Congratulations to Prof Paul Fitzgerald for award of NHMRC Practitioner Fellowship!

Professor Paul Fitzgerald, Monash Alfred Psychiatry research centre, has been awarded a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Practitioner Fellowship for his research on transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) as a therapy for people suffering with depression. The NHMRC award of $551,436 is for five years (2015-2019). TMS is a novel brain stimulation treatment showing promise for treatment-resistant and severe depression. See more about TMS.

Award for best paper by the Australasian Gene Therapy Society

The Australasian Gene Therapy Society have awarded "Best Paper" for 2014 to Associate Professor Frank Alderuccio's paper, first authored by his PhD student Jie-Yu Chung (pictured). The paper is titled "Gene therapy delivery of Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein (MOG) via hematopoietic stem cell transfer induces MOG-specific B cell deletion" and was published in the Journal of Immunology. Reference

7th Annual ANZSCDB Melbourne Cell and Developmental Biology Symposium

In 2014, the Annual ANZSCDB symposium is being held in Melbourne, hosted by Monash University at the Alfred Medical Research and Education Precinct (AMREP). The symposium will showcase cutting edge cell and developmental biology research taking place in Melbourne, from both students and post-doctoral fellows, working on various aspects of cellular mechanisms, organism development, tissue/birth defects and regenerative medicine. See web page or details below.

Andrology Australia is looking for a nurse with an interest in men's health

Andrology Australia is looking for an enthusiastic nurse to join a Primary Health Care Nurse Men's Health Education Reference Group to provide valuable input into the Andrology Australia Education Program. The education reference group provides an effective process to assist with the identification, review and development of education material that addresses men’s health information and education needs for primary health care nurses. To express your interest please contact Wendy Thomas, Education Liaison Officer, Andrology Australia ext: 24821 or email: wendy.thomas@monash.edu

Odd spot: The cow in the room - an unpalatable truth about the main global warming driver

"Livestock production is responsible for 51% of global greenhouse emissions ... It's time to get serious about changing your diet."
+COWSPIRACY: the sustainability secret
One Green Planet blog link
If animal production is the biggest driver of greenhouse gas production, then one simple action of reducing our meat consumption will not only reduce the gas emission, but free up land for planting trees,  i.e. creating a carbon sink and taking greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere.