Monday, 14 September 2015
Head of Haematology Research starts at MHTP
 |
| Associate Professor Jake Shortt |
Monash University and Monash Health
are excited to announce renowned haematologist Associate Professor Jake Shortt
will lead haematology research in a newly created role at the Monash Health
Translation Precinct (MHTP).
Associate Professor Shortt is
clinical lead for leukemia and myelodysplasia at Monash Health and principle
investigator on a number of leukemia and bone marrow disorder studies within
the clinical trials unit.
“My scientific research focuses
largely on lymphoma, leukaemia and myeloma and with our increased understanding
of what drives these diseases at a molecular level, we can now rationally
target the survival pathways and abnormal genetic programs operating within
cancer cells,” said Associate Professor Shortt.
Most recently, Associate Professor Shortt’s research has
involved combining drugs that work on epigenetic pathways with immune-modulators.
“If the DNA of a cell is its hardware, epigenetic
pathways constitute the software, and software is re-programmable with drugs,”
he explained.
“Epigenetic drugs can change or kill cells in such a way
that they become more visible to the immune system and therefore you can prime
a patient’s tumour and immune system concurrently to gain major therapeutic
responses.”
“It is no exaggeration to say we have seen miraculous
responses in the clinic at Monash, using approaches gleaned from our laboratory-based
research.”
Until recently a Senior Research
Fellow at Peter Mac, Associate Professor Shortt has relocated to MHTP to be at
the ‘coal face’ of translational research, allowing him to conduct basic
scientific research in tandem with clinical trial activity.
“It is a very exciting time in
haematology and cancer biology at the moment,” said Associate Professor Shortt.
“We are seeing a revolution in our understanding of
tumour biology at the genomic and epigenetic level. Concurrently there has been a paradigm shift
in the therapeutic application of immuno-oncology.”
In his new role at MHTP, Associate Professor Shortt
plans to further develop his pre-clinical and translational research
rationally, applying targeted therapies within appropriate genomic and
epigenetic contexts.
“This new role will better allow me to link these
concepts with clinical trial activity and from a broader perspective I would
like to develop Haemato-Oncology at Monash into an internationally competitive
program, building the academic reputation of both the Haematology department
and Haematology research at the School of Clinical Sciences.”
“The major advantage Monash Health
and the MHTP has over other cancer hospitals is its proximity to patients, and
I feel I am taking my science to where the patients are, in an area of real
growth and potential.”
“I’m really excited about the
prospects at Monash—being embedded in a state-of-the-art facility with a really
positive and progressive group of clinician scientists is a recipe for success,”
added Associate Professor Shortt.
“We have an unprecedented
opportunity to stake a claim in the future of haematology and cancer medicine
in Victoria.”
Monash doctor and PhD student wins Young Investigator Award
 |
| Dr Jonathan Dick |
A PhD student with the Kidney
Disease and Vasculitis Research Group at Monash University’s
Centre
for Inflammatory Diseases, Dr Jonathan Dick holds a Clinical
Academic Training Fellowship from Monash Health.
Jonathan presented his findings
that proteins in the complement system could help in more targeted treatments
for people with severe kidney disease caused by vasculitis.
“This form of severe kidney disease
is hard to treat and current treatments affect a variety of other tissues in
the body,” said Jonathan.
“I showed data demonstrating that complement
proteins are important in stimulating the underlying immune response that
causes the vasculitis and kidney inflammation, increasing our understanding of how
we should target complement in kidney disease.”
“This may have relevance to the use
of complement therapeutics in other diseases.”
Jonathan said it was very
satisfying to have his hard work recognised.
“I
had help from so many lab members on different aspects of the work and this
award is also recognition for the time and expertise that many of them have
contributed to make the project a success.”
Members
of the kidney research groups at Monash Health and the Monash Centre for
Inflammatory Diseases have won this highly prestigious award, given to only one
person each year, for the past seven years.
Peter Ebeling and Helena Teede appointed to the NHMRC Research Committee
 |
| Professor Ebeling AO |
Congratulations to two Monash leaders on their appointments
to the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Research Committee.
