With broad training across emergency medicine, intensive care and retrieval medicine, and years of experience working in rural and remote settings, he’s driven by a commitment to improving access to evidence-based care outside metropolitan centres. Rather than following a traditional academic path, his research grows directly from clinical practice, like tackling real-world challenges like better first-aid for snakebites, reducing unnecessary retrievals and improving outcomes for patients across regional and rural Queensland.

Can you tell us about your background and what motivated you to pursue research in emergency medicine?
I never planned to become a doctor at first. I studied biology because I’ve always been interested in snakes and other venomous creatures. But jobs were scarce, so I worked as a mechanic and truck driver before applying for postgraduate medicine. Emergency medicine was a perfect fit, hands-on, broad and critical care focused, and my rural background led me to dual training in Emergency and Intensive Care and, later in rural generalist practice. Throughout all of this, my interest in venom and toxinology has been a constant. Research allows me to tackle the questions that come up on the job and help make care better.

Can you provide an overview of your research program and describe how EMF funding has supported your research?
My research aims to improve the management of snake and jellyfish envenomations, an area with big knowledge gaps. My first EMF-funded project investigated how much antivenom patients actually need. That generated new questions and led to our current project looking at the most effective first-aid techniques for snakebites. Support from EMF has been invaluable. Research is time-consuming and expensive, especially early on. EMF fills a vital niche by fostering new and emerging researchers and helping them build a research career alongside their clinical work.

How does your work aim to improve patient outcomes or enhance system sustainability?
People in rural and remote areas bear the brunt of envenomations. Our work aims to make sure they receive the right care sooner, from optimising first aid before retrieval to ensuring antivenom is used properly. Every year, hundreds of suspected snakebites are flown to tertiary centres, often unnecessarily. Better first aid and better tools to decide who really needs retrieval will improve care, reduce system costs and lessen the impact on patients and their families.

What impact do you hope your research will have on emergency medicine practice or healthcare policy in the long term?
Long term, I’d like to see envenomation management become evidence-based at every stage, where first-aid, retrieval and antivenom use are guided by data. That requires better education, better tools and potentially new treatments that don’t need refrigeration. By tackling these questions now, we can build a knowledge base that future clinicians and policy makers will rely on.

What role has collaboration with other clinicians or researchers played in your project?
Collaboration is crucial, especially mixed collaborations. Working with other professions, rural clinicians or getting input from colleagues in other specialties adds valuable insights. Learning from others’ experiences and approaches has refined my questions and strengthened my methods.

Based on your experience, what advice would you give to other clinicians considering applying for EMF funding?
Start with a question that truly interests you and break it into small, achievable steps. Don’t be scared to start your research, research is often a long-term commitment alongside clinical work. EMF is focused on fostering new researchers and can help you navigate grant writing and study design, with an array of resources.

What are the next steps for your research?
Next, we’re testing a simpler first-aid technique for snakebites, one that’s been shown to work overseas and might reduce complications and retrievals here. Longer-term, we plan to grow our research into rural and tropical toxinology care more broadly, including new treatments for Irukandji jellyfish stings and basic science to design better antidotes.

How do you find time and energy for research alongside clinical work?
Balancing clinical work, research and family, especially with a toddler at home, is a juggling act. What keeps me going is genuine interest in the questions I’m pursuing. Outside work, I spend as much time as I can with my kids, out on the water or playing the guitar. I’m also learning to embrace downtime and let the day take me where it will, that’s often when my best ideas appear.