Tuesday, 19 December 2017
SCS Superheroes & Villains Christmas Lunch 2017
Monash haematology leading new investigator research in Australia
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| Dr Danielle Oh, Dr Olga Motorna, Dr Allison Mo |
Monash Health haematology trainees Dr Olga Motorna, Dr
Danielle Oh and Dr Allison Mo each received prestigious scholarships worth $60,000
to support their PhD projects at Monash University and Melbourne University. Only seven scholarships are awarded across Australia and New Zealand.
Under the supervision of Professor Erica Wood, Dr Zoe
McQuilten and Associate Professor Jake Shortt, Dr Mo will undertake
epidemiological and clinical studies investigate anaemia in the elderly
Australian population.
“Although anaemia is common in the elderly (and rising
with an ageing population), and the elderly receive more blood transfusions for
treatment of anaemia than younger patients, we currently don’t have detailed epidemiological
data describing the burden of anaemia in the elderly Australian community, risk
factors or the consequences of anaemia on health outcomes,” Dr Mo said.
Consequently there is a lack of data to guide treatment
of anaemia and provide guidance on the appropriate use of blood transfusions in
the elderly.
Former SCS student receives Bryan Hudson Medal
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| Dr Kathryn Connelly |
Dr Connelly completed her BMedSc(Hons) at the
School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health (SCS) in 2012 under the
supervision of Professor Eric Morand and undertook some of her rotations in
years 4 and 5 at Monash Health.
Dr Connelly said she was humbled to be the
recipient of such a prestigious award and sees it as a
special acknowledgement of the hard work and sacrifices that go into a
rollercoaster 18 months combining full-time work and study.
“I hope it is seen as a reflection of the fantastic
teaching and mentorship I have received throughout my medical training
from experienced, dedicated and enthusiastic teachers and the tremendous
support from my study group, other colleagues, family and friends,” Dr
Connelly said.
Currently a medical registrar at Alfred Health,
Dr Connelly will return to Monash Health next year as a trainee rheumatologist.
“I'm excited to begin advanced training in
Rheumatology next year, having had great experiences in the specialty at both
Monash and Alfred Health,” Dr Connelly said.
I'm looking forward to the breadth of clinical
exposure Monash Health offers in rheumatology and working in a unit with such a
strong reputation for teaching and research.”
Novartis pharmaceuticals exchange program success
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| Novartis ANZ Chief Scientific Officer Dr Simon Fisher, Novartis ANZ Clinical Research Medical Advisor Dr Mathew Cox, Novartis ANZ National Commercial Manager Mr Brett Roberts, Ms Paris Papagiannis, Mr Lachlan McMillan, Ms Kim O'Sullivan, Dr Genevieve Pepin, Professor Eric Morand |
Three PhD students and an early career researcher from the
School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health (SCS) and the Hudson Institute
were competitively selected to participate in an exchange program at Novartis
Pharmaceuticals in Sydney last month.
Supported by the Department of Medicine, the second annual
researcher exchange program provided an opportunity for participants to gain
insight into possible career options in the pharmaceutical industry after
completing a PhD.
Professor Peter Ebeling AO, Head, Department of Medicine,
SCS, said that the researcher exchange program is an example of the Monash
University-Monash Health-Hudson Institute and Novartis memorandum of
understanding in action.
“The program is highly competitive and uniformly popular
with our research stars of the future, who greatly value the experience
obtained from their detailed insights into the pharmaceutical industry,”
Professor Ebeling said.
Dr Genevieve Pepin, Lachlan McMillan, Paris Papagianis and
Kim O’Sullivan spent a week at Novartis in Sydney learning about their
operations and becoming immersed in the Novartis culture to learn what drives a
global leader in developing improved health care.
SCS researcher aims to improve bone health in India
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| Dr Ayse Zengin |
SCS researcher Dr Ayse Zengin has been awarded an
Australia-India Early/Mid-Career Fellowship from the Australian Academy of
Sciences to further her research into the ethnic differences in musculoskeletal
health in the ageing population.
A Research Fellow in the Bone and Muscle Health Research
Group, Department of Medicine, Dr Zengin will spend five months in India
researching sarcopenia and osteoporosis.
“With the current social, economic, and environmental
transition in India, sarcopenia prevalence is estimated to rise,” Dr Zengin
said.
“Many studies demonstrate that sarcopenia is an important
predictor of poor functional ability and frailty, which in turn, are risk
factors for falls and fractures.”
The most common musculoskeletal injury in India is fracture,
with 15% of those incurring an open fracture.
Dr Zengin said the aim of her project is to determine the
prevalence of sarcopenia and investigate the effects on frailty, fall risk, and
bone health in ageing Indian men and women.
“The escalating burden of chronic non-communicable diseases
in low-middle income countries and disadvantaged populations requires the focus
of national health agendas,” Dr Zengin said.
