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SCS research and awards news

For all our research and awards news, please visit our news page.

Tuesday 25 August 2015

Do you need animations created?

The Faculty's multimedia unit can create animations for use in presentations, lectures, grant applications, etc.Here are some examples of animations that can be created:

http://www.med.monash.edu.au/multimedia/animation/arm-animation-v3b-slow.html

http://www.med.monash.edu.au/multimedia/animation/arm-animation-v3b-fast.html

Please contact Katherine Greenberg to find out more.

Renowned psychiatric neuroscientist joins Monash

The School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health welcomes Professor Suresh Sundram, Unit Head for adult psychiatry at Monash Medical Centre.

Suresh plans to establish a psychiatric neuroscience research program in the Department of Psychiatry at SCS, focussing on psychotic disorders.

“I have a particular interest in schizophrenia, with a broad translational approach,” said Suresh.

“We study cellular and molecular aspects of post-mortem human and animal brain relevant to psychotic disorders; animal behaviour studies using transgenic models of psychosis; and biomarker studies in clinical samples using genetic, protein and electrophysiological measures.”

Suresh will also establish a clinical trials research group evaluating new treatments for these disorders.

“I hope to build a unique translational research program in psychotic disorders that utilises clinical and biomarker data to understand the molecular bases of psychotic disorders, and in turn generate novel treatments and diagnostics for this patient group,” added Suresh.

Of his decision to join Monash, Suresh said “it was the opportunity to integrate my research vision into one space and the exceptional platform technologies that are available through the Monash Health Translation Precinct (MHTP).”

Beyond his research and clinical work, Suresh has a strong interest in asylum seeker mental health and mental health service system development in low and middle income countries.

“In addition to running a pro bono psychiatric clinic for asylum seekers, I provide and have provided expert advice to national governments and human rights and non-government organisations.”


Prior to joining Monash Health and Monash University, Suresh was Director of Clinical Services for Northern Area Mental Health Services, Head of Molecular Psychopharmacology and the Psychotropic Drug Advisory Service at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, and the Director of the Northern Psychiatry Research Centre.

Victorian Stroke Telemedicine program launch in Hume

Assoc Prof Cadilhac
The Victorian Stroke Telemedicine program led by Associate Professor Dominique Cadilhac from the School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health and Professor Chris Bladin, Florey Institute, was launched last month in the Hume region at Albury Wodonga Health.

The Honorable Sussan Ley MP, Federal Minister for Health officially launched the program and spoke of the importance of the service and the need for it to expand across the rest of Australia.

Over 35 guests attended the launch with representatives from regional health services and State and Federal Governments..

A/Prof Dominique Cadilhac leads several projects in the the Stroke and Ageing Research Group at SCS aimed at improving quality of stroke care in hospitals, telemedicine provision in regional hospitals, as well as the use of behavioural techniques to improve stroke outcome in patients.

Congratulations Zoe Marks- Faculty's 3MT winner!

Having won the SCS / Hudson 3MT competition a week ago, Zoe Marks from CiiiD won the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Final for Monash University's Faculty of Medical, Nursing and Health Sciences last Friday.

Zoe will now go on to represent the Faculty in the university final competition in three weeks.   Congratulations Zoe from everyone at the Institute and SCS! Good luck at the Uni final. 

Congratulations Dr Simon Joosten on the award of his PhD

The Monash Institute of Graduate Research is pleased to report that Monash Health physician Dr Simon Joosten has been awarded the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. 

Simon's thesis titled: "Mechanisms underlying the supine related phenotype of obstructive sleep apnoea" was ratified by the Graduate Research Steering Committee on Tuesday 18th August 2015 and will be conferred upon graduation.                                               

Sincere thanks to all the academic and professional staff involved in assisting Simon achieve this wonderful result.  

Request for Flow Cytometry User Feedback

All users of the Flow Cytometry facility are invited to participate in a survey as we seek feedback to improve the facility and ensure that it meets the needs of end-users. The survey consists of four separate modules, with the links shown below. It is anticipated that the complete survey (all four modules) will take less than 10 minutes to complete. Thank you for your valuable feedback.

