Prof Velandai Srikanth to be new director of the National Centre for Healthy Ageing

Professor Christina Mitchell AO and Felicity Topp, NCHA Co-Chairs, write:

Congratulations to Professor Velandai Srikanth, who will be commencing as the Director of the National Centre for Healthy Ageing (NCHA) from 1 January 2022. The NCHA is a joint venture between Peninsula Health and Monash University, which aims to create an academic and research hub for leading the transformation of health care for our ageing population.

Gemma Sharp finalist for Bupa Emerging Health Researcher Award

Dr Gemma Sharp is a tireless community advocate,
and is also a co-host for 3RRR "Radiotherapy"

Congratulations to Dr Gemma Sharp who is an NHMRC Early Career Fellow and clinical psychologist in the Central Clinical School's Department of Psychiatry. She was one of only five national finalists for the Bupa Emerging Health Researcher Award. 

Dr Sharp was nominated by her supervisor and Head of Psychiatry, Professor Jayashri Kulkarni, for her significant contribution to the field of body image and eating disorder clinical research in her short career. 

Controlling AML maturation can reduce disease relapse

AML group led by A/Prof Ross Dickins. Authors on the paper on AML therapy are bolded. L-R: Mr Max Garwood, Ms Jade Jowett-Crociani, Dr Katharine Goodall, A/Prof Ross Dickins, Dr Steven Ngo, Mr Ethan Oxley, Ms Skye Ho

Associate Professor Ross Dickins and colleagues have discovered a promising approach to the treatment of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). 

AML is a type of cancer that affects immature progenitor cells (which haven't yet differentiated into a specialised white blood cell type) living in bone marrow. 

Neuroscience researchers receive $1.45M from US Department of Defense for research on Post-Traumatic Epilepsy

Dr Idrish Ali (left) & Dr Pablo Casillas-Espinosa (right)

by Dr Loretta Piccenna

International funding totalling $1,450,575 from the US Department of Defense (DoD) Epilepsy Research Program has been awarded to early career researchers - Dr Idrish Ali (EP200033) and Dr Pablo Casillas-Espinosa (EP200022) - within the Department of Neuroscience, to each individually advance translational research on Post-Traumatic Epilepsy. This will further efforts to improve detection and minimise related health risk factors in individuals affected, especially Service members and Veterans. 

Viertel award to drive research on optimising care for people with new-onset or first seizures

Dr Emma Foster has been awarded a
Viertel Clinical Investigator Award

Congratulations to Dr Emma Foster, who has been awarded a Viertel Clinical Investigator Award from The Sylvia & Charles Viertel Charitable Foundation, for $90,000. 

Dr Foster is a practising neurologist at Alfred Health and an Early Career Post-doctoral Research Fellow, in the Epilepsy and Personalised Medicine (Kwan) research group in the Department of Neuroscience at the Central Clinical School. She recently completed her PhD on the Optimisation of First Seizure Management. 

MS Australia incubator grant for investigating effect of pregnancy on MS onset

L-R: Dr Michael Zhong, Ms Maria (Pia) Campagna and Dr Vilija
Jokubaitis have won an MS Australia incubator grant

Congratulations to Dr Michael Zhong, Dr Vilija Jokubaitis and Ms Maria (Pia) Campagna on the award of an incubator grant of $25,000 from MS Australia for their research project, 'The effect of foetal cells in maternal blood on MS during pregnancy'. Dr Zhong is a Neuroimmunology Fellow at the Alfred, and both he and Ms Campagna are PhD students in Dr Vilija Jokubaitis's group. Dr Zhong is leading the research, and Ms Campagna and Dr Jokubaitis are co-investigators.

From their MS Australia project description, they write:

9-15 Nov 2021 Central Clinical School recent publications

Rats' spacial cognition is not affected by a high sugar diet: Study

Recent publications featuring research as notified by PubMed during 9-15 Nov 2021 from Central Clinical School affiliated researchers in the following departments. The below is not a comprehensive list. The most recent validated publications for the school and departments can be seen on their publications pages, linked to from the headings below. Otherwise, read down the entry for recent notifications.