Second generation AI chatbot for positive body image being funded

The positive body image chatbot is being further
developed with a Telematics Trust grant

Congratulations to Associate Professor Gemma Sharp of the Department of Neuroscience, who has been awarded a Telematics Trust grant for $50,000. The focus of these grants is to fund technology which can transform the lives of Victorians through education. 

A/Prof Sharp led the team which developed the world's first pilot positive body image conversational AI agent or chatbot. The pilot was highly successful with over 20,000 users in Australia in under 12 months.

The grant will allow for the development and evaluation of a second generation chatbot in collaboration with researchers in Monash's Faculty of Iinformation Technology. A/Prof Sharp said, "This next generation chatbot will have much more sophisticated conversational AI which will likely lead to even higher usage and greater benefits to body image and mental health."

Higher risk for international migrants of contracting HIV

A ground-breaking piece of research, which aims to quantify the risk of HIV in international migrants could play a major role in Australia’s efforts to eliminate the virus, according to researchers from the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, part of Alfred Health.

Sexual health physician Associate Professor Jason Ong said this study provides evidence of international migrants were at a higher risk of contracting HIV.

Participants sought for COVID vaccine response study

If you are planning to get your 4th COVID vaccine dose later this calendar year, we kindly ask you to consider being part of our research study, even if you have not been included previously.

What we ask is three blood samples (before, 1 month after and 6 months after dose 4) of about 50ml. We will also obtain general information about your COVID previous vaccinations, SARS-CoV-2 infection and immunological disease and immunosuppressive mediation.

Congratulations to Dr Sih Min Tan on ANZSN Basic Science Award win

Dr Sih Min Tan with the ANZSN award certificate

Congratulations to Dr Sih Min Tan, who has won this year's Australia and New Zealand Society of Nephrology (ANZSN) Basic Science Award,

The ANZSN Basic Science Award recognises the outstanding contribution to research by ANZSN Members in basic science.

Dr Tan's abstract is titled 'Role of complement C5a Receptor 1 in modulating cellular senescence in diabetic kidney disease'.

Mental Health Awareness Month Week 4

Next week is the fourth and final week of the National Mental Health Month, an initiative of the Mental Health Foundation Australia, to advocate for and raise awareness of mental health. See below for detail of forthcoming events, and a reminder that this year’s National Mental Health Awareness Campaign theme is:  

‘Building Resilience: Communities and Connections’

Welcome to Shaun Fleming, haematologist

Newly appointed Associate Professor Shaun Fleming in the
Australian Centre for Blood Diseases

From Professors Harshal Nandurkar and Terry O'Brien

We have the pleasure to announce the appointment of Shaun Fleming as the Head of the Myeloid Disorders Service at Alfred Health. This is a conjoint appointment with Monash University, as Associate Professor in Australian Centre for Blood Disorders (ACBD), Central Clinical School.

Associate Professor Shaun Fleming is a clinical and laboratory haematologist who has been working at the Alfred since 2014 initially as the Acute Leukaemia fellow and then as a consultant haematologist with a focus on Acute Leukaemia, Stem Cell Transplantation and measurable residual disease (MRD) assessment.