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Dean's Newsletter - December 2008

Vietnam
Our recent visit to Vietnam was a great success. Many people joined us for a stimulating conference on Education in Medicine, Public Health, Nursing and Research at the Hanoi Medical School on 24 October. New friendships and collaborations were forged with several students expressing interest in undertaking masters or PhD degrees in Sydney. We also met with Dr Greg Fox who is about to undertake his PhD in Hanoi on TB under the supervision of Warwick Britton and Guy Marks. We also established new relationships with the University of Medicine and Pharmacy of HCMC and the Pham Quoc Thach University in HCMC. Both are excellent partners for developing exchange relationships. Over 70 candidates were interviewed for Hoc Mai AusAID scholarships next year.


Congratulations to…
Nicholas King
Nick has been elected President of FIMSA - The Federation of Immunological Societies of Asia-Oceania - from 2009-2011. This is a regional peak body which reports to the International Union of Immunological Societies (IUIS). A major role of FIMSA is the provision of advanced training courses, run annually in FIMSA member countries (currently 10), with significant numbers of travelling scholarships for early career scientists to attend, particularly for developing countries in the region. The next FIMSA Advanced Immunology Training course will be in Brisbane in December 2009, just before the Australasian Society for Immunology National Conference on the Gold Coast. Significant financial and in-kind support is given by local Immunological Societies, particularly from the developed countries in the region, in these endeavours.

Professor Graham Johnston
Graham received the 2008 Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists (ASCEPT) Achievement Award consisting of a plaque and $1000 for outstanding service to Australian pharmacology at the Australian Health and Medical Research Conference in Brisbane last month.

Clinical Associate Professor Charles George
Charles has been awarded the Medal of the Rector of the University of Messina in Italy in recognition of his contributions to the History of Medicine.

Professor Louise Baur
Louise has been awarded the Nutrition Society of Australia Medal. The Medal is awarded to Australian nutrition scientists with an outstanding track record in the field of animal or human nutrition whose work is carried out predominantly in Australia and who are currently highly active in his/her field of endeavour.

To all those receiving Early Career Researcher grants from the Medical School….

  • Scott Byrne (Central Clinical School)
  • Rohina Joshi (George Institute)
  • Kellie Charles (School of Medical Sciences)
  • Russell Dale (Children’s Hospital at Westmead)
  • Allison Tong (School of Public Health)
  • James McAuley (George Institute)
  • Guoping Zheng (Western Clinical School)
  • Paul Sved (Central Clinical School)
  • Jim Manos (Central Clinical School)
  • Daniel Hermens (School of Medical Sciences)

Dr Virginia Best
With funding through the International Science Linkages (ISL) - Science Academies Program 2009-2010 Virginia, a postdoctoral research fellow from the Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory in the Discipline of Physiology, will be going to the Austrian Academy of Science in Vienna to work with Dr Bernhard Laback on Auditory grouping and cochlear implants.


Further NHMRC success
The NHMRC announced Program grants and Fellowships on 10 November. Our successful applicants are:

  • NHMRC Program Grant - Professor Stephen MacMahon (~$12m)
  • NHMRC Research Fellowships commencing 2009 - Professor Judith Black, Associate Professor Tailoi Chan-Ling, Professor Des Richardson, Dr Euan Tovey
  • NHMRC Practitioner Fellowship commencing in 2009 - Associate Professor Christopher Semsarian

Some more good news – Funding for the ARC Building
From the Higher Education Endowment Fund Round 1 the University will receive $95 million for the ARC project including the establishment of a Centre for Obesity, Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease. For more information click here.


Warm thanks to…
Associate Professor Joe Canalese who has advised me that he wishes to strep down from his leadership role as Head of our School of Rural Health as of 15 March 2009. Joe has done a sterling job in strengthening our rural activities and been a fine contributor to this Medical School and to other faculties in this University, particularly the Faculty of Dentistry. I am delighted that he has offered to continue to assist the School of Rural Health after March albeit in a lower profile way.


As 2008 draws to a close….
From where I sit the year has been an exciting one; some financial challenges at year end and for 2009 but good news such as that above is truly encouraging.


Also encouraging and enormously rewarding is the knowledge that I am part of a Medical School of so many talented and committed people. It remains a privilege to be your Dean.


With best wishes for the holiday period and for 2009!

Professor Bruce Robinson
Dean