Head of Department
of Medicine, Professor Peter Ebeling AO and Professor Helena Teede,
Executive Director of Monash
Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre, Head of the Monash Centre for
Health Research and Implementation, School Public Health and Preventive
Medicine and an Endocrinologist at Monash Health have both been appointed to
the
NHMRC Research Committee.
NHMRC Research Committee.
 |
| Professor Teede |
Covering the spectrum of health and medical research, the
NHMRC Research Committee is the principal national health and medical research
committee and awards grants on the basis of scientific quality as judged by
peer-review.
It also provides research support through a variety of
mechanisms, including support for individual research projects, broad programs
of research, training awards and fellowships and special research units.
“It’s a great honour
to be nominated to the research committee and a great honour for Monash
University and the School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health for me to be
their representative on the committee,” said Professor Ebeling.
“As a research committee member I will push for the
importance of translational research, and particularly the research we are able
to undertake at the Monash Health Translation
Precinct (MHTP) with our new facility.”
Professor Teede has served two recent terms on the NHMRC
Health Care Committee and now transfers to the principal research committee.
“It is an honour to be able to contribute to the health and
medical research sector through this vehicle,” said Professor Teede.
“This is a challenging time for health and medical research
and the strategies that emerge from the NHMRC over the next three years will be
vital in shaping the future of this sector in Australia.”
The NHMRC plays a key role in advising government on the
future direction of research and on facilitating knowledge exchange to
translate evidence into policy and practice. Professor Teede said she looks forward to
contributing to this vital agenda moving forward.
“Another key opportunity for health impact is our newly NHMRC
accredited Academic Health Sciences Centres, including Monash Partners,” added
Professor Teede.
“These will play a key role in the integration of health and
medical research and are ideally placed to innovate and to drive pace and scale
in both research and translation, with measurable impact on practice and
policy.”
Professor Ebeling said he also intends to lobby for more
research funding overall in Australia.
“The future medical research fund does create an opportunity
although it is uncertain how this funding will be administered,” added Professor
Ebeling.
“I think the NHMRC should have a role in the peer review of
fund distribution from this new research fund and it’s important to push that
agenda with government.”
Attn ALL researchers/supervisors: Student queries from this year's student open day
Attention all researchers/supervisors
As a follow-up to this year's MHTP Student Open Day, the organising committee would like to know how many prospective students have since contacted
supervisors regarding projects for next year.
This information is important for us to obtain, so if you had a project listed for next year please spare a few seconds from your busy day to respond. (Please email Lisa Walter: lisa.walter@hudson.org.au). Thank you.
This information is important for us to obtain, so if you had a project listed for next year please spare a few seconds from your busy day to respond. (Please email Lisa Walter: lisa.walter@hudson.org.au). Thank you.
Hudson Seminar 16 September: Neuroscience of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
This week's (Wed 16
September) Hudson Seminar will be held from 4pm-5pm, Lecture Theatre 1, Monash Medical Centre. NB. This is a WEDNESDAY.
The
speaker will be: Prof
Mark Bellgrove - Cognitive Neuroscience, Director of Research, School of Psychological
Sciences, Monash
University
Talk title:
"Neuroscience of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder"
Light refreshments
to follow presentation outside the Lecture Theatre.
Flyer with details here.
The Ritchie Centre Colloquium: 21-22 October
The
Ritchie Centre of Hudson Institute of Medical Research, in collaboration with
Monash University and Monash Health is holding it's annual Ritchie Centre
Colloquium on 21 and 22 October 2015.
The
Ritchie Centre is the research arm of the Department of Obstetrics and
Gynaecology and the Department of Paediatrics, Monash University. Our research
activities are clustered into four distinct but integrated themes, namely
Women's Health, Fetal and Neonatal Health, Infant and Child Health and Cell
Therapy and Regenerative Medicine.
Each year the Colloquium addresses
the research activities of one of those themes - Infant and Child Health this
year. The 2015 Ritchie Colloquium will focus on aspects of child health
and will be of interest to paediatricians, family physicians, maternal and
child health nurses and health researchers in the field.
See program and further information here.
SCS-MHTP Student Showcase Symposium, Nov 20th
SCS-MHTP Student Showcase
SymposiumNov 20th, 2015, 12.30pm - 5pm, in Lecture Theatre 1, MMC Clayton, starting with lunch
This will initiate a key annual event, showcasing the best of SCS-MHTP 2nd/3rd year PhD students from different disciplines in 15 minute talks.
