Seven of Australian's most distinguished health and medical researchers were recognised for their outstanding contribution to the success of research in this country at a dinner and award ceremony on 10 December 2008.
NHMRC grants its Excellence Awards to the highest ranked recipients of grants and fellowships in 2008. Recipients were assessed by a group of experts, through a comprehensive peer review process.
As part of the ceremony each award recipient was invited to make a short presentation on their research.
On this page
- Dr Sof Andrikopoulos
- Professor Graeme Jackson
- Professor Stephen McMahon
- Professor Pankaj Sah
- Professor Joseph Trapani
- Professor Helen Treede
- Professor Melissa Wake
Dr Sofianos Andrikopoulos
Islet Biology Research Group, University of Melbourne
Dr Sof Andrikopoulos is head of the Islet Biology Research Group, University of Melbourne, Austin Health. His group's research into the causes of Type 2 Diabetes has lead to the hypothesis that over-secretion of insulin by the body's beta cells leads to the disease, which will translate into more effective drug treatments.
- Watch the video (6:11) (Embedded Flash, MP4)
Professor Graeme Jackson
Brain Research Institute
Professor Graeme Jackson's clinical speciality is epilepsy. In this presentation he talks about how brain imaging using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of patients with epilepsy is leading to insights into the treatments of the condition.
- Watch the video (7:22) (Embedded Flash, MP4)
Professor Stephen McMahon
The George Institute for International Health
Professor Stephen McMahon is Principle Director of the George Institute for International Health. In this presentation, he describes how providing practitioners and policy makers around the world with the best evidence to inform their decisions on the treatment of patients and the development of policy to help prevent cardiovascular disease.
- Watch the video (9:06) (Embedded Flash, MP4)
Professor Pankaj Sah
Queensland Brain Institute
Professor Pankaj Sah is a neurobiologist whose group is focusing on the amygdala, the structure of the brain in which emotional processing, learning and memory formation occur. In this presentation he describes how research into the amygdala using a variety of techniques may translate into better treatments for emotional disorders like anxiety and post-traumatic stress syndrome.
- Watch the video (7:55) (Embedded Flash, MP4)
Professor Joseph Trapani
Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
Professor Joseph Trapani is an immunologist interested in 'killer cells', part of the body's immune system responsible for destroying diseased or damaged cells. In this presentation he explains how killer cells do their work and how understanding this will lead to novel therapies for cancers and auto-immune diseases.
- Watch the video (8:09) (Embedded Flash, MP4)
Professor Helen Treede
The Jean Hailes Foundation
MonasH University
Southern HEalth
Professor Helen Treede is an endocrinologist and Director of Research at the Jean Hailes Foundation. In this presentation she describes how her group's research program in lifestyle related metabolic diseases informs clinical practice and policy to drive translating the research into positive health outcomes for the community.
- Watch the video (3:20) (Embedded Flash, MP4)
Professor Melissa Wake
Murdoch Childrens Research Institute
Professor Melissa Wake is a paediatrician who has lead numerous intervention trials and is a leader in the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children and other large-scale Australian and international collaborations. In this presentation she describes how her group's research into general childrens health issues such as mental health, language skills, hearing and obesity has lead to effective policy and practical interventions.
- Watch the video (7:59) (Embedded Flash, MP4)