Upgrade of lectures theatres at John Hunter Hospital

Hunter New England Health staff and University of Newcastle students are set to benefit from a major upgrade to the lecture theatre facilities at John Hunter Hospital.

John Hunter Hospital Facility Manager Jim Cartwright said the $110,000 upgrade will be jointly funded by Hunter New England Health and the University of Newcastle’s Faculty of Health.

“The John Hunter Hospital/Royal Newcastle Centre is a major teaching hospital and this upgrade will ensure our clinical staff and students from the University of Newcastle have access to state-of-the-art learning facilities,” Mr Cartwright said.

The two lecture theatres, which have a capacity of 120 and 68 respectively, will have new equipment installed, including:

• new video conferencing facilities
• new data projectors
• new cabling throughout the two lecture theatres
• dual motorised projection screens
• new custom built lecterns
• new computers
• new recording facilities and microphones
• new DVD/VCR  equipment
• new document cameras

Professor Michael Hensley, Head of the University of Newcastle’s School of Medicine and Public Health and Dean of Medicine for the Joint Medical Program, said the lecture theatres are a heavily utilised resource and the new equipment is vital to the delivery of face-to-face and distance education.

“The theatres are used on a daily basis by students and Hunter New England Health staff for ongoing education and training,” Professor Hensley said.

“Students undertaking studies as part of the University of Newcastle’s Joint Medical Program, which is run in conjunction with the University of New England, will be using the lecture facilities daily. 

“Because the Joint Medical Program is run at multiple sites across NSW, lectures will be video conferenced to each site to ensure consistency in teaching and also recorded for students’ future reference.”

Mr Cartwright acknowledged the University’s cooperation in sharing the cost of the upgrade with Hunter New England Health.

“I am pleased to see the upgrade going ahead and would like to thank the University of Newcastle for its support of this project,” Mr Cartwright said.

It is proposed that work will commence in March and be finished by early April 2008.

Contact: Gemma Smith

Phone: 4921 4501