Congratulations to Dr Sandy Shultz on his promotion to Professor

Dr Sandy Shultz

The Central Clinical School is delighted to announce that translational neuroscientist, Dr Sandy Shultz, has been promoted to Professor in the latest academic promotions rounds.

Professor Shultz has established himself as a national and international leader in ‘bench-to-bedside’ neurotrauma research. More specifically, specialising in mild traumatic brain injury and the identification, validation and implementation of biomarkers to enable better diagnosis and management of people who experience concussion. 

He has established and grown the Monash Trauma Group - a highly productive research team within the Central Clinical School’s Department of Neuroscience that is recognised widely as Australia’s leading translational neurotrauma research group. Professor Shultz has led in the group’s scientific direction, successfully obtaining multiple competitive grants totalling over $50M along the way. Prof Shultz has also recruited and supervised more than 40 PhD, masters, and undergraduate research students, as well as postdoctoral fellows, to successful completions. 

Prof Shultz has the rare distinction of having successfully translated his basic research findings into clinical studies. He now leads several large scale, internationally unique, multisite clinical studies in biomarkers and treatments for concussion, which is complemented by his innovative pre-clinical research program. This includes his $2 million NHMRC Ideas Grant-funded project which investigates brain injury following intimate partner violence, a critical area that has to date received little serious scientific research attention. 

“Professor Shultz is a hard working, innovative and insightful neuroscientist, who is well established as a national and international leader in the neurotrauma field,” said Professor Terence O’Brien, Head of Central Clinical School. “He has shown exceptional performance in terms of publications, grants, student supervision, mentoring, leadership and engagement within the University and wider community. His achievements have far exceeded our high expectations when we first recruited him as a ‘Star Recruit’ in 2017, even more impressive given the impacts on both his basic and clinical research programs of the COVID-19 restrictions over the last three years.”

Prof Shultz has published over 130 peer-reviewed articles, the majority of which are in his field’s leading journals. He has been invited to write review articles and editorials to many leading scientific journals, including Lancet Neurology, reflecting his standing internationally in his field. Based on expertscape.com, he is already ranked 14th in the world (1st in Australia) in terms of traumatic brain injury experts. 

He is engaged with community and sporting organisations relevant to his research, including the Victorian Amateur Football Association, and is a board member for the Australian Football League Players’ Association Health and Safety Steering Committee. He also participates on organising committees within the national and international scientific communities, including the Australian Neurotrauma and International Neurotrauma Society conferences. He also works closely with commercial pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, including Incannex Health Care and Hit-IQ, in an expert advisory capacity regarding the development of new therapies for brain injury and other neurological diseases, and also assisting with contract research with his research group.

 

Congratulations to Eric Chow on his promotion to professor

Dr Eric Chow

Central Clinical School is delighted to announce that epidemiologist and biostatistician Dr Eric Chow has been promoted to Professor.

Dr Eric Chow heads the Health Data Management and Biostatistics Unit and is co-head of the Clinical Evaluation Unit at the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre. He is a leading researcher in the treatment, prevention and control of sexually transmitted infections (STI). He has a particular focus on gonorrhoea and human papillomavirus (HPV), two of the most important and fastest-growing global health problems.

His research has changed clinical practice regarding control of STIs, including informing HPV guidelines worldwide, which has been successful in reducing transmission.

“Professor Chow is an outstanding epidemiologist and biostatistician who is an internationally-recognised expert in the transmission of STIs,” said Professor Terence O’Brien, Head of Central Clinical School. “In addition to his substantial research contributions in this important area, he is also an active research supervisor for students at all levels and has been very successful in securing competitive research grants. He is a highly valued leader and a real asset to the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre.”

Prof Chow has won multiple awards including a NHMRC Research Excellence award (top-ranked NHMRC grant applicant), the Commonwealth Health Minister's Award for Excellence in Health and Medical Research, and the Australian Museum Eureka Prize for Infectious Diseases, one of Australia’s most prestigious science awards. He was also named one of the 40 Under 40: Most influential Asian-Australians in 2021.

He is a prolific publisher, being regularly and widely published in community and medical media, and is currently an Associate Editor and a member of the Editorial Board for 6 medical journals.

He’s a member of 11 national/international working groups and committees, including WHO guideline committees and Victorian Department of Health Advisory Committees. He is the Vice-President of the Sexual Health Society of Victoria, and a former Board Member-in-Training at the International Papillomavirus Society (2021).

Prof Chow has supervised more than 50 students, including students undertaking undergraduate and master’s studies, PhD students, postdoctoral research fellows and general practitioner (GP) and sexual health registrars.

He’s an active social media user, using it to spread awareness about sexual health issues, and communicates closely with the government and community-based organisations in order to improve the health and wellbeing of the Australian population.

Congratulations to Dr Edwina Wright AM on her promotion to Professor

Prof Edwina Wright AM

Central Clinical School is delighted to announce that infectious diseases physician Dr Edwina Wright AM has been promoted to professor.

Prof Wright has worked at the Alfred Hospital as an infectious disease specialist since 1996, and is currently a senior specialist and lead of the HIV Prevention Service at the Alfred Hospital and Central Clinical School’s Department of Infectious Diseases.

