 28 October – but that all types of infrastructure need to be maintained as users are diverse.

Honorary Professor Michael is from the School of Business and comments regularly on the social implications of emerging technologies with an emphasis on privacy and national security. She is also a Professor in the School for the Future of Innovation in Society and School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence at Arizona State University.

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US election

Dr Daniel Fleming can talk about the latest developments in the US presidential election. Dr Fleming is a historian with expertise in the US civil rights movement, US history and politics, race, gender and class. He is a lecturer in the School of Humanities and Social Inquiry.

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World Suicide Prevention Day (Tuesday 10 September)

Ms Taylor Yousiph can talk about World Suicide Prevention Day (Tuesday 10 September). Ms Yousiph’s research involves people with lived experience of suicidality. She says a safe space to talk about suicide is needed to expose the devastation of this global epidemic. Ms Yousiph is a PhD candidate in the School of Nursing.

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R U OK? Day (Thursday 12 September)

Associate Professor Christopher Patterson can talk about R U OK? Day (Thursday 12 September). Associate Professor Patterson is a lecturer within the School of Nursing. He is a registered nurse with specialist qualifications in mental health. Associate Professor Patterson is also the Co-Director of the award-winning Recovery Camp program. He is committed to making a difference in the lives of people who are living with mental illness, as well as assisting future nursing professionals develop recovery-oriented skills.

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International Chocolate Day (Friday 13 September)

Associate Professor Stephanie Perkiss can discuss International Chocolate Day (Friday 13 September). Each year Associate Professor Perkiss works with an international team of non-profit organisations and academics to evaluate global chocolate traders, manufacturers, brands, and retailers. She says the dark side of chocolate production was in stark contrast to its marketing and reputation as a product of joy. Associate Professor Stephanie Perkiss is from the School of Accounting, Finance and Economics.

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Using AI to write health records

Professor Stacy Carter can discuss clinicians using artificial intelligence (AI) to write medical records. Professor Carter says records are legal documents and they can be important in insurance claims or legal actions, so careful human checking is critical. In an article Professor Carter co-authored for The Conversation, she writes:

Doctors are told by tech and insurance companies that they must check every summary or letter (and they must). But it’s not that simple. Busy clinicians might become over-reliant on the scribe and just accept the summaries. Tired or inexperienced clinicians might think their memory must be wrong, and the AI must be right (known as automation bias).

Professor Carter is the Director of the Australian Centre for Health Engagement, Evidence and Values at UOW and a Professor of Empirical ethics in health.

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Things to consider before going on a diet

Associate Professor Yasmine Probst can talk about conflicting messages and misinformation surrounding diet trends. She says around 42 per cent of adults around the world have tried to lose weight at one time or another, with social media only amplifying the confusion that surrounds dieting. In an article Associate Professor Probst co-authored for The Conversation she writes:

We’re frequently told that weight loss is the path to better health. Whereas, we can prioritise our health without focusing on our weight. Constant messages about the need to lose weight can also be harmful to mental health, and not necessarily helpful for physical health.

Associate Professor Probst is a dietician in the School of Medical, Indigenous and Health Sciences.

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UOW academics exercise academic freedom by providing expert commentary, opinion and analysis on a range of ongoing social issues and current affairs. This expert commentary reflects the views of those individual academics and does not necessarily reflect the views or policy positions of the University of Wollongong. 

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FIND AN EXPERT

The University of Wollongong boasts world-leading experts across a range of disciplines. Visit our Find an expert page for a selection of our experts who can speak to current ongoing and breaking news stories, or contact the Media and Public Relations Unit for help finding relevant experts, organising interviews and providing answers to specific questions.