Alumni Magazine Issue 6

Life on the edge in a COVID-19 ward Carla Sabatini Bachelor of Nursing Class of 2014 Registered Nurse Carla Sabatini spent the early weeks of the pandemic in the Intensive Care Unit at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital (SCGH). At the best of times, working in the ICU requires strict attention to detail, but COVID-19 transformed the industry like never before. As someone who witnesses disease daily, Carla is dedicated to helping people through their hardest moments. Returning from a holiday in Canada at the beginning of the pandemic, she was concerned for the potential influx of critically ill patients that would require ventilation at SCGH. “Fortunately, Western Australia held back the rising tide of active cases but, for healthcare workers like me, the looming threat of COVID-19 is a source of constant concern.” Nurses like Carla will undoubtedly become vital knowledge bases for graduate nurses, and she is more than happy to take on a mentoring role. Her advice for aspiring nurses is to establish good routines and communication. “Have a good support group that you can talk to and debrief with.” Scientist’s pandemic research has lifesaving outcome Dr Melissa Thomas Doctor of Philosophy Class of 2018 Dr Melissa Thomas earned her title after completing her PhD at Notre Dame in 2018 and has since gone on to become a Senior Scientist at Genetic Signatures. As part her work at the company, Dr Thomas played a role in the development of a COVID-19 test now being used worldwide. “I’m proud to be a part of the team responsible for the development of the new EasyScreenTM SARS-CoV-2 Detection Kits,” says Dr Thomas. “We’re a specialist molecular diagnostics company that produces test kits to identify a variety of infectious pathogens. Prior to the pandemic, my focus had been the development of a test for viral, bacterial and fungal meningitis. “I hope that my work will one day change the outcome for people; that someone is alive who perhaps wouldn’t have been. That will be my ultimate career achievement.” When the pandemic hit, we had already developed a test targeting the six types of coronavirus known to infect humans. Once this new strain was sequenced, we designed a specific test for COVID-19. The process normally takes longer than a few months, but we worked nonstop, focussing solely on taking the test from development through to approval. I worked on improving assay sensitivity, which enables detection of very low amounts of virus from a sample. I also performed experiments to get the data needed for FDA approval and Emergency Use Authorisation.” Dr Melissa Thomas Carla Sabatini Alumni Magazine – Page 11