Photo of the week: 2018 EMCR@Alfred Symposium

L-R: Dr Rosanne Freak-Poli (SPHPM), Dr Jodie Abramovitch (Department of Immunology and Pathology) and
360biolabs Best EMCR Speaker award winner, Dr Evelyn Tsantikos (Department of Immunology and Pathology)

The biennial AMREP (now known as Alfred Research Alliance) EMCR symposium was held on Friday 5 October 2018. The symposium focused on the professional development of future leaders in medical research.

Dr Evelyn Tsantikos, of the Department of Immunology and Pathology, was this year's winner of the 360biolabs Best EMCR Speaker award. Christina Ekegren (SPHPM) won the runner Up Best EMCR Speaker award.

Other winners of one of the AMREP EMCR Committee's Biomedical best paper awards from the day include: 

• Cheng Xue Qin (Baker)
• Melanie Ziegler (Baker)
• Yung-Chih Chen (Baker)

Gallery: https://photos.app.goo.gl/PrJUcrKsVcBQgDzS7

See more about EMCR at: www.monash.edu/medicine/ccs/research/emcr

What's on at CCS 29 Oct-2 Nov 2018

Prof Chris Mitchell, FMHNS Dean, is presenting
5-7pm Weds 31 Oct at the Alfred. RSVP

Central Clinical School (CCS) has regular seminar series and postgraduate presentations. Event notices are posted on the CCS Events calendar.

CCS staff and students can see details of both public and local events (including professional development courses, trade fairs and Graduate Research Student calendars) and deadlines, at the CCS intranet's Announcements page.

See CCS seminar index:  www.monash.edu/medicine/ccs/headlines/events-calendar

What's on at CCS 29 Oct-2 Nov 2018

Mon	29/10/2018	►	12:00	Neuroscience seminar Profs James Wheless, Jianxing Liao
Wed	31/10/2018	►	11:30	Immunology Seminar: Milou Valk
		►	13:00	MSurg Confirmation Milestone: James Farag
		►	17:00	The Alfred Faculty Staff Forum: Dean's talk
Thur	01/11/2018	►	11:30	Journal Club: Jodie Abramovitch
		►	12:00	Alfred Grand Rounds
Fri	02/11/2018	►	15:30	Dept of Immunology EMCR Seminar: Anh Thu and Jade Jaffar

2018 CCS Graduate Research Symposium - all welcome

Amy Searle from the Baker Institute presenting
her poster at CCS's 2017 postgraduate symposium

The 2018 Graduate Research Symposium is coming up on Monday 12 November 2018. All are welcome to this fun and interactive event which will showcase work from Central Clinical School's (CCS) graduate students, the 11th in the series. This event is for the students and by the students, so make sure to come along and support their hard work.

Recent CCS publications: 14 - 21 Oct 2018

Prof Paul Myles is a co-author on a paper
looking at standardised endpoints in peri-
operative medicine, in particular renal injury.

Recent publications for Central Clinical School affiliated authors in the following departments. Note, browse down this entry for complete publications list. Linked headings for each section are to the departments' home pages.

• Allergy, Immunology and Respiratory Medicine
• Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine
• Infectious Diseases
• Medicine
• Surgery

Pipeline to success for blood clotting research

Prof Mark Sleeman (left) & A/Prof Justin
Hamilton (right)

Australian Centre for Blood Diseases (ACBD) researchers are pushing their discovery of a promising anti-thrombotic agent towards clinical trial as part of a Monash University collaboration with a US biotechnology company. Here’s how the deal was brokered.

by Anne Crawford

In 2014 the ACBD’s Associate Professor Justin Hamilton approached Professor Mark Sleeman at the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute (BDI) with a proposal. Professor Sleeman, amongst other roles at Monash Clayton, is the Director of the Monash Antibody Technologies Facility (MATF).

Allergies & asthma in young children under the microscope

2018 veski innovation fellow Professor Ben Marsland explains
his research on development of allergies in childhood. Video

An immunologist studying allergies in young children in Switzerland, and in particular the onset of the asthma, has been lured to Melbourne to continue his ground-breaking research at Monash University.

New Zealand born researcher Professor Ben Marsland was named the 2018 veski innovation fellow on 23 October 2018. Prof Marsland’s research is focused on trying to understand how to combat or prevent the development of allergies in infants which can progress into life threatening asthma.

Professor Andrew Spencer on combating Multiple Myeloma

Prof Andrew Spencer explains the research in this video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=spfbhnn1Nhc

Professor Andrew Spencer, of the Australian Centre for Blood Diseases, recently received funding under the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) of  $1.68M for a trial in elderly Multiple Myeloma (MM) patients to investigate treatment options. The full title of his study is "Frailty-stratified randomised controlled bayesian adaptive trial of bortezomib versus lenalidomide in transplant-ineligible myeloma - the FRAIL-M study". In this video he explains the significance of the research.

Grant, coveted speaking role for sexual health researcher

Dr Lenka Vodstrcil talking on bacterial
vaginosis at scientific conferences

by Anne Crawford 

Monash University’s Central Clinical School (CCS) researcher Dr Lenka Vodstrcil has been awarded the inaugural CCS Gender Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (GEDI) travel grant to attend a sexual health conference in South Africa in December.

Dr Vodstrcil, who is a Research Fellow with the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, will be funded to go to the invitation-only Keystone symposium on the “Role of the Genital Tract Microbiome in Sexual and Reproductive Health”, to be held in Cape Town.

Congratulations to A/Prof Melinda Coughlan on NSA award!

Congratulations to A/Prof Melinda Coughlan (pictured), who has been awarded the highly prestigious mid-career award by the Nutrition Society of Australia (NSA)!

As a result of this award, Melinda will give a plenary at the NSA's next annual meeting in Canberra, 27-30 November. She also won an NSA travel award in 2017.