Women in the Science Research Workforce: Identifying and Sustaining the Diversity Advantage
A report on “Women in the Science Research Workforce:
Identifying and Sustaining the Diversity Advantage” by Sharon Bell and Lyn
Yates was launched at the University of Melbourne last week.
The research was supported by an ARC Linkage Grant and
copies are available at http://www.lhmartininstitute.edu.au/documents/publications/wmn-in-sci-rsrch-rprt-web-070915.pdf
Further information can be gained at http://womeninscienceaust.org/2014/06/15/women-in-the-scientific-research-workforce-identifying-and-sustaining-the-diversity-advantage/
Some discussion on the Report is in The Australian
at http://www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/women-ghettoised-in-the-sciences/story-e6frgcjx-1227422408688?sv=3533dd58cda9def39d243c87d4d86f4a
Invitation to Monash Care Anniversary Celebrations: Guest Speakers: Lt Gen (Ret'd) David Morrison AO, former Chief of Army and Mr Graeme Campbell, Vice President, RACS
Wednesday 7 October 2015 12.15pm-2pm Monash Medical Centre, Lecture Theatre 1
Guest Speakers for the event are:
1. Lieutenant General (Ret’d) David Morrison AO speaking on Leading Cultural Change: Lessons from the Army
2. Mr Graeme Campbell, Vice President of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons speaking on Findings of Expert Advisory Group and the College’s plans to address them.
Dandenong Women in Medicine workshop - Navigating Discrimination & Optimising Equality
The next
workshop in our ‘Women in Medicine’ initiative is now live for enrolment on the
Monash Health LMS!
DI Meeting
Room (Level 1 near ED) Dandenong Hospital, 15 Sept, 12:00 PM - 1:30
PM
Follow this
link http://learning.monashhealth.org/course/index.php?categoryid=59
or search for ‘Women in Medicine’ on the LMS.
Navigating
Discrimination & Optimising Equality:
·
Discrimination, whether blatant or covert will never be
acceptable. Today opportunities for women have increased significantly and legally
women have equal status and rights in workplaces. Professions like the Army,
Aviation, Medicine and Law that were once regarded as “Men’s work” now have an
equal number of Women entering their workforce. However there is still some
ground to cover to ensure that gender is not a barrier for anyone in attaining
their desired professional goals.
This session
will explore the challenges that women face due to their gender in the modern
workplace and will provide participants with information to navigate those
barriers successfully.
Presented
by:
·
Dr Anjali Dhulia: Director, Medical Services
·
Nicki Ursu: Senior HR Business Partner for Monash Sector
& Medical
·
Gaylene Giles: Manager of Employee Relations, People & Culture
·
Rosemary McKemmish: Monash Doctors’ Wellbeing Officer
2015 Victorian Cancer Agency Funding Round - Health Services Research Funding Scheme Now Open
We are pleased to
announce the Health Services Research Funding Scheme Expressions of Interest
application round is now open and will close at 2pm on Tuesday 13 October 2015.
The Health Services Research Funding Scheme will be run as a two step process with those successful in the expression of interest application round invited to submit a full application in November 2015.
More information on this funding opportunity can be found at: http://www.victoriancanceragency.org.au/index.php/current-funding-opportunities-2015
ARC Funding Rules now available - Linkage (LP, ITRP, LIEF) & Discovery (FL, DE, DP, IN) Programs
The ARC have just released funding rules
and announced dates
for the Linkage and Discovery Programs. This includes the following
schemes:
Linkage Program
Industrial Transformation Research Hubs (2015) - OPEN NOW
Industrial Transformation Research Centres (2016) - OPEN NOW
Linkage Projects (2016)
LIEF (2017)
Discovery Program
Australian Laureate Fellowships (2016)
Australian Laureate Fellowships (2016)
DECRA (2017)
Discovery Projects (2017)
Discovery Indigenous (2017)
Please find links to the relevant ARC web pages below.
We will email further
information regarding the Monash process for submitting applications and
internal close dates.
