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Tuesday 24 May 2016

Monash study reveals how to achieve better outcomes for hospitalised stroke patients

Assoc Prof Dominique Cadilhac
How patients with mini-stroke are managed in hospitals directly impacts their longer term survival, according to latest research from Monash University.

The practice of managing patients with acute stroke in specialised stroke units is already recommended, with the odds of death or dependency reduced by over 20% compared with management in an alternate hospital ward.

However, until now there has been limited data to support the best management of patients with transient ischemic attack (TIA) or mini-stroke if they require admission to hospital. 

Published this week in the high impact journal Neurology, the study led by School of Clinical Sciences’ Associate Professor Dominique Cadilhac and Dr Joosup Kim reveals that TIA patients requiring hospital admission and who are treated in a specialist stroke unit have a 45% reduced risk of death at 180 days compared with management in an alternate hospital ward.

“Stroke Unit care involves management by clinicians with specialist training and expertise in stroke who provide greater access to evidence-based care, including acute therapies and secondary prevention treatment,” said Associate Professor Cadilhac, Head of Translational Public Health and Evaluation Division, Stroke and Ageing Research.

“In alternate hospital wards, patients are managed by a range of health professionals who may not have specific expertise in stroke or TIA.”

“While some patients with TIA can be treated in a hospital emergency department and discharged with good specialist stroke follow-up, some require admission to hospital,” said Professor Velandai Srikanth, Head of Stroke and Ageing Research at Monash University and Monash Health stroke physician.

“Patients hospitalised with TIA have a high risk of stroke in the near future and need to be treated appropriately and quickly—preferably in a stroke unit.”
Using data obtained from the Australian Stroke Clinical Registry, Associate Professor Cadilhac and colleagues analysed more than 3000 TIA patient admissions from 40 hospitals between 2010 and 2013.

“Hospitalised patients with TIA managed in stroke units had better survival at 180 days than those treated in alternate wards, probably because of better risk management in a stroke unit setting,” said Associate Professor Cadilhac.

“This is the largest reported study of TIA outcomes after hospital admission according to the setting of patient management.”

“Overall, our findings provide evidence that Australian patients hospitalised for TIA are less often managed in a stroke unit than patients with a confirmed stroke, and that this practice should be reconsidered.”

Professor Srikanth said there are different models of care for patients with TIA in Australia.

“At Monash Medical Centre, the majority of patients with TIA are rapidly investigated and treated in the emergency department according to a carefully designed and effective stroke unit protocol, and followed up in specialist TIA outpatient clinics run by stroke specialists.”

“Patients requiring hospital admission are usually managed by the stroke unit specialists – and the data from this important study supports the practice at Monash Health,” added Professor Srikanth.

“Improving availability of specialised stroke care in Australia, and elsewhere, will improve the management of patients hospitalised with TIA,” said Associate Professor Cadilhac.


“For the first time, these findings provide evidence that patients with TIA who require admission and are treated in a stroke unit have improved longer-term survival rates.”

MHTP Clinical Trials Centre a unique Australian resource

Clinician researchers at the newly opened MHTP Clinical Trials Centre celebrated International Clinical Trials Day last Friday.

Held on 20 May, the event commemorates the day that James Lind began his trials into the causes of scurvy.  Lind's experiments in 1747 on board the HMS Salisbury were run under very different conditions to today.

The state-of-the-art Clinical Trials Centre (CTC) at the Monash Health Translation Precinct (MHTP) provides a ‘home base’ for Monash Health clinician-scientists to conduct early, mid and late phase clinical trials.  Supported by a dedicated clinical trial pharmacy and pathology centre, the CTC pharmacy and pathology staff understand the specific requirements of trial protocols. 

Clinical Trials Centre team at MHTP
”The CTC provides a resource that is available nowhere else in Australia,” said Clinical Lead for the MHTP Clinical Trial Centre Professor William Sievert.

The Centre includes access to chairs for study subjects requiring timed infusions of investigational new drugs and overnight facilities for participants in detailed pharmacokinetic studies.

“Every detail is watched over by clinical trial nurses who ensure that trial protocols are strictly followed while providing care for their study subjects,” said Professor Sievert, who is also Director, Gastroenterology and Hepatology Unit, Monash Health and a Research Group Head in the Centre for Inflammatory Diseases at Monash University.