Survey 1: General Feedback

Survey 2: Instruments - Analysers

Survey 3: Instruments - Sorters

Survey 4: Training and Usage

MONASH R U OK? DAY Wednesday 9 September at SCS

Every Conversation Counts

Monash is proud to be a program partner of R U OK? Day. 

Please join us on Wednesday 9 September at 10.30am for morning tea in the Lecture Theatre 1 foyer, Monash Medical Centre.  There will be a $50 Coles/Myer voucher up for grabs for the best baked goods to share for morning tea.  

Flyer attached here.  
R U OK? Day is a national day of action that reminds us that every person and every conversation counts.  Building a community that is caring and suicide aware, is everybody's business.

We can all have bad days but when bad days become months or years, some can lose hope.

This is why Monash has a University-wide mental health strategy for our staff and students. An important part of this strategy is education, mental health promotion and early intervention.

CID presentation- TODAY: "Getting on the Nerves of Cancer”.

Presented by Dr Erica Sloan, cancer biologist at Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and a Senior Lecturer at Monash University Faculty of Pharmacy.  

12:00-13:00 TODAY in the Medicine Seminar Room Located on Level 5, Block E MMC.

Associate Professor David Kannar presents best practice teaching and insights TOMORROW

Every month at Peninsula campus, three talented educators showcase key elements of their teaching practice in bite-sized lunch hour sessions. Each Lunch Box provides attendees with tips and ideas which can be quickly incorporated into their own teaching practice.

This month features our very own Associate Professor David Kannar from the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Wednesday 26 August12.00pm - 1.00pm A4.16 Peninsula CampusMore information here.   Flyer here.



Grand Rounds- Oncology- 26 August: Managing the ‘itis’ of immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy

Presented by Dr Bhavini Shah and Dr Jennifer Soon, Oncology Unit.

Date: Wednesday 26th August 2015
Time: 12.30pm to 1.30pm
Venue: Main Lecture Theatre, Monash Medical Centre, Clayton


Professor Eric Morand: The curse of steroids in Lupus - and a way forward. Find out more on 30 Sep 2015

Director of Rheumatology and Founder of the Lupus Clinic at Monash Health Professor Eric Morand will be speaking at the forthcoming 30 Sept Translational Research symposium hosted by Central Clinical School. See detail below.

Invitation to attend the Inaugural Lecture by Professor Maini, University of Oxford, 14 Sept

This lecture is presented by Professor Philip Maini, Director, Wolfson Centre for Mathematical Biology at the University of Oxford on "Case Studies in Modelling Collective Cell Motion in Biology".


Date: Monday 14th September 2015.
Time: 3.30 to 4.30pm
Venue: Engineering Lecture Theatre E7, 14 Alliance Lane, Monash University Clayton Campus.
To register: Please complete the Online RSVP form

Guest Lecture by Professor Warwick Anderson: Human Frontier Science Program - what is it, what does it support, and how to apply, Tue 15 Sept

The Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences is pleased to announce that Professor Warwick Anderson will be visiting Monash University in September this year.  Former CEO of the NHMRC, Professor Anderson has recently joined the Human Frontier Science Program Organization (HFSPO) in the role of Secretary General, and will present an information session on the research funding opportunities available within the Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP).  The HFSP is an international program of research support, funding frontier research on the complex mechanisms of living organisms. Research is funded at all levels of biological complexity from biomolecules to the interactions between organisms. 

Information Session

Date:  Tuesday 15 September 2015

Time: 3.00 – 4.00 pm

Venue:  Lecture Theatre S12, 16 Rainforest Walk (Building 25), Clayton campus


VESKI Inspiring Women Event - 14 September 2015

Promoting yourself - marketing your talents

Monday, 14 September 2015 - 12.00pm to 2.00pm
The Shell Conference Centre, 1 Spring St, Melbourne (enter via Flinders Lane)

Join us for the fourth event in the veski inspiring women professional development and networking series where we will hear from specialists in online and off-line media and communications, and 
personal branding, as well as industry-based peers sharing tips on storytelling and putting your best foot forward...