Please email all enquiries to arc@monash.edu
ARC ITRP applications now open in RMS
Applications for ARC Industrial
Transformation Research Program (including Research Hub and Training
Centres) are now open in RMS and close 5pm on Thursday 10 December.
- the Funding Rules (IC15 to IC16 and IH14 to IH15 and Linkage program),
- ARC Medical Policy,
- Instructions to Applicants (IC16 and IH15)
- Frequently Asked Questions.
- Advanced Manufacturing
- Food and Agribusiness
- Oil, Gas and Energy resources
- Mining Equipment, Technology and services
- Medical Technologies and Pharmaceuticals
2015 Victorian Cancer Agency Workforce Funding Schemes - 3 weeks to go!
The
workforce funding schemes, being offered as part of the 2015 Victorian Cancer
Agency Funding Round, will close in 4 weeks at 2pm on 6 October 2015:
- Early Career Seed Grants
- Clinical Research Fellowships
- Mid-Career Research Fellowships
More information on these grants can be found at: http://www.victoriancanceragency.org.au/index.php/current-funding-opportunities-2015
2015 Bupa Emerging Health Researcher of the Year Award
The Bupa Heath Foundation seeks
nominations for the 2015 Emerging Health Researcher of the
Year Award.This award recognises the valuable contribution of emerging health researchers to health outcomes for all Australians by providing the winner with help to pursue research in their chosen area.
A total $25,000 will be offered to the winner to pursue their chosen area of research. This will be presented as a cheque after the event.
In
addition, profiling of the winner and the nominating organisation will take
place across internal and external media.
Selected
finalists will be invited to attend the annual event on 18 November 2015, where
the overall winner will be announced.
To be eligible, nominated researchers must be:
To be eligible, nominated researchers must be:
Professional Skills for Research Leaders (PSRL) Workshop #1 - Introduction (correct date - 15 September)
All ECRs are invited to participate in our first Professional
Skills for Research Leaders (PSRL) workshop.
In this first workshop we will establish the priorities for
an ECR, learn how to identify gaps in our own career development, and establish
a strategic plan for a successful career using the tools we have available to
us.
As the workshop is based on the PSRL Introduction Module, we
highly encourage all ECRs to complete this module if possible (link
below).
What: PSRL Workshop #1 - Introduction
When: Tuesday 15th September, 2015
Time: 11:30 - 1:00pm
Where: Hudson Level 3 Boardrooms (nibbles on
DeKrester Concourse to follow)
Flyer is attached here.
Global Young Academy - applications for membership now open
You are encouraged to consider
applying for membership of the Global Young Academy for 2016.
The Global Young Academy (GYA)
aims to be the voice of young scientists around the world. The academy empowers
early-career researchers to lead international, interdisciplinary and
intergenerational dialogue by developing and mobilizing talent from six
continents. The GYA promotes active collaborations between the developed and
developing world, stimulates transnational research, advocates for innovations
in science policy and raises the profile of science in society through outreach
activities.
The GYA works to strengthen
international networks of researchers. GYA members are regularly invited to
represent young scientists at external meetings, providing input to
international organizations such as UNESCO, the WEF, and the UN
Secretary-General’s Scientific Advisory Board. The GYA cooperates with the
European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC).
Young scientists (generally up to 10 years post-PhD) are appointed to the GYA on a competitive basis, considering (i) their demonstrated research excellence, and (ii) their commitment to improving the state of science and its links to broader society. Members serve a five-year term and currently come from over 50 countries.
More information about the
call for applications is available via www.globalyoungacademy.net (call
closes on Sept 27th)
Tips for dealing with the media
Go to: http://sciencemediasavvy.org/dealing-with-the-media/
Changes in pelvic organ prolapse mesh mechanical properties following implantation in rats
Caroline Gargett et al. published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.Read article here.
Evaluation of consultation-liaison psychiatry referrals from a critical care unit of an outer suburban hospital
David Clarke et al. published in Australasian Psychiatry: bulletin of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists.Read article here.
Relationship between epicardial fat and quantitative coronary artery plaque progression: insights from computer tomography coronary angiography
Ian Meredith et al. published in the International Journal of Cardiovascular Imaging.Read article here.