Since opening late last year, 416 patients have visited the CTC, participating in 83 different clinical trials from 12 trial units, including haematology, oncology, lung & sleep, gastro/liver, diabetes, infectious diseases, gastro IBD, rheumatology, neurology, stroke, emergency and endocrinology. 

“Our clinical research group is focused on treatment for viral hepatitis, hepatocellular carcinoma in addition to care pathways for patients with end-stage liver disease,”said Professor William Sievert.

“We have taken part in studies that have developed new, non-interferon based therapy for hepatitis C that cures more than 90% of patients who are treated.” 

MHTP clinician-researchers are also starting studies that will look at curing hepatitis B, which currently can be controlled but not cured. 

Head of Haematology Research at SCS and consultant haematologist at Monash Health, Associate Professor Jake Shortt is involved in clinical trials for patients with cancers of the blood and bone marrow such as leukaemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma.

"We use trials as a means to access promising medications for patients in need where they may not be available through the PBS."

Associate Professor Shortt said that in haematology there are a lot of new and effective high cost drugs that are not necessarily available. 

"These drugs often provide a more effective alternative to conventional treatment, including 'chemo-free' regimens. Our studies seek to improve treatment outcomes in patients while saving the hospital system money at the same time."

Medical Oncologist and Head of Phase 1 Clinical Trials Group Dr Ben Markman runs clinical trials in cancer patients, testing new drugs that are early in development.

"We look at the safety of these compounds and how the body reacts to and handles the drugs," said Dr Markman.

"We provide opportunities for cancer patients where there may be no other options or the existing options are inadequate."

 "The MHTP and CTC provides a state-of-the art facility that allows patients to be treated safely and comfortably on these clinical trials."

A truly translational facility, the CTC tackles all phases of trials.

“We have multiple units utilising the floor; we are just not giving Chemo,” said MHTP Clinical Trials Centre Manager Ms Cheryl Coleman.  “We started out with 5 and currently have 11 with two more starting soon with us.”

The CTC provides a hybrid model of care, with both primary and team nursing utilised. The space is shared, as is the experience and skills of the staff.

“We offer a one stop shop: outpatient consults, treatment areas, a dedicated trials pharmacy and a dedicated trials lab all on the same floor,” said Ms Coleman.  
             
The CTC at MHTP accepts trials from Monash Health, Monash University and the Hudson Institute will soon commence work for commercial businesses wanting to bring their technology to the patients.


Record attendance at CID Day of Immunology

A record number of people attended the Centre for Inflammatory Diseases' (CID) Day of Immunology last week at Monash Health Translation Precinct (MHTP), an event that raises awareness of the immune system.

Approximately 60 people including immunology students from Monash University, Wellington High School students, community organisations, patients and their families, and members of the public attended three events in the Translational Research Facility (TRF).

“The public lecture, ‘meet our scientists’ sessions and tours of the research laboratories at MHTP highlighted why the immune system is important and what happens when it doesn’t work—namely, autoimmune, inflammatory and infectious disease,” said event organiser and Centre for Inflammatory Diseases’ Strategic Development Officer Dr Andrea Johannessen.

“During the public lecture Professor Michael Hickey gave an overview of how the immune system works while clinician-scientists Professor Richard Kitching and Professor Eric Morand talked about how their research programs will improve the health and well-being of patients with lupus, arthritis and autoimmune kidney disease.”  

Dr Connie Wong and Professor Amanda Thrift presented on the immune system and stroke.

“We were also delighted to exhibit the images and artwork of the immune system in action, ‘Snapshots of the immune system’,” said Dr Johannessen.

Lupus Victoria, the Lions Club, Arthritis Victoria and the Ulysses Club were among the community organisations represented on the day, all generous supporters of the research undertaken in the Centre for Inflammatory Diseases. 

Feedback from participants on the day was overwhelmingly positive, with some commenting that the laboratory discovery tour was a rare opportunity to witness research first hand.

Ms Johannessen would like to acknowledge all members of the organising committee who made the day such a success.

New research: Not getting enough sleep is linked to poor diet and obesity

Dr Michelle Blumfield
In the largest Australian study into links between sleep and diet, Victorian researchers have found that
without a good night’s sleep, women of child-bearing age reach for fattier foods to help them through the day.