Register now for this event  (Please RSVP by Tuesday, 8 September 2015)
For more information on panelists and speakers please click here


Doodle: Poll "Career Development Plans & Goal Setting Course" for Women in Medicine & Science

As suggested at the Women in Medicine & Science Forum, we are trying to gauge interest for a course on "Career Development plans and Goal setting" to be held on site at MMC Clayton.

Please respond to this doodle poll to to register your interest and availability for the course to be held in October:  http://doodle.com/56izmtsd32tgc7rc

Maximum number of participants: 16
Cost: Free - sponsored by SCS if enough numbers

Content will be tailored for women in medicine & science (facilitator will speak with Beverley, suggestions also welcome)

Invitation for postgrad students and EMCRs to enter Translational Research poster competition: entries close 31 Aug 2015

The Translational Research Symposium and Department of Medicine's 50th anniversary celebration is being hosted by the Central Clinical School on 30 September.

The inaugural Young Investigator poster competition will be open to graduate students and early career researchers, with a $500 prize for the winner. The symposium will be held throughout the day and into the evening at the AMREP Education Centre. A diverse group of medical researchers, medical alumni, and representatives from associated industries will be there. See more:

A new, free online open publishing platform: Authorea

Designed by an astrophysicist and colleagues, Authorea is a new, free online open publishing platform - the collaborative typewriter for academia, for scientists by scientists!

Authorea is a word processor designed specifically for research science.  Today over 52,000 researchers and students use Authorea daily to take research and lecture notes, prepare and collaborate on manuscripts and format and submit them to journals.

Your are invited to sign up and use Authorea- it costs nothing, it will help you work and write more efficiently.  Some of the benefits include:

Introduction to Mentoring 2015

Please find a link to a Mentoring seminar which was held at AMREP, The Alfred Hospital on Thursday 13th August 2015 by Professor Marilys Guillemin from the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences at Melbourne University.
The seminar explains the how and why of mentoring, a practical component to determine what YOU want to focus on, previous mentee-mentor experiences, and new this year peer-to-peer mentoring.
http://www.med.monash.edu.au/intranet/research/ecrinformationgateway/mentoring.html

Monday 24 August 2015

Advertising for Summer Research scholarships - Round 2

The online submission form for advertising Round 2 Summer projects will open on Friday 28 August and will close Friday 11 September 5pm. If you have never submitted a project before and would like to for this period, please email annie.mastoras@monash.edu your authcate username so she can give you access to the form  

Advertising NEW projects 
Projects submitted on this form will be automatically deployed to the website and available for students to view once applications open. Once you submit a project, you will be given the option to view the project on the scholarships website 
·         Follow the instructions attached here.

Project Submissions for Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program

Project submissions for staff wishing to supervise students in the next intake into the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) are now being invited.  Closing date for Project Submissions has been extended till Wednesday 26th August 2015.

The UROP @ BioMedVic scheme aims to provide extremely competent and academically capable undergraduate students an opportunity to experience real life in a research laboratory and gain insight into careers in biomedical research.  UROP provides you and your research group with the best and brightest undergraduate students that may potentially continue to pursue their research aspirations within your lab. UROP coordinates the whole applications process including interviewing suitable candidate and fits the best students to the most appropriate projects.

Victorian Health and Medical Research Strategy Discussion Paper

A discussion paper has been released to inform the development of the Victorian health and medical research strategy. This discussion paper was developed following preliminary consultations with the health and medical research sector and the representative stakeholder roundtable that was led by the Hon. Jill Hennessy MP, Minister for Health, and Mr Frank McGuire MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Medical Research, on 16 June 2015.