“Determining the prevalence of sarcopenia and its subsequent
effects on bone health will encourage the formulation of public health
strategies to prevent these diseases.”
Monash wins national awards for teaching excellence
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| Professor Zlatko Skrbiš, Professor Christina Mitchell, Associate Professor Claire Palermo, Professor Margaret Gardner |
Monash President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Margaret
Gardner AO gave the keynote address at last week’s awards, at which the
University was recognised with awards for teaching excellence.
Associate Professor Claire Palermo and Associate Professor
Simon Angus received Awards for Teaching Excellence, which were presented by
Federal Minister for Education and Training Simon Birmingham.
Claire leads the teaching and learning research theme in the
Department Nutrition, Dietetics and Food, is a Monash Education Academy Fellow,
and received at National government citation award for her contributions to
teaching in 2016.
An accredited dietician, Claire’s research is dedicated to
developing a workforce that’s equipped to address the complex nutrition issues
facing our populations.
Professor Rosemary Horne awarded Doctor of Science
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| Professor Rosemary Horne |
The Doctor of Science (DSc) is of a higher standing than a
PhD and is awarded for work that makes an original, substantial and
distinguished contribution to knowledge in a field with which the faculty is
concerned. The degree provides the recipient with authoritative standing in
their field and recognition by their academic peers.
Rosemary’s thesis incorporates 143 research publications, from
her PhD studies into Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) in the early 1980s until
studies published in sleep disorders in infants and children up to 2015.
“The unifying theme throughout this Doctorate of Science
thesis is the development, refinement and utilisation of physiological
recordings during sleep, initially in preclinical models then subsequently in
infants and children,” Rosemary said.
Simple blood test could decrease risk of stroke, heart attack
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| Dr Jun Yang |
Australia’s largest study of a common yet underdiagnosed
cause of high blood pressure is starting at Hudson Institute, with the aim of
preventing heart attack and stroke.
Primary aldosteronism (PA) is a potentially curable cause of
high blood pressure (hypertension) caused by the over-production of the hormone
aldosterone from the adrenal glands. If left undiagnosed, it can get worse over
time, leaving sufferers prone to stroke and heart attack at a young age.
Dr Jun Yang, a Hudson Institute Research Fellow, School of
Clinical Sciences Early Career Research Fellow, and Consultant Endocrinologist
at Monash Health, has been awarded three new grants for research that could
change clinical management of Primary aldosteronism.
·
A Heart Foundation
Vanguard grant, $74,336, to fund the clinical component of the project,
primarily patient recruitment and assessment, over 2 years.
·
A Foundation for High
Blood Pressure Research grant (Early Career Research Transition Grant), $20,000,
to fund the laboratory-based component of the project, in particular, biomarker
identification.
·
A Collier Charitable
Fund grant, $26,000, for the purchase of specialised equipment.
“This project will be the largest study of PA in Australia
and aims to find out exactly how common this condition is in our community by
asking GPs to screen their hypertensive patients for PA using a simple blood
test,” Dr Yang said.
Monash Infectious diseases research recognised at national conference
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| Dr Carly Hughes |
An
Infectious Disease and Microbiology registrar at Monash Health, Dr Carly Hughes’
research aims to improve support and education for youth attending HIV
services.
“My
project compared adolescents and young adults living with HIV in Australia to
older adults and found they had higher CD4 counts and lower viral loads at
diagnosis, and were more likely to be lost to follow up and interrupt treatment,”
Dr Hughes said.
Dr
Hughes said she appreciated receiving the prize, as she had prepared the
majority of the paper and presentation while on maternity leave after having a
baby in July.
“Professionally,
it is an honour to receive a prize at a national and well respected conference
in the HIV field,” Dr Hughes said.
Dr
Hughes acknowledges the ongoing support of Head of Infectious Diseases
Professor Tony Korman, her supervisor Associate Professor Ian Woolley and her
co-authors Samar Ojaimi, Rainer Puhr, Kathy Petoumenos, Adam Bartlett, David
Templeton, Catherine O'Connor and Manoji Gunathilake. She also thanks the participants of AHOD whose data was used for the study.
eSolutions end of year shutdown
As you prepare for your end of
year break make sure you turn off your computers, monitors and printers etc.
Shutdown your computer via the usual methods (ie. choose shutdown rather than
sleep) then turn off the power at the wall.
Remember to set your vacation
message too.
Big-hearted investment: $470m funding boost brings Victorian Heart Hospital to life
Effect of aorto-ventricular angulation on procedural success in transcatheter aortic valve replacements with the Lotus Valve system
Hashrul Rashid et al. published in Catheterization and cardiovascular interventions.
Read article here.
Three-dimensional ultrasound cranial imaging and early neurodevelopment in preterm growth-restricted infants
Read article here.
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