Dr Michelle Blumfield, who led a team of researchers from Monash University, assessed the sleeping
behaviours and food choices of more than 7,000 Australian women aged 31-36 years.

According to Dr Blumfield, whose work was presented at the Dietitians Association of Australia’s National Conference in Melbourne last week, women who slept the least, at around six hours a night, often with severe tiredness and sleeping difficulties, took in more of their daily kilojoules from fat and saturated fat.

She also found sleeping difficulties were linked with a heavier body weight, and poorer mental and physical health, as perceived by the study participants.

‘Our research shows lack of sleep can lead to poorer dietary choices in women of childbearing age, and this can impact on the health of their children,’ said Dr Blumfield, an Accredited Practising Dietitian.

She said improving sleep patterns, in conjunction with dietary and physical activity strategies, may assist women to optimise their dietary intake in preparation for pregnancy.

‘A nutritious diet and a healthy body weight before conception and during pregnancy are vital. Whereas poor nutrition and excess body weight can change the intrauterine environment, which affects childhood growth and plays a part in the risk of obesity and certain diseases later in a child’s life,’ said Dr Blumfield.

Currently one in three Australian women are overweight or obese at the start of pregnancy, which increases the risk for both mother and baby. And research shows a mother’s Body Mass Index (BMI) at the start of pregnancy is a key predictor of her child’s future weight.

‘Our sleeping patterns aren't set in concrete – they can be changed. An easy win to help women, including mums-to-be, improve their diet is to work on getting a better night’s sleep. What’s not to like about that?’ said Dr Blumfield.

Dietitians Association of Australia President Liz Kellett encouraged all women to focus on the quality of their diet by choosing a wide variety of healthy foods, including plenty of vegetables, along with fruit, wholegrain bread and cereals, lean meats, reduced-fat dairy foods, and healthy fats, from foods like nuts, avocado and olive oil.

Great results for infant feeding guidelines

Three updates to Australian infant feeding advice was agreed upon at a recent Centre for Food and Allergy Research Summit in Melbourne, changing the Australian infant feeding guidelines to the following recommendations:

1. When your infant is ready, at around six months, but not before four months, start to introduce a variety of solid foods, starting with iron rich foods, while continuing breastfeeding.
2. All infants should be given allergenic solid foods including peanut butter, cooked egg and dairy and wheat products in the first year of life. This includes infants at high risk of allergy.
3. Hydrolysed (partially and extensively) infant formula are not recommended for prevention of allergic disease.

Read full media release here.

Muscle mass crucial to preventing bone fractures in young people with cerebral palsy

Dr Anne Trinh
Maintaining muscle mass is crucial for good bone health in young adults with cerebral palsy (CP), a new collaborative study by endocrinology researchers at Hudson Institute of Medical Research has found.
The researchers also made the discovery that hypogonadism (a lack of sex steroids, linked to an increased risk of bone fractures) was highly prevalent in young people with CP.
Children and adults with CP have a higher risk of bone fractures than those without CP, owing to factors including limited movement, and the effects of anti-convulsant medication.
“As life expectancies for people with CP grow, bone health and fractures are emerging as key health priorities for clinicians and patients alike,” Lead author of the study, Dr Anne Trinh, a Monash Health endocrinologist who is undertaking her PhD in ‘The Optimisation of Bone Health in Adults with Chronic Neurological Disease’ at Hudson Institute of Medical Research, said.

Advancing Women in Research Grants 2016 - applications now open

The FMNHS Advancing Women’s Research Success Grant program supports the career progression of early to midcareer high potential female academic staff with significant carer responsibilities and assists the Faculty and University in fostering talent to progress women to senior roles within the academy.

Applications are now open!!  Read guidelines here.
In promoting the pilot of the Athena SWAN Charter, the Diversity and Inclusion Committee are delighted to be able offer a limited number of FMNHS Advancing Women in Research Grants  this year.

Further information on the guidelines for the FMNHS AWRG is attached here and the link to the on-line application form can be found at: 


CID Weekly Seminar: Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Unit Overview, TODAY

Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Unit Overview, presented by 
Dr Gregory Moore MBBS (Hons) PhD FRACP
Head of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, Gastroenterology & Hepatology Unit, Monash Health
Senior Lecturer, Department of Medicine, Monash University

Tuesday 24 May, 12:00 - 1:00pm, Seminar Room 1, Level 2, TRF Building

A light lunch is served prior to the seminar at 11:45am in the seminar room foyer, level 2, TRF Building.

