Betty Chan

Associate Professor Betty Chan is an Emergency Physician, Clinical Toxicologist, and clinical researcher at the University of New South Wales. She serves as Head of the Discipline of Critical Care at UNSW and Head of the Clinical Toxicology Unit at the Prince of Wales Hospital. Additionally, she works as a VMO toxicologist at the New South Wales Poisons Information Centre and serves on the editorial board of Clinical Toxicology and the SES LHD Human Research and Ethics Committee.

Dr. Chan completed her Emergency Medicine training in 1990 and earned her PhD in toxicology from the University of Sydney in 1997. Her academic credentials include MBBS, FACEM, PhD, and MDiv.

Her primary research interests focus on translational research in Clinical Toxicology, Harm Reduction, Antidotes, Medical Education, and the application of Artificial Intelligence in medical education. Specific areas of investigation include digoxin overdose management, dihydropyridine toxicity, methotrexate intoxication and antidotes, safe opioid use and prescription practices, development of clinical decision rules for non-traumatic CT head imaging, herbicide toxicity (including paraquat, bromoxynil, and MCPA), acute behavioral disturbance treatment, sodium channel blocker toxicity, lithium poisoning, cognitive assessment following overdose and shift work, tapentadol prescription trends and poisoning, and adherence to clinical guidelines for specific poisonings.

Analysis of Dr. Chan's recent publications reveals a strong focus on clinical toxicology with particular emphasis on drug overdose management, antidote efficacy, and patient safety. Her work spans multiple areas including cardiovascular toxicology (digoxin, calcium channel blockers), hepatotoxicity (acetaminophen), neurotoxicology (anticholinergics, antipsychotics), and harm reduction strategies (naloxone distribution). Many of her studies are part of the Australian Toxicology Monitoring (ATOM) research program, demonstrating her commitment to evidence-based toxicology practice.

• 2016 John Gilroy Potts Award at the ACEM conference for the paper 'The Safety and Effectiveness of Droperidol for Sedation of Acute Behavioural Disturbance in the Emergency Department'
• 2019 Best Scientific presentation at the 39th Congress of the European Association of Poisons Centres and Clinical Toxicologists (EAPCCT) on 'Using EXTRIP criteria as indications for Extracorporeal Treatment in Lithium Poisoning.'

As Head of the Discipline of Critical Care at UNSW, Dr. Chan leads the curriculum and teaching for medical students in Emergency Medicine, Anesthesia, and Intensive Care. She also oversees the teaching curriculum and supervision of toxicology registrars and fellows as head of the Clinical Toxicology Unit. Her research supervision includes ILP Honours projects focused on the Poisons Information Centre clinical Toxicology referral Study (PICTS) and adherence to clinical guidelines for specific poisonings. She has been principal investigator for numerous clinical research projects in toxicology, including the multi-center Australian Toxicology Monitoring (ATOM) Study initiated in 2013 and the Translational Australian Clinical Toxicology (TACT) program funded by NHMRC grants.

Dr. Chan's work has significantly impacted clinical practice, particularly in demonstrating that patients with digoxin poisoning can be managed safely with small, titrated doses of digoxin antibody, and establishing guidelines for folinic acid use in methotrexate poisoning. Her research on cognitive impairment following sedative overdose has informed recommendations about post-overdose activity restrictions.