Doctor in the house - Health And Fitness - theage.com.au
Is it a good idea to test yourself for medical conditions at home? -
I'm a freelance journalist based in Sydney, Australia writing feature articles for print and online media.
I write about health, technology, education, environment, science and business.
My work appears in a wide range of outlets including the ABC, BBC, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, South China Morning Post, and many others. I've been freelance for more than a decade - it's great not wearing shoes to work!
I'm also founder and moderator of the Freeline journalists' forum and hold a Masters degree in journalism from UTS, Sydney.
I also work as an adjunct journalism lecturer at NYU Sydney and SCU Lismore.
I have worked previously as an ABC TV researcher, a producer in commercial radio, a non-fiction author, business magazine editor, web producer, feature writer, librarian, corporate IT consultant and an education policy researcher and I am a former manager of the Australian Centre for Independent Journalism.
Is it a good idea to test yourself for medical conditions at home? -
Food colouring, preservatives and other additives are often blamed for all kinds of bad behaviour in children. But what effect do they really have, if at all?
Imagine the scene: your little angels have come back from a party, filled to the brim with lollies, cake, and hysteria. As they rampage around your home, you curse the additives that appear to have turned them into little devils. But are the additives really to blame?
People in good health don't usually think about breathing. But for the one in 10 Australians who have asthma and other respiratory diseases, research into inhalable medications to help them breathe more easily could change their lives. Pharmaceutical scientist Dr Mehra Haghi hopes to develop a platform that will allow a range of drugs to be delivered by inhalation.
Financial abuse is a form of domestic violence that receives little public recognition. Experts explain what financial abuse involves and its effects on women.
Financial abuse is a form of domestic violence that receives little public recognition. Experts explain what financial abuse involves and its effects on women.
Asperger's makes people see the world in a different way, which is no bad thing, writes Fran Molloy. -
GENERAL INTEREST
Recent stories
Volunteers on site at construction of a community centre in Costa Rica. Photo: Courtesy of VOICE A growing number of school-leavers are postponing university for a gap year, with many signing up to programs that combine international travel with volunteering in developing countries.
Image credit: IMDB Fans of "The Hunger Games" series are eagerly anticipating the release of the third movie, where anti-hero and uncannily accurate archer Katniss Everdeen ramp up the awesome yet another notch.
Claire-Elise Green Globally, the space industry spent a cool $315 billion in 2014 and brims with opportunities for postgraduate research. Australian scholars are involved in diverse areas, from space law to rocket science to star births, project management, astronomy observation and planetaria. Here are a few key stargazers.
Is the CMO pushing the CIO off the IT budget chair? And if so, how can you forge a relationship with sales and marketing that leverages the best results for all concerned?
Volunteers on site at construction of a community centre in Costa Rica. Photo: Courtesy of VOICE A growing number of school-leavers are postponing university for a gap year, with many signing up to programs that combine international travel with volunteering in developing countries.
Education
Law student Gabriela Montalvo considers herself lucky as she knows what her uni debt will eventually be. Photo: FIONA MORRIS Gabriela Montalvo started a law degree at Wollongong University in 2014 after completing her HSC at Kirrawee High School. The 18-year-old combines study with two part-time jobs, one in community care, the other in a call-centre.
Recent Tafe Enmore Design Centre student Paulo Szostak, left, and Zev Bianchi, co-ordinator of Protohub in Sydney. Photo: Fiona Morris COURSE TEST DRIVE: Diploma of Industrial Design, Design Centre Enmore, Sydney Institute of TAFE. ACCREDITATION Diploma graduates can enter the workforce as an industrial designer, assistant product designer and/or model maker, or they can continue their education at TAFE with an Advanced Diploma (one semester).
Fran Molloy finds school-leavers are seeking advice from a network of experienced students.
Environment
Wild animals in Australia that pose a threat to humans or livestock have been systematically shot, trapped and poisoned for more than two centuries. Crocodiles, sharks and dingoes are among Australia's most feared wild animals, subject to major culls following attacks on humans.
Make your life greener 'by design' with these great green ideas...
Preserving old varieties of fruit and vegetables may help man survive climate change, writes Fran Molloy.
Rising oil prices and greenhouse gas emissions are pushing us to look at our motor vehicle use. But what are the alternatives and will they work in Australia?
Technology
Fran Molloy looks at the disturbing link between gaming and the military in its efforts to lure Generation Y.
The technology is there for remote learning, paperless classrooms and more. Now it's up to the schools. By Adam Centorrino. While it sometimes seems that classrooms are in a constant ferment of change, the development of cloud technology has the ...
It’s still a man’s world at the top of the pharmacy profession, with women under-represented in leadership and ownership, despite the dominance of female pharmacists overall.
Science
Australian researchers from NICTA, Peter Mac and Alfred Health have developed a system to identify fungal infections by analysing radiology text.
Health
Australian scientists hope to crack the problem of egg allergies caused by proteins in egg white.
Just how much information can the human body generate? Professor Fernando Martin-Sanchez is on the way to finding out.
ReachOut Pro provides resources for health professionals dealing with young people with mental illness.
Parenting
Forget the textbooks, Fran Molloy speaks with mums and dads about what actually happens in their very real daily life with baby.
Fran Molloy asks the experts the secrets to a perfect parenting partnership
Age related dementia is looming as the single biggest health-care issue facing the Australian population.
NEHTA’s latest ‘intention statement’ shows five of Australia’s eight health jurisdictions are now using eProcurement
Andrew Roberts lost his real name on his first day in his new job “out bush” as a remote area pharmacist. His workplace spans a quarter of a million kilometres in Central Australia — and there, for the last four years, he’s been known simply as “Robbo”.
Arts
Sir William Dixson commemorated in a new exhibition at the NSW State Library
TEDxSydney events will be live-streamed into venues across the city, writes Fran Molloy
State Library of NSW holds a huge art collection - editorial feature
Teaching: courses I teach
Lecturer, Environmental Journalism