Save the date! 31 July Translational Research symposium at Monash University

Monash University's three heads of its metropolitan based
clinical schools, Prof Eric Morand, Prof Stephen Jane and
 Prof Ian Davis, discuss translational medical research and
 the opportunities it offers for graduate students. Video: 4:31m

Translational Research skills have become an important part of life at Monash's three metropolitan clinical schools. Significant findings and discoveries made in the lab can often get lost in their conversion to clinical practice and everyday medical treatments.

Central Clinical School is hosting a Translational Research symposium on 31 July 2017. All welcome to hear from top Melbourne-based researchers with national and international collaborations in clinical areas. See speaker program and RSVP at:

• www.med.monash.edu.au/cecs/events/2017-tr-symposium.html

See more about what we have to offer in Translational Research:

• Translational Research PhD and Graduate Certificate
• Translational Research FAQs

CCS student profile: Victoria Berquist

Victoria Berquist 

By Eliza Watson

Victoria Berquist has just begun her first year as an intern at Alfred Health. She studied undergraduate medicine at Monash University and in 2015, Victoria undertook a Bachelor of Medical Science (Honours) research year at the Central Clinical School for which she was awarded the Hatem Salem Award for Medical Research Student Excellence.

Reversing damage caused by diabetes complications

L-R: Prof Karin Jandeleit-Dahm, Dr Stephen Gray and
Dr Jay Jha are researching inhibition of enzymes known
to cause kidney injury in diabetes. See Diabetologia paper.
Image: Life Scientist

By Eliza Watson

Diabetes affects around 1.7 million Australians. Sufferers with the disease are unable to control blood glucose levels either through failure to produce insulin (Type 1) or resistance of cells to insulin (Type 2). It can have a range of serious complications affecting the major arteries (macrovascular diseases) potentially leading to stroke, as well as causing kidney disease, nerve damage and loss of vision (microvascular diseases). The seriousness of these complications highlights the need for effective preventive measures.

In a collaborative study involving several Monash University researchers, a potential treatment was assessed and found to successfully reduce some of these complications.

Welcome to Eliza Watson, Student Services communications support

A big thank you! to Eliza Watson (pictured) who has interned with Julia Veitch, the Central Clinical School's communications manager. This week marks the end of Eliza's time as a communications intern with CCS. Many of you would know Eliza personally, especially PhD students whom she has interviewed for their stories.

We are happy to announce that from next week Eliza is being welcomed on in a new part time (6 hrs/week) role as the Student Services communications officer. She will be working with Sharmila Ramesh, Student Services Officer, and Dr Steven Petratos, Education lead for CCS.

Eliza has thoroughly enjoyed her time during the internship and is looking forward to applying the various skills she has learnt to her new role in the school. She will be helping out with communications, updates of Education web pages and events for the many CCS students. She will be working for CCS on Mondays, and can be contacted at her email, Eliza.Watson@monash.edu

CCS Doctoral Student Profile - Waled Shihata

By Eliza Watson 

Waled Shihata at the 2016
CCS Graduate Symposium

Waled Shihata is a Monash University PhD student in the Vascular Pharmacology Laboratory and the Haematopoiesis and Leukocyte Biology Laboratory at the Baker Research Institute, where he is supervised respectively by Prof Jaye Chin-Dusting and A/Prof Andrew Murphy. He completed his Honours in the same lab at Baker Institute before beginning his PhD where he is currently researching high blood pressure in cardiovascular disease and the role of caveolae/caveolin proteins.

CCS Doctoral Student Profile - Lizzie Thomas

Lizzie Thomas, PhD student
at MAPrc

By Eliza Watson

Lizzie Thomas is a PhD student in the Cognitive Neuropsychiatry lab at the Monash Alfred Psychiatry research centre (MAPrc) where she is supervised by Dr Caroline Gurvich, Professor Susan Rossell and Dr Kiymet Bozaoglu. She studied a Bachelor of Biomedical Science and decided to undertake an Honours project which incorporated her interest in genetics. This led her to study at MAPrc and gain a whole new subject of knowledge - psychology.

CCS Doctoral Student Profile - My-Nhan Nguyen

By Eliza Watson

My-Nhan Nguyen at the 2016 CCS
Graduate student symposium

My-Nhan is a PhD student in the Experimental Cardiology lab at the Baker Research Institute where she is supervised by A/Prof Xiao-Jun Du and A/Prof Julie McMullen. My-Nhan studied an undergraduate degree in Science majoring in Physiology where she gained an interest in cardiovascular disease, which she has continued with in her Honours and PhD studies.