Liquid Biopsy Biomarker Discovery from QIAGEN, TODAY

TRF Building, Level 2, Seminar Room 2, Tuesday, May 24, 10:30 - 11:30am

QIAGEN liquid biopsy solutions empower you to sensitively, specifically and rapidly analyze
circulating nucleic acids, giving you the first step towards uncovering valuable biomarkers in your
samples.

Discover:
• Freely circulating nucleic acids: Efficiently enrich and recover small, fragmented nucleic acids
from plasma, serum or urine.
• Circulation Tumor Cells: Analyze the genetic profile of CTCs using a highly specific isolation
technology with excellent recovery:
• Pathway focused PCR Arrays for publication ready results

Uncover:
• Explore exosomes and their hidden secrets with leading exosome technology.

Deliver:
• Unbiased, specific enrichment of desired nucleic acids
• Flexibility in sample volume for increased sensitivity
• High performance and confidence in your results

Light refreshments provided


Grand Round - MonashHeart- 25 May

Unit: MonashHeart               
Presenter: Dr Dennis Wong
Topic: Cardiac CT: Beyond coronary artery stenosis”        
Date: Wednesday 25 May 2016
Time: 12.30pm to 1.30pm

Venue: Main Lecture Theatre, Monash Medical Centre, Clayton.

Hudson Seminar - Thursday 26 May, “Tackling HIV persistence: tickle, shock or kill”.

Professor  Lewin
Thursday 26 May, 12-1 pm, Lecture Theatre 1, Monash Medical Centre. 

The speaker will be: Prof Sharon Lewin, FRACP, PhD,FAAHMS , Director-Dohert Institute for Infection and Immunity - University of Melbourne

Light refreshments to follow presentation outside the Lecture Theatre.

Prof David Vaux seminar - "Ten rules for the presentation and interpretation of data in publications." 30 May

Attn: Honours and Graduate Research Students

A reminder that this seminar below is open to BMS Honours, BSc Honours  and HDR students. 

Date: Monday 30th  May 2016  (note new date)  at 2pm
Lecture theatre H6, Clayton Campus

Mentoring for Clinician Researchers, 16 June

Are you seeking support and guidance from an experienced senior or peer clinician researcher? Do you want to grow your research career & networks?

Come to the VCRN Event, Mentoring for Clinician Researchers, to learn about the importance of mentoring for clinician researchers and how to foster a successful mentoring relationship. Topics will include
  • What makes a good mentor and finding a good mentor?
  • Models of mentoring
  • Getting the most out of mentoring
  • Responsibilities for mentors & mentees
  • Lessons learnt as a mentor & mentee

Thursday 16 June 2016, 6.00pm-8.00pm, Auditorium, Melbourne Brain Centre, 30 Royal Parade, Parkville, VIC

Cost & Registration: $10 incl. GST.  Click here to register. Registration is essential and closes 13 June 2016. 

Program:

6.00pm Networking over Drinks & Canapes
7.00pm Presentation Commences
7.40pm Q&A Panel

Speakers

Professor Louise Harms

Associate Dean (Equity, Diversity and Staff Development), Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences;
Deputy Head, Department of Social Work;
The University of Melbourne

Professor Euan Wallace AM

Head, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Monash University
Director, Obstetric Services, Monash Health
VCRN Career Recognition Award Winner

Mass spec access interest group

MHTP researchers are seeking to gauge how many researchers would be interested in accessing mass spectrometry (MS) technology at the MHTP platforms?  For those unfamiliar with this technology, and the many applications MS tech has to offer (e.g., protein quantitation, targeting proteins in complex fluids, analysis of post-translational modifications), there is a nice overview here.

We are considering three potential options :

1. Access to the fully maintained MS instruments at Bio21 in Parkville.  

2. Negotiation with the MS company, Bruker, in order to acquire an older demo instrument (QToF). 

3. Acquiring funding for a new unit.

We would like to get everyone together to ascertain the level of interest, and put together a proposal based upon the above options.

If you would like to be part of the discussions, please respond by Wednesday 25th May to Adam.Rainczuk@hudson.org.au . We will then organise a meeting.


Learning and Teaching Travel Grants - Round 2 2016

All applications for Learning & Teaching Travel grants for Round 2 2016 are due by 30 May 2016.

