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.
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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 early detection to impact: improving outcomes of children with leukaemia
Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is the most common cancer in children. While almost all patients enter remission after initial chemotherapy, for around one in 6, a small residue of leukaemia cells survives and drives relapse.
Beginning in 1996, NHMRC funding has underpinned research into the development of minimal residual (MRD) testing which is capable of detecting one leukaemia cell among a million healthy cells. MRD testing has led to a doubling in survival for high risk children while sparing lower risk children from overly intensive treatment.
Professor Murray Norris AM of the Children’s Cancer Institute will join us for Speaking of Science this September, in acknowledgement of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, to discuss improving outcomes in childhood leukemia.
This webinar will take place on Friday 25 September 2026, 10:00AM–11:00AM AEST.
Past
Watch previous editions of Speaking of Science.
2026
- From bench to birth: Building a test and treat program to prevent early preterm birth
- 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