SOMA TEAM
DANIEL GOULD
President
Dan is UniMelb's guinea pig MD-PhD student; he started MDRP 2 in his final year of medical school, then deferred MD4 in order to enroll in a PhD alongside some clinical exposure to continue to fulfill the MD requirements. He came into medical school with a very clear idea that he wanted to be a paediatrician and did not think I wanted to do surgery. Long story short, he loved his surgical rotation and then converted to orthopaedics when he observed a total hip replacement towards the end of MD2 (in 2017). Dan loves MSK health because he is a firm believer in the benefits of an active lifestyle, and being part of research and clinical practice that enables people to be as active as they can be is a powerful way to promote and facilitate overall health and well-being
Fun fact about Dan is he does Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 3-4 times a week, and was promoted to purple belt (half way to black belt) in at the end of 2019 after 5 years of training.
EMMA CHONG
Vice President
Emma is currently studying medicine at the University of Melbourne. She is particularly passionate in pursuing a career that combines the skills and experiences of academia and surgery. Emma has an interest in trauma, spine and oncologic surgery.
ISAAC PARK
Seccretary
I’m a final year medical student at the University of Melbourne with a special interest in orthopaedics and trauma surgery. I’m a rurally trained student who is enthusiastic about new learning opportunities, nurturing my passion for surgery and research with SOMA and its members. SOMA has provided me with the mentorship and guidance much needed at this staged of my career, and I consider myself privileged to be able to serve this student body in the capacity of a secretary to extend this mentorship to an even wider audience.
SIDDHARTH RELE
Treasurer
Siddharth (Sid) is a final year MD student from the University of Melbourne. He has always had an interest in surgery – given its practical solutions for complex problems. And his passion for orthopaedics was founded through witnessing its ability to return function to patients.
PENNY O’BRIEN
Community Officer
Penny is PhD candidate and qualitative researcher at the OPUS Centre for Research Excellence, University of Melbourne, Department of Surgery. Her research focuses on exploring the impact of osteoarthritis on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. Within her PhD she also aims to explore the process of establishing Aboriginal health research partnerships and culturally secure research methods in this novel research area. This involves a lot of sustained and meaningful community engagement – which is why she is also the SOMA Community Engagement Coordinator! In this role she hopes to raise the profile of musculoskeletal health research within the graduate student community and beyond. Penny’s love for all things community driven doesn’t stop there – when she’s not researching in the health world she is usually searching high and low for new music to play on her weekly radio show at community radio station PBS
MARTHA BLANK
Social Media and Promotions Officer
Martha is an international graduate research student from Austria undertaking her PhD at the St. Vincent's Institute of Medical Research in the Bone Cell Biology and Disease Unit of Prof Sims. Her PhD focuses on detecting changes in collagen and mineral, the main components of bones, in bone disease and the role of matrix vesicles in the initiation of mineralisation.
CHRISTINE MIN-KYUNG JUN
Education Officer
Christine is a medical student currently completing a Master of Clinical Research at the University of Melbourne. With a keen interest in surgery and neuroscience, her research is focussed on the imaging of brain tumour progression. Outside of medicine, Christine is passionate about open-access education and student wellbeing.
LIAM FERNANDO-CANAVAN
Podcast Officer
Liam is the host and producer of the SOMA OrthoPod podcast and a current student of the Doctor of Medicine at the University of Melbourne. Liam also works as a health economist at the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health and his principle area of research expertise is the economic evaluation of health care interventions using cost-effectiveness analysis and decision analytic modelling. He has particular interests in robotic-assisted surgery, orthopaedic oncology and the productive efficiency of hospitals. Prior to starting the Doctor of Medicine, Liam had an injurious career in elite sport for 10 years which resulted in him developing a keen interest in musculoskeletal health.