The grants are allocated by the Office of the Deputy Dean (Education) on a competitive basis.  Round 2, 2016 will cover attendance at conferences commencing between: 1 July 2016 and 31 December 2016.

The guidelines and application form can be accessed under the staff support section of the Faculty intranet via: http://www.med.monash.edu.au/intranet/education/

Please note: Staff from Malaysia are eligible for travel grants, however, there are restrictions applied. The restrictions are that it can be up to $1,000 and for travel to Australia to attend a conference or collaborate with Monash AU staff


PLEASE NOTE: completed applications will need to be sent to the  DDE Applications email address: FMNHS-DDE@monash.edu 

U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Traumatic Brain Injury Reserach Program Funding Opportunity

The FY16 Defense Appropriations Act provides $125 million (M) to the Department of Defense FY16 Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (PH/TBI) Research Program to support to support innovative research committed to complement and further ongoing DoD efforts to ensure the health and readiness of our military forces. As directed by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, the Defense Health Agency, Research, Development and Acquisition (DHA RDA) Directorate manages the Defense Health Program (DHP) Research, Development, Test and Evaluation (RDT&E) appropriation.  The managing agent for the anticipated Program Announcement/Funding Opportunity is the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) with strategic oversight from Joint Program Committee 5 (JPC5)/Military Operational Medicine Research Program (MOMRP).

The Cognitive Resilience and Readiness Research Award (CR3A) Program Announcement and General Application Instructions for the following award mechanism are posted on the Grants.gov website.  

Open Call: veski Innovation Fellowships

veski has moved to an open application process for the veski Innovation Fellowships; reviews occur every six months with the aim of awarding more veski Innovation Fellowships to outstanding individuals. 

veski is actively encouraging applications from individuals; with an industrial track record and/or proven collaborations with industry or who intend to foster stronger industry engagement to deliver innovative solutions through a multidisciplinary approach to problem solving, to be reviewed in mid July 2016.

Click here to download the application form  and read the full criteria

veski: 2016 Victoria Prize for Science & Innovation and Victoria Fellowships

The Minister for Small Business, Innovation and Trade, the Hon Philip Dalidakis, has opened two of Victoria’s most prestigious science and innovation programs in the life and physical sciences.
​Victoria Prize for Science​ & Innovation

The Victoria Prize for Science ​&​  Innovation celebrates leadership, determination and creativity, highlighting the many ways in which research and development of international significance are conducted in Victoria.

Do you know a leading Victorian scientist or researcher who has made, or has the potential to make, a significant scientific discovery or technological innovation? To recognise their achievements, nominate them for the 2016 Victoria Prize for Science & Innovation valued at $50,000.

These prestigious prizes are for a scientific discovery or technological innovation, or a series of such achievements that significantly advances knowledge.  The clear potential to produce a commercial outcome or other substantial benefit to the community will be highly regarded.

Download the nomination guide, nomination form and referee report here.
Victoria Fellowships​
  

The Victoria Fellowships recognise the important role of innovation to Victoria's economic future and the need for  Victorians to be skilled in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Are you one of Victoria's emerging scientists or researchers? Would a grant to support an overseas study mission further your research career or help develop an innovative idea? If so, apply for a 2016 Victoria Fellowship valued at up to $18,000.

Victoria Fellowships provide a travel grant of up to $18,000 to undertake a short-term overseas study mission to assist in developing a commercial idea; undertaking specialist training; or career development not available in Australia. Additionally, Fellows can apply for the Australian French Association for Science and Technology (AFAS) Associate Award valued at up to $5,000.

Download the application guide, application form and referee report here.

Applications and nominations must be received by 2.00pm on Thursday 23 June 2016 via the veski website.