With more than 35 years’ experience caring for people living with HIV, Prof Wright is considered one of Australia's leading HIV clinicians and HIV clinical researchers. Her HIV research expertise lies in the area of the benefits of HIV prevention, notably HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), early HIV treatment, HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders and HIV cure.

In 2021 she was awarded an Order of Australia (AM) for her work in HIV Medicine and Research and was inducted into the Queen’s Birthday COVID-19 Honour Roll for her work as Chair of the ASHM COVID Taskforce.

“Central Clinical School is fortunate to have someone of Professor Wright’s calibre on staff, and this promotion is well-deserved recognition for the depth of experience and expertise she brings to the School,” said Professor Terence O’Brien, Head of Central Clinical School. “She is a highly-valued clinical researcher who has secured more than $9 million in research funding and is a dedicated mentor for scientists and clinicians interested in this area.”

Prof Wright is a past President of the Australasian Society of HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexual Health Medicine (ASHM). Her current appointments include serving as the Chair of the ASHM National PrEP Guidelines Panel and the ASHM COVID Taskforce, a member of the Victorian Department of Health’s Blood Borne Viruses and STI Committee, and she is the Chair of the HIV Working Group of this Committee, where she has overseen the working group’s two most recent Victorian HIV Strategies.

Her work has also been recognised internationally, as she has been invited to speak at or convene numerous international conferences and been interviewed by international media outlets such as the New York Times. She has published more than 100 papers including articles published in the New England Journal of Medicine and JAMA.
 

Congratulations to Joseph Doyle on his promotion to Professor

Dr Joseph Doyle

Central Clinical School is delighted to announce that infectious disease expert Dr Joseph Doyle has been promoted to Professor.

Prof Doyle is a national and international leader in the field of public health and epidemiology of infectious diseases, with a particular focus on blood borne viruses - viral hepatitis and HIV.

He leads a large, multi-disciplinary research group within the Department of Infectious Diseases that is focused on viral hepatitis and includes postdoctoral fellows, PhD students, research nurses, public health registrars, and other public health practitioners.

He has an impressive record of securing research funding, totalling $36.8M in competitive, philanthropic, public sector and industry income. He has designed, secured funding for, and leads several large clinical trials and cohort studies.

“Professor Doyle is an outstanding clinician-scientist in the Department of Infectious Diseases who is establishing a substantial leadership position nationally and internationally in his field,” said Professor Terence O’Brien, Head of Central Clinical School. “Professor Doyle demonstrates a stellar engagement within and external to the University, as is evidenced by his leadership in government advisory bodies and guidelines development groups, and as an executive of the new Monash University Clinical Trials Centre.”

Prof Doyle has received multiple invitations to speak at major international scientific meetings, including plenary presentations at the Infectious Diseases Society of America, reflecting his international profile in the field. He has been awarded multiple prizes for his team’s research, including the International AIDS Society Prize for HIV Prevention, a Young Tall Poppy Science Award from the Australian Institute of Policy and Science, Club Melbourne Fellow, and the Gust-MacKenzie Medal from the Burnet Institute.

He has advised governments at a state and national level, and also internationally for the World Health Organization and other bodies on public health policy regarding Infectious diseases. He is President-elect of the Austalasian Society for Infectious Diseases; technical advisor to the WHO and TGA; and appointed by government to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee and Communicable Diseases Network of Australia. He also collaborates with industry in particular global hepatitis drug and diagnostic manufacturers who have supported eight investigator-initiated models of care and implementation projects that he has led.

In addition to his role at Central Clinical School, Prof Doyle is also senior specialist infectious diseases physician at Alfred Health and jointly appointed as Deputy Director of Disease Elimination Program and Head of Infectious Diseases Clinical Research at Burnet Institute.
 

NAIDOC Week 2023 (2-9 July 2023)

By Lenka Vodstrcil and Zhoujie Ding (on behalf of CCS EDI committee)

NAIDOC Week is held annually to celebrate the incredible achievements made by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and to recognise their history and culture. It is a chance for everyone to celebrate the oldest continuous living cultures on earth, and recognise their connection to and care of the land and waters. It also emphasises the role  of non-Indigenous people to take time to learn and reflect upon the detrimental impact colonisation has had on the lives of First Nations peoples, and raises the awareness of the non-Indigenous people’s privilege that has occurred since colonisation. 

This year's theme is ‘For Our Elders’, and artist Bobbi Lockier has created a beautiful poster that can be printed and shared. Bobbi shared these words when reflecting on what this year's theme means to her: “Where there is knowledge there are our Elders. Our Elders paved the pathways for us, taught us our knowledge, our history, they passed down their art, stories and wisdom. Our Elders are the foundation of our communities and role models for our children. With this poster I wanted to showcase how important our Elders are in passing down traditions and culture to our children and future.”

There are several different events being held locally and nationally for NAIDOC Week. We encourage you to find a local event and take time to honour the deep and rich culture that we have the honour of being able to celebrate.

