We invite you to join us in-conversation with some of Australia’s health and medical powerhouses as part of an extraordinary series of speaker events, brought to you by NHMRC.
Our NHMRC Speaking of Science webinar series are not-to-be-missed opportunities to hear from our nation’s outstanding researchers, high profile individuals, and scientific experts within their chosen fields, and to discuss topics at the core of their careers in health and medical research.
Everyone is welcome to attend these free virtual webinars, inviting you to engage with some inspiring individuals on different topics across the spectrum of health and medical research, as well as connect with peers across the wider sector. There will be a Q&A session at the end of each webinar and questions are encouraged.
Registrations are essential — Don't miss out on this chance to learn, engage, and connect. Subscribe below to be the first to know about upcoming events.
If you have suggestions on who may like to be a part of this great series, please email communications@nhmrc.gov.au – we'd love to hear from you!
Upcoming
From bench to birth: Building a test and treat program to prevent early preterm birth
Preterm birth (birth before 37 weeks) is the single largest global cause of death and in Australia, around 8% of babies (almost 26,000 in 2019) are born prematurely annually. NHMRC’s health advice on diet in pregnancy, lactation and early infant feeding dates back to 1981, where early recommendations were made to those providing direct care to pregnant and lactating women to meet the associated nutrient requirements to optimise the health of both the mother and their baby. What followed was decades of high quality research led out of Adelaide that would later underpin national health advice, programs and policies.
Pioneering researcher, Professor Maria Makrides of SAHMRI, will join us for Speaking of Science to recount how a serendipitous finding started a 15 year journey to build the evidence base linking omega-3 fatty acid status with risk of preterm birth. She will also discuss how the risk of early birth varies with omega-3 status, the interventions needed to optimise term birth and how this can be translated into policy and practice.
This webinar will take place on Thursday 20 August 2026 10:00AM–11:00AM AEST.
Past
Watch previous editions of Speaking of Science.
2026
- Fifty Years Deadly: Aboriginal science, genomic sovereignty and what precision medicine must do for our mob
- Bowel cancer prevention: from discovery and innovation to impact on survival in Australia
- Being All In: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership, research sovereignty and systems change
- From discovery to impact: improving access to mental health care for children
- Oral health in the land of milk and honey: Developing dairy based technologies to help reduce oral diseases
- From concept to worldwide clinical use: developing an optimal surgical treatment for glaucoma
2025
- Is obesity a disease or a risk factor? Changing paradigms with new definitions
- Acting now against antimicrobial resistance
- Genetics of depression: risk and response to treatment with Dr Brittany Mitchell
- Achieving better outcomes in women's sexual and reproductive health: The SPHERE CRE journey
- The Artificial Heart Frontiers Program: engineering the next generation of artificial hearts with Professor Shaun Gregory
- New frontiers in brain cancer research with Professor Misty Jenkins AO and Professor Matt Dun
- Empowering consumers in health and medical research with Professor James St John and hosted by Ms Ainslie Cahill AM
- Cultural safety and fostering connections to social and emotional wellbeing with Associate Professor Yvonne Clark
- Interrogating the physiology of the human vagus nerve with Professor Vaughan Macefield
- Evaluating 23 years of Dementia and Diabetes research
- Discovering a breakthrough in the fight against cancer with Professor Andrew Wilks
2024
- International Day of Persons with Disabilities
- Emerging international trends in sex and gender science with Dr Cara Tannenbaum
- Breast Cancer Awareness Month with Professor Belinda Parker
- SOLVEing Coronary Heart Disease with Professor Julie Redfern
- Synthetic Biology (designer cells and antibodies) with Professor Shalin Naik
- International Research Translation Practice
- International Men’s Health Week
- Unlocking the power of Indigenous co-design and intervention: Transformative outcomes through authentic collaboration
- Towards a National Indigenous Genomics Agenda with Professor Alex Brown
- International Women’s Day: Inspire Inclusion with Ms Christine Gunson, Professor Yvette Roe, Dr Yee Lian Chow and Professor Frances Kay-Lambkin
- Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month: Early detection, risk prediction and improving prognosis with Professor Susan Ramos