U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Research Program Funding Opportunities

The FY16 Defense Appropriations Act provides $6 million (M) to the Department of Defense Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Research Program (TSCRP) to support innovative, high-impact TSC research.  As directed by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, the Defense Health Agency, Research, Development, and Acquisition (DHA RDA) Directorate manages the Defense Health Program (DHP) Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E) appropriation.  The managing agent for the anticipated Program Announcements/Funding Opportunities is the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP).
FY16 TSCRP Program Announcements and General Application Instructions for the following award mechanisms are posted on the Grants.gov website. 
Focus Areas:  The goal of the FY16 TSCRP is to encourage innovative research aimed at understanding the pathogenesis, and preventing and treating the manifestations of TSC.  Within this context, the FY16 TSCRP encourages applications that address the critical needs of the TSC community in one or more of the following FY16 Focus Areas:
·         Understanding phenotypic heterogeneity in TSC
·         Gaining a deeper knowledge of TSC signaling pathways and the cellular consequences of TSC deficiency
·         Improving TSC disease models
·         Developing clinical biomarkers for TSC
·         Facilitating therapeutics and clinical trials research


U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Spinal Cord Injury Research Program Funding Opportunities

The FY16 Defense Appropriations Act provides $30 million (M) to the Department of Defense Spinal Cord Injury Research Program (SCIRP) to support innovative, high-impact spinal cord injury research.  As directed by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, the Defense Health Agency, Research, Development, and Acquisition (DHA RDA) Directorate manages the Defense Health Program (DHP) Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E) appropriation.  The managing agent for the anticipated Program Announcements/Funding Opportunities is the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP).
FY16 SCIRP Program Announcements and General Application Instructions for the following award mechanisms are posted on the Grants.gov website.  http://cdmrp.army.mil/funding/scirp.shtml\

U.S. Department of Defense (​DoD) Neurofibromatosis Research Program Funding Opportunities

Applications to the Fiscal Year 2016 (FY16) Neurofibromatosis Research Program (NFRP) are being solicited by the U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA). The managing agent for this Program Announcement/Funding Opportunity is the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP). The NFRP was initiated in 1996 to provide support for research of exceptional scientific merit that promotes the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of neurofibromatosis (NF) including NF type 1 (NF1) and type 2 (NF2) and schwannomatosis. Appropriations for the NFRP from FY96 through FY15 totaled $287.85 million (M). The FY16 appropriation is $15.0M.

FY16 NFRP Vision: The vision of the FY16 NFRP is to decrease the clinical impact of neurofibromatosis. To this end, the NFRP seeks to support innovative, high-impact research that will foster new directions for and address neglected issues in NF research; sponsor multidisciplinary and multi-institutional collaborations that will bring new perspectives to the field; promote translational and clinical studies to move promising ideas from bench to bedside; and develop a balanced portfolio of meritorious research related to all aspects of NF1, NF2, and schwannomatosis.

FY16 NFRP Program Announcements and General Application Instructions for the following award mechanisms are posted on the Grants.gov website. 

myResearch Training Schedule for Professional Staff - Now Open for Registration

Please find below the link to the training program for professional staff that ​has now ​been ​scheduled, to help prepare for the launch of myResearch in July.  Please register your attendance by clicking on "Register here" below the relevant session details. 


​The project team is​  running lecture-style information sessions for professional staff (Walkthroughs) that explain the business process and provides a demonstration of the relevant system functionality. 

Walkthroughs will be held In June and July for the following streams:

• Grant Applications 
• Contract Applications 
• Awards
• Research Outputs 
• Human Ethics

All professional staff who will play a role in the workflow, who support researchers more generally, or who need to understand how the process works, should attend.

Based on an analysis of the professional staff that support these streams, ​there will be ​Walkthroughs on the following campuses:

• Clayton
• Caulfield
• Parkville
• Alfred


Please also note that there will be specialised hands-on classroom training (courses) for Research Outputs, Awards and Ethics for staff in central business units where there is a need.

New Academic Performance Standards for 2016-2018

The new set of FMNHS Academic Performance Standards for Research have been formally endorsed by Professor Kim Langfield-Smith, Vice-Provost (Academic Performance).  Copies of the new standards are here, and guidelines for using the standards are here. These are also available on the faculty intranet at http://www.med.monash.edu.au/intranet/policies/ -> Staffing Policy -> Research Performance Measures and Guidelines.

Please ensure staff, particularly those applying for promotion in the current round, are aware of the new standards.

Moodle sites for Semester 2, 2016

Staff are invited to submit requests for Moodle sites for Semester 2, 2016.

Please note that sites are not automatically rolled over from one year or semester to the next, and a new request is required for each offering of a unit.

Requests should be made using the online site request form available athttp://elearning.med.monash.edu.au/site-request (AuthCate login required).

Please also note the following important information:

1.  Unless otherwise specified on the site request form, the default dates for Semester 2 2016 student access to Moodle will be 18/07/2016 - 03/02/2017.

