
MBBS, FACEM, PhD, MDiv.
Associate Professor Betty Chan is an Emergency Physician, a Clinical Toxicologist and clinical researcher. She is head of the Clinical Toxicology Unit and an Emergency Physician at the Prince of Wales Hospital. Her current position and roles include: head of the Discipline of Critical Care at the University of New South Wales, VMO toxicologist at the New South Wales Poisons Information Centre, editorial board member of Clinical Toxicology, member of the SES LHD Human Research and Ethics Committee.
She completed her training in Emergency Medicine in 1990. She then completed her PhD in toxicology at the University of Sydney in 1997. This enabled her to work in Emergency Medicine and Clinical Toxicology and conduct research in both specialties.
Research Interests:
Digoxin overdose and response to antibody, dihydropyridine toxicity, methotrexate intoxication & antidote, safe opioid use & prescription, developing & validating clinical decision rules in non-traumatic CT head, herbicide toxicity: paraquat, bromoxynil, MCPA, acute behaviour disturbance treatment, sodium channel blocker toxicity, lithium poisoning, cognitive assessment post overdose, cognitive assessment following shift work amongst medical personnel, tapentadol hospital prescription trend and poisoning.
Broad Research Areas:
Translational research in Clinical Toxicology, Harm Reduction, Antidotes
The Inspiring Ideas Challenge for 2017 on the ONE study, "Overdose and take home Naloxone in Emergency settings."
2016 John Gilroy Potts Award at the ACEM conference in recognition of the paper “‘The Safety and Effectiveness of Droperidol for Sedation of Acute Behavioural Disturbance in the Emergency Department’ that was published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine 2015. (Leonie Calver; Colin B. Page, MBChB; Michael A. Downes, MBBS; Betty Chan, MBBS, PhD; Frances Kinnear, MBBS; Luke Wheatley, MBBS; David Spain, MBBS; Geoffrey Kennedy Isbister, MD, BSc)
2019 Best Scientific presentation at the 39th Congress of the European Association of Poisons Centres and Clinical Toxicologists (EAPCCT) on a paper entitled "Using EXTRIP criteria as indications for Extracorporeal Treatment in Lithium Poisoning."
My Research Supervision
My Teaching
As the Head of the Discipline of Critical Care at the University of New South Wales, I am in charge of the curriculum and teaching of medical students in Emergency Medicine, Anaesthesia and Intensive Care.
As the head of the Clinical Toxicology Unit, I am in charge of the teaching curriculum and supervision of our toxicology registrars and fellows.