SUMMER 2015
Destination Oxford
Alumnus Dr Jack O’Sullivan
FORMER Bond University students are making waves on a global scale after being awarded the prestigious Clarendon Scholarship to study at the University of Oxford. With 12 Clarendon Scholarships awarded to Australians, Bond is one of a few universities to celebrate not one, but two recipients. The number of Australian Clarendon scholars in 2015 was only surpassed by 20 students from the UK and 13 from Canada. Dr Jack O’Sullivan heads into familiar territory as he prepares to spend the next three years at the University of Oxford. The Bond University Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery graduate previously completed a research unit over two months at Oxford. Now he plans to complete his PhD and thesis in preventing overdiagnosis there. Dr O’Sullivan says the shift would have been easy regardless as the Oxford campus is so accommodating. “The wider learning community within the university itself was very appealing,
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as almost all of the students live within a short walk or bike ride of each other,” he says. “The calibre of students within all divisions and departments is fantastic and I often find I learn incredible amounts at lunch and other social activities. Oxford has an indefatigable appetite for knowledge.” The opportunity to further his research into overdiagnosis by working under academics, such as Professor of Evidence-Based Medicine Carl Heneghan and Director of Medical Statistics Rafael Perera, was another fundamental factor. Dr O’Sullivan’s interest in the issue was ignited last year after Bond Professor Paul Glasziou invited him to chair a session at the Preventing Overdiagnosis Conference. “Doctors across all specialities are becoming more aware that some of the tests we order and the procedures we perform are unnecessary,” he says. “I am very interested in trying to quantify this problem and produce appropriate evidence-based guidance for the next generation of clinicians. “The field I am researching is still very
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Oxford has an indefatigable appetite for knowledge and it is impossible not to be swept up within it.
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much in its infancy and lots of high-quality research is required. I hope I can make a significant contribution to the literature.” Dr O’Sullivan says studying at Bond has helped create the path to follow his ambitions and forge beneficial contacts in the industry. “In many respects, Bond follows a similar model to the education system in the UK and the US,” he says. “A significant portion of Bond students come from cities and towns around Australia and the world. The University becomes the student’s life and this fosters a strong and inclusive community. The quality of education, mentorship and support through the Alumni Scholarship I have received from Bond has led me to the position I am in now.”