2.  There are known issues with Turnitin assignments when Moodle sites are rolled over.  Staff are advised to read the information available at
  
http://elearning.med.monash.edu.au/known-issues-turnitin  or contact the eLearning Services team at the email address below for further information.

All enquiries should be directed to med-elearning@monash.edu

3 Minute Thesis 2016 registrations now open!

3MT Three Minute Thesis is a competition that sees Graduate Research students from across Australia and the Asia Pacific compete against each other in a battle to provide the most engaging, inspirational and concise summary of their thesis in only 3 minutes!
The competition provides current candidates with the opportunity to:
·        develop academic and research communication skills
·        share the importance and potential impact of their research with colleagues and the broader community
·        explain their research to a non-specialist audience
·        learn about other research happening at Monash University
·        win prizes and awards
Local Centres/Departments will hold heats in June/July (more information will be sent to you).   Finalists in these heats will be nominated for the School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health 3MT competition (early August), and may progress to the Faculty (mid-August), University (13 Sept) and Trans-Tasman 3MT competitions.


All students who have passed their Confirmation milestone should register on the Graduate Research website.


Please note: eligibility for these competitions may vary, so please check guidelines when they become available. To participate in the Faculty competition, please pre-register before 1 July, 2016 via this link: http://www.monash.edu/graduate-research/news/events/3-minute-thesis-2016

Dilys Leung, PhD Mid-candidature review/Progress review, 27 May

Thesis title:  Characterisation of X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein in ovarian granulosa cell tumours. Synopsis: Granulosa cell tumours (GCT) represent a large subset of sex-cord stromal tumours which contribute to ~8% of all ovarian malignancies. The aim of my PhD project is to investigate PPAR gamma and XIAP as potential targets for combination treatment of GCT. I will also identify and manipulate the unusual and distinctive patterns of expression of key genes involved in cell survival, which will provide us with both prognostic information and potential new and novel therapeutic targets for treatment of these tumours. Supervisors: Prof. Peter J Fuller and Dr Simon Chu. Panel chair: Dr Peter Stanton. Independent assessors: A/Prof Tim Cole and Prof Vincent Harley.
Date: 27 May, 3:30 pm

Location: Seminar room, Level 4, Block E, MMC

All welcome.

2016 Winter School in Mathematical & Computational Biology (4-8 July 2016)

A premier annual bioinformatics training event in Australia for 13 years, the Winter School in Mathematical & Computational Biology will be held 4 to 8 July 2016 at the Institute for Molecular Science, The University of Queensland, St Lucia. Only $260 for the whole week for early bird students!

The series of winter schools is designed to introduce bioinformatics, mathematical and computational biology to advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students, postdoctoral researchers and others working in the fields of biology, mathematics, statistics, computer science, information technology, complex systems analysis, and chemical and medical sciences and engineering.

THEMES
* Next generation sequencing & bioinformatics
* Bioinformatics methods, models and applications to disease
* Advanced bio-data visualisation
* Ecogenomics

Congratulations Vijesh Vaghjiani on completion of his PhD

Congratulations Mr Vijesh Vighjiani who has fulfilled the requirements for his PhD.  Vijesh's thesis, "Functional characterisation of hepatocyte-like cells generated from human amniotic epithelial cells" was ratified by the Graduate Research Steering Committee on Tuesday 17th May 2016 and will be conferred upon graduation.

Monash Graduate Educations offers sincere thanks to all the academic and professional staff involved in assisting Vijesh Gopal achieve this wonderful result.  

Don't aim too high: Avoiding shoulder injury related to vaccine administration

Tony Korman et al. published in Australian Family Physician.

Read article here.

Novel dietary intake assessment in populations with poor literacy

Asvini Subasinghe, Amanda Thrift et al. published in the Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Read article here.

Better outcomes for hospitalized patients with TIA when in stroke units: An observational study

Dominique Cadilhac et al. published in Neurology.

Read article here.

Refinement and revalidation of the demoralization scale: The DS-II—external validity

David Kissane et al. published in Cancer

Read article here.

Sustained Endocrine Gland-Derived Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Levels Beyond the First Trimester of Pregnancy Display Phenotypic and Functional Changes Associated With the Pathogenesis of Pregnancy-Induced Hypertension

Padma Murthi et al. published in Hypertension.

Read article here.