Some links to events are below:

• Special event hosted by the Baker Institute and Central Clinical School (7 July): Guest speaker N’arweet Dr Carolyn Briggs AM will speak about the responsible rights of being a strong elder. Boon Wurrung elder N’Arweet Dr Carolyn Briggs AM is the chairperson and founder of the Boon Wurrung Foundation and has been involved in developing and supporting opportunities for Indigenous youth and Boon Wurrung culture for over 50 years.
• Art show in Kingston (23 June): Reflecting on the 2023 NAIDOC Week theme, For our Elders, Kingston Arts presents a group exhibition of esteemed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists that encourages conversation between traditional practices and contemporary approaches. 
• Monash University hosts the 2023 Indigenous Nationals (26-30 June): Monash’s Clayton campus will host the 27th Indigenous Nationals, a week-long multi-sport competition for Indigenous students.
• Tree planting (2 July)
• For Kin and Country: First Peoples have combined modern military and traditional skills to serve in the Australian Defence Force (ADF) from the Boer War to the present day. This Shrine special exhibition explores the extraordinary history of First Peoples’ service in the ADF.
• Bring the kids to Family Day at Collingwood Children's Farm (5 July)
• The Voice to Parliament Handbook Book Tour Event (6 July)
• Writing Blak Legacies: A First Nations Literature Gala. This year, the University of Queensland Press released the first instalment of its First Nations Classics series, recognising the brilliant and vital literary contributions made by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writers across the decades. To mark the publication of this landmark series, the Wheeler Centre and Blak & Bright present a vibrant evening of reflections, readings and performance featuring many of the series authors and contributors.
• Why not join a 'virtual' run or walk held by Clothing the Gaps Foundation: 
• The City of Melbourne is hosting several events and encourages us to participate in these activities with the Aboriginal community. 
• You can also check if there are any events being hosted by your own local council.
• The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra are also running several exciting events, including a celebration of the music by Archie Roach, and a collaborative event with Electric Fields.
• You also might like to visit the Koorie Heritage Trust, a First Nations managed and led organisation that supports and promotes art and artists.

Indigenous Health Equity and Cultural Safety in Research seminar

By Lenka Vodstrcil1 and Zhoujie Ding on behalf of CCS EDI committee, with Danielle Clarke on behalf of SPHPM ED&I committee.

On Tuesday 20 June, the Central Clinical School (CCS) Equity, Diversity and Inclusion committee joined forces with the School of Public Health and Preventative Medicine (SPHPM) Diversity and Inclusion Committee for the first time to deliver a sub-faculty seminar on Indigenous Health Equity and Cultural Safety in Research. We had a great turnout at the Alfred Hub and online via zoom, and afterwards shared food from Indigenous catering company, Bunji.

In what we hope becomes an annual event around Reconciliation Week, we heard two incredible talks from Dr Jessica O’Brien, ‘The paradigmatic clash: Indigenous vs biomedical research’ and Dr Julia McCartan, ‘Holding the mirror up: Examining power inequities for non-Indigenous people operating in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander contexts’.

Dr O’Brien is an Aboriginal woman from central west New South Wales and imaging cardiologist working at Alfred Health. She is undertaking her PhD at CCS, investigating the role of cardiac MRI in diagnosing acute rheumatic fever and predicting who is at highest risk of developing rheumatic heart disease. Through her project, Dr O’Brien learnt about how Indigenous methodologies can be incorporated into biomedical research undertaken in institutional settings. Dr O’Brien shared the “pivots” she had to make to ensure that the research was culturally safe for Indigenous staff, participants and other stakeholders. She also detailed her experiences in undertaking a project in remote settings.

Our second speaker, Dr McCartan, joined us from the Monash Centre for Scholarship in Health Education. Dr McCartan spoke about how she applied critical methodology to examine non-Indigenous people's roles in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander affairs in her PhD. She provided examples of how we can practise critical reflexivity, critical consciousness and be anti-racist in our roles as health professionals and students. Using the 'coin model' of privilege and critical allyship, Dr McCartan pointed out that in order to enact change for people who face inequity, we need to disrupt the barriers and social structures that at the same time afford us privilege and unearned advantage. 

A recording of the presentation will be available at the CCS EDI webpage.

Li Transformative Hub for Research in Eating Disorders (THRED)

On Sunday night the Her Centre Australia and Monash University celebrated the launch of the Li Transformative Hub for Research in Eating Disorders (THRED). This research program will target biological causes and possible new treatments including novel drugs, brain stimulation and hormones.

HER Centre Australia Director Professor Jayashri Kulkarni AM said: “Over the past 60 years there has not been any real change in how treatments for eating disorders, which cover a spectrum ranging from various disordered patterns of eating to anorexia nervosa, have been delivered.

“We need a new approach. We want to provide a better understanding of why eating disorders occur and how to treat them from a biological perspective. We will do this by conducting clinical trials that will investigate possible treatments. These trials will be informed by investigation into the biological abnormalities that underpin eating disorders.”

Researchers from the HER Centre and the Department of Neuroscience in Monash’s Central Clinical School will work collaboratively to conduct clinical trials of new treatment approaches for serious eating disorders, and hopefully deliver more effective treatment options.