Guide to providing submissions
The Victorian health and medical research strategy can be found at http://www.health.vic.gov.au/healthandmedicalresearch/strategy

You are invited to provide feedback by addressing the content and questions posed in the discussion paper. A list of the questions can be found at the end of each section and in Part 3.

In addition, you are invited to detail five to 10 health and medical research-related actions that you consider to be critical to strengthening the sector and improving the health and wellbeing of Victorians. Not all of the questions need to be addressed in your response.

Hope Funds for Cancer Research - Call for Applications

The Hope Funds for Cancer Research is pleased to announce a request for research proposals for postdoctoral fellows working in oncology. These 3-year fellowships will be awarded to postdoctoral scientists commencing in 2015 with stipends of $48,000 for the first year, $50,000 for the second year, and $52,000 for the third year.   

Information Session: NHMRC Development and Partnership Project Grants - Monday 7 September @ 10.00am

The School of Psychological Sciences is hosting an information session on NHMRC Development and Partnership Project Grants.  All interested researchers in FMNHS are warmly invited to attend. 

Date:  Monday 7 September 2015
Time:  10.00am - 12.00pm
Venue:  Colloquium Room, Room 653, Level 6, 18 Innovation Way (Building 17)
RSVP:  by Monday 31 August to http://bit.ly/1TKxADa
(Light refreshments on arrival at 9:45am)

Please refer to the attachedflyer for further information.


ARC Centres of Excellence EOI - Rejoinders Now Open in RMS

The ARC has released the Assessor reports for EI17 and the Rejoinder Process is now open in RMS.

All applicants are strongly urged to submit a rejoinder. This is your final opportunity to engage with the ARC and advance your case for shortlisting your EOI.

The MRO Proposal Support Team will review rejoinders, please email your rejoinder text as a Word file to mro.support@monash.edu

Call for applications: JSPS Invitational Fellowships and Postdoctural Fellowships 2016-2017

The Australian Academy of Science (AAS) has released a call for applications for:


Applications are invited from suitably qualified researchers in any field of natural sciences (including technology, engineering and medicine), the humanities and social sciences.

DoD ​Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (PH/TBI) Research Program - Preannouncement CESATRA

The PH/TBI Research Program is providing the information in this pre-announcement to allow investigators time to plan and develop applications. The Cognitive Enhancement and Skills-Based Assessment and Training Research Award (CESATRA) Program Announcement and General Application Instructions for the following award mechanism are anticipated to be posted on the Grants.gov website in October 2015. Pre-application and application deadlines will be available when the Program Announcement is released. This pre-announcement should not be construed as an obligation by the government.

Cognitive Enhancement and Skills-based Assessment and Training Research Award (CESATRA)

Independent investigators at all academic levels (or equivalent)

  • A pre-application is required
  • The FY15 CESATRA intent is to support applied and clinical research focused cognitive skills assessment, enhancement and training relevant to Service Members.
  • The Program Announcement seeks research applications intended focused on (a) Cognitive skills required for military operational specialties (and related occupations) and (b) tools and strategies for cognitive enhancement.
  • The anticipated funding limit is $1.5M total costs.
  • The anticipated maximum period of performance is 3 years.

Cancer Council Victoria Summer Vacation Studentships

Applications for Cancer Council Victoria Summer Vacation Studentships will open this week so you may receive enquiries from undergraduates looking for a 6-week placement.

Please refer to the attached documents linked below about the scheme.


Call for applications for the 66th Lindau Nobel Laureates Meeting, Dedicated to Physics, 26 June – 1 July 2016

The Australian Academy of Science invites nominations from Australian-based early career researchers to attend the 66th Meeting of Nobel Laureates in Lindau (dedicated to of Physics), to be held in Lindau in Germany,26 June - 1 July 2016. The Science and Industry Endowment Fund is providing financial support through the Science and Industry Endowment Fund – Australian Academy of Science Fellowships to the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings.