CCS Doctoral Student Profile - Maria Selvadurai

PhD and combined degree
student Maria Selvadurai

by Eliza Watson

Maria Selvadurai is a PhD student in the Platelet and Thrombosis Lab where she is supervised by Dr Justin Hamilton. She studied a Science degree majoring in Pathology and Biochemistry before completing Honours and starting a combined PhD/Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery.

CCS Doctoral student profile - Timothy Gottschalk

Tim Gottschalk participating in the CCS
Postgraduate Student Symposium 2016

By Eliza Watson

Timothy Gottschalk is a PhD student in the Leukocyte Signaling Laboratory at the Department of Immunology and Pathology where he is supervised by Associate Professor Margaret Hibbs. He studied a Bachelor of Biomedical Science and is interested in learning about what causes and drives autoimmune disease.

CCS Doctoral Student Profile - Aron Hill

Aron Hill presenting at the 2016 CCS
Three Minute Thesis competition

By Eliza Watson

Aron Hill is a PhD student in the Cognitive Therapeutics Research Group at MAPrc where he is supervised by A/Prof Kate Hoy, Dr Nigel Rogasch and Prof Paul Fitzgerald. He studied psychology in his undergraduate degree and decided to pursue it for Honours where he began looking at brain stimulation, he has continued his interest in this area through his PhD.

CCS Doctoral Student Profile - Alicia Chenoweth

Alicia Chenoweth. Image: Burnet

By Eliza Watson

Alicia Chenoweth is a PhD student in the Hogarth lab at the Burnet Institute where she is supervised by Professor Mark Hogarth and Dr Bruce Wines. Alicia studied her undergraduate degrees in her home city of Adelaide, combining a Bachelor of Biomedical Science with a Diploma in French, followed by Honours specialising in mast cells. While visiting a friend in Melbourne, Alicia found her current PhD project and decided to pursue it, on novel roles of Fc receptors in inflammation.

CCS Doctoral Student Profile - Paddy Dempsey

Paddy Dempsey competing in the 2016
CCS Postgraduate Symposium

by Eliza Watson

Paddy Dempsey is a PhD student at Baker IDI in the Physical Activity Laboratory where he is supervised by Professor David Dunstan, Professor Neville Owen, Professor Bronwyn Kingwell and Dr Julian Sacre. He studied exercise physiology in his home country of New Zealand before moving to Melbourne for his PhD.

CCS Doctoral Student profile - Shauna French

Shauna French and Dr Justin
Hamilton in the lab

by Eliza Watson

Shauna French is a PhD student in the Platelets and Thrombosis Lab at the Australian Centre for Blood Diseases where she is supervised by Dr Justin Hamilton. She studied a Bachelor of Applied Science and Honours at Queensland University of Technology, before  moving to Melbourne for her PhD on defining the role of protease activated receptor 4 in thrombosis.

Welcome to Eliza Watson, new CCS Communications intern!

Welcome to Eliza Watson, who is joining the CCS Communications team as an intern for one day per week over the summer. She has recently completed her Honours at Monash in the Department of Immunology and Pathology where she was looking into aspects of peanut and bee venom allergy. Eliza is interested in how science can be effectively communicated and is looking forward to learning many new techniques and skills during her internship.

Eliza has already started on a series of CCS PhD student profiles and we will be publishing her stories from this week on! Very pleased to have you on the team Eliza. She can be contacted on email, eliza.watson@monash.edu

Photo of the week: 2016 Central Clinical School Graduate Research Symposium winners

2016 CCS's postgraduate symposium winners. L-R: Man Kit Lee, Paddy Dempsey, Liriye Kurtovic, Nikolce Kocovski, Shauna French, Ricardo Ataide, David Tarlinton, Michael de Vries, Waled Shihata

by Eliza Watson

The Central Clinical School (CCS) Postgraduate Symposium committee ran an excellent event which showcased research from across the CCS. There were 14 oral presenters and 11 poster presenters, as well as the fun events ,“Explain my graph” and the “No-Bell” prize, where students nominated their supervisors to compete. The event was live tweeted on the CCS twitter feed (@CCSMonash), so make sure to take a look at the feed and the hashtag #CCSPG8.

Winners at the symposium were:

Oral Presentations:
1st – Paddy Dempsey (Baker IDI)
2nd – Shauna French (ACBD)
3rd – Waled Shihata (Baker IDI)

Poster Presentations:
1st – Man Kit ‘Sam’ Lee (Baker IDI)
2nd – Alicia Chenoweth (Burnet)
3rd – Liriye Kurtovic (Burnet)

“Explain my graph” – Prof David Tarlinton (Head, Department of Immunology and Pathology)
“No-Bell prize” – Dr Ricardo Ataide (Burnet Institute)

Door Prize – Nikolce Kocovski
Raffle - Michael de Vries