Dr. David Long AdvDipParaSc(Amb), B.Ed(Hab), B.HlthSc(Pre-HospCare), GradCertAcadPrac, M.Ed(Leadership&Mangt), PhD, FHEA, FACParaI am a former Intensive Care and Extended Care Paramedic having worked in an Australian jurisdictional ambulance service for 18 years before transitioning to the higher education sector. I am a strong advocate of paramedicine as a unique health discipline and the contribution paramedics make to the wider healthcare ecology. To that end, my PhD thesis examined the transition of qualified paramedics to a specialist role in community paramedicine. I was the Discipline Lead for the Paramedicine Program at UniSQ from 2021 – 2022 and current First Year Experience Lead for the School of Health and Medical Sciences at UniSQ. My research interests include; community paramedicine, models of care, public safety, high-acuity simulation, and First Year Experience pedagogy. Recently, I was very honoured to be presented with Fellowship of the Australasian College of Paramedicine.