The Clinical Training and Evaluation Centre (CTEC) at The University of Western Australia is nationally recognised for its leadership in providing world-class surgical education. Through its advanced facilities, CTEC delivers practical training programs that support surgeons, trainees, and industry partners in refining clinical and technical skills in a safe, controlled environment.
As part of its ongoing commitment to innovation in surgical education, CTEC has partnered with the Western Australian National Imaging Facility (WA NIF) to incorporate advanced imaging into its surgical training programs. This collaboration enables high-resolution CT scans of whole body donors used in workshops hosted by CTEC as well as where donors are employed for CTEC workshops in specialised areas such as ear, nose and throat (ENT) surgery.
The scans are performed using WA NIF’s clinical CT infrastructure, providing workshop participants with realistic, pre-operative imaging datasets that mirror clinical workflows. Access to these scans allows surgeons and trainees to review anatomical variations, plan procedures, and interpret post-operative outcomes in a way that closely replicates real-world practice.
By integrating clinical imaging into surgical training workshops, the partnership enhances the fidelity and educational value of training programs and demonstrates a model of collaboration between research infrastructure and professional education. It also showcases how nationally funded facilities such as NIF can extend their impact beyond research—supporting clinical innovation, workforce development, and industry engagement.
Through this initiative, WA NIF and CTEC are strengthening the connection between imaging science and surgical practice. By combining imaging, anatomical and procedural expertise, this collaboration ensures Western Australia remains at the forefront of advanced medical training and translational research—fostering safer, more informed clinical practice and driving continuous improvement across the health and medical research ecosystem.
“I am very pleased to see how successfully CTEC has accessed the superior technological capabilities available through the National Imaging Facility,” said CTEC Director Professor Jeffrey Hamdorf.
“Our workshop participants are very fortunate that we can take advantage of the world class facility of NIF WA right on our doorstep.”
- Article courtesy Bec Dickson, General Manager of the WA NIF Node