Applications must be submitted by the Research Office (or equivalent) of the institution. Each institution is limited to applying for two grants on behalf of two early career researchers. Eligible institutions include Australian universities, Australian publicly-funded research organisations and research-focussed institutions.

The successful candidates will receive:

1.  A grant-in-aid of up to $6,178 (GST exclusive) towards the cost of an international return economy airfare from Australia to the international airport closest to Lindau (up to $3,000)
2.  Participation costs (including accommodation) for the Meeting of Nobel Laureates (up to $3,178).
3.  A $500 travel grant and registration to attend Science at the Shine Dome, an annual celebration of science held at the Australian Academy of Science in Canberra, 24-26 May 2016.


Further information and the application form can be found here.
Applications close Monday 5 October 2015 5pm AEDT.

SCS Social club event - Friday 25th September

Hello fellow SCS colleagues,

It has been some time since our last SCS Social Club event. Following last year's successful 'do' at Maeve Fox in Richmond we have decided to hold another event there on Friday 25th SEPTEMBER @ 5pm.

Once again there will be a small bar tab provided to cover some drinks and nibbles. Then we will continue our night of team bonding by grabbing a bite to eat somewhere in surrounding Richmond area.

Hope to see you all there to join in the fun.  Details here.

Your SCS social club





OHS training update

Staff and students are advised of the requirements to ensure that all appropriate OHS training is completed in order to undertake laboratory work. This will also be necessary before Heads of Department sign-off on requests from staff and students to work after-hours. The After-Hours Policy can be accessed on the SCS intranet at: https://sites.google.com/a/monash.edu/school-of-clinical-sciences-intranet/oh-s/forms-policies

OHS training is particularly important for all staff with specific OHS roles in departments and the School, as they must have current training to hold such positions.

Occupational Health & Safety training dates below: 

Victorian Stroke Telemedicine Project: Implementation of a new model of translational stroke care for Australia

Dominique Cadilhac et al. published in Internal Medicine Journal.

Read article here.

Hedgehog Signaling in the Maintenance of Cancer Stem Cells.

Catherine Cochrane et al. published in Cancers.

Read article here.

Increase in Pulmonary blood flow at birth; role of oxygen and lung aeration

Stuart Hooper et al. published in the Journal of Physiology.

Read article here.

Confirmed dioestrus in pseudopregnant mice using vaginal exfoliative cytology improves embryo transfer implantation rate.

Hayley Dickinson et al. published in Reproductive Biomedicine Online.

Read article here.

Augmented cardiovascular responses to episodes of repetitive compared with isolated respiratory events in preschool children with sleep disordered breathing.

Lisa Walter et al. published in Pediatric Research.

Read article here.

Authors' Response to: Data sources for measuring the socioeconomic gradient of hypertension in rural populations of low- and middle-income countries.

Amanda Thrift et al. published in the International Journal of Epidemiology.

Read article here.

The relationship between caregiver impacts and the unmet needs of survivors of stroke

Nadine Andrew et al. published in Patient Preference and Adherence.

Read article here.

Readmissions after stroke: linked data from the Australian Clinical Stroke Registry and hospital databases.

Monique Kilkenny et al. published in the Medical Journal of Australia.

Read article here.

Potential cost-savings may be considerable with management of hypertension according to updated US hypertension guidelines, but for women aged 35-44 years these benefits are unlikely.

Dominique Cadilhac et al. published in Evidence-based Medicine.

Read article here.

The health and economic benefits of reducing intimate partner violence: an Australian example

Dominique Cadilhac et al. published in BMC Public Health.

Read article here.

New vertebral fractures after vertebroplasty: 2-year results from a randomised controlled trial

Peter Ebeling et al. published in Archives of Osteoporosis.

Read article here.

Romosozumab/CDP7851 for the treatment of osteoporosis

Peter Ebeling et al. published in Expert Review of Endocrinology & Metabolism 

Read article here.

Vitamin D deficiency is common in HIV-infected southern Australian adults

Peter Ebeling et al. published in Antiviral Therapy.

Read article here.