The AustralianSociety for

Medical Research145 Macquarie Street,

Sydney NSW 2000ACN 000599235 · ABN 18000599235

Catherine WestSnr. Executive Officer

Ph: 02 9256 5450Fax: 02 9252 0294

Email:asmr@alwaysonline.net.au

Web: www.asmr.org.au

Newsletter Editor-in-Chief,Dr Daniel Wallace

Print Post Approved25500300067

The future health and economic challenges facingour nation are alarming. The projected health and

aged care costs, approaching 50% of total Governmentspending by 2050, are unsustainable and will negativelyimpact on the affordability of health care provision.Accordingly, strategic plans to mitigate the futurehealth crisis will become increasingly important asthe effects of an aging population, climate change andchronic diseases reach their projected levels in thecoming decades.

In recent years, ASMR has undertaken economicevaluations to determine the benefits of investing inhealth and medical research (HMR). The most recentreports from Deloitte Access Economics have focussedon NHMRC-funded HMR, which is projected to savebillions of dollars for the Australian economy, not tomention the substantial benefits to our health andwellbeing. All of these reports, available on the ASMRwebsite, have supported our evidence-based approachto inform and educate both sides of Government forincreased investment in HMR.

In 2012, ASMR presented Government with a businesscase for linking NHMRC investment to the total annualhealth spend, from its current level at 0.8% to reach3% over the coming decade. This investment strategyhas extrapolated savings of more than $25.9bn to theAustralian economy, and is central to providing long-term and sustainable funding of Australia’s HMRworkforce.

Recently, I emailed the membership with details ofASMR’s letter writing campaign, which aims to informand educate politicians about the future health andeconomic challenges facing our nation, as well as thebenefits of investing in HMR. I thank those membersthat have since written to their local Federal Memberof Parliament and our political leaders in Canberra. Forthose members yet to write, I take this opportunity toask that you contribute a letter to this importantcampaign. Details are available via the ASMR websitewww.asmr.org.au/campaign.html

The recent announcement of NHMRC fundingoutcomes has seen a total of $652 million awarded ingrants around the country. I congratulate thosesuccessful recipients, and send my commiserations tothose not funded, particularly those consideredfundable but missing out because of budget limitations.

Whilst ASMR acknowledges the global economicinstability, and the Governments laudable ambitionto return the Australian economy back to surplus, weurge consideration of ASMR’s business plan to increaseinvestment in NHMRC. This strategy will protect allAustralians from the health and economic challengesfacing our nation.

ASMR’s commissioned reports on HMR investment,have supported two submissions to the Governmentscurrent review process (aka McKeon Review), whichis currently in the form of a draft consultation papersummary. ASMR believes that the most importantaspect of this HMR review is the vision for long-termstructured and sustainable investment in the HMRsector. HMR is not a short term investment. It is a longterm investment, taking time to translate basicdiscoveries into practice, to produce a highly skilledworkforce and to generate economic benefits.

As President of ASMR, I thank our members for theirvalued support of the Society in 2012. In particular,the ASMR Directors, State committee members andour senior executive officer Catherine West andadministrative assistant Priscilla Diment, for ensuringthat our numerous activities are conducted in linewith ASMR’s mission. That is, to foster excellence inAustralian Health and Medical Research (HMR) and topromote community understanding and support ofthe sector through public, political and scientificadvocacy.

Dr Paul DawsonASMR President

President’s Report

November 2012

In this issue:

Prof. Peter Doherty 2— Biomedical researchand the Australianfuture

Indigenous 3Health Forum: Better Health Outcomes for Mums and Bubs

AHMRC 2012 4Opening Symposium— Future HealthChallengesfacing Australia

Professional 5Development 2012The Road to ResearchIndependence: Establishing andleading a research team

Dinner with a Scientist 6— Advances inallergy research

Vale – Rob Sutherland 6

ASMR Research Award 7— International Winner: Dr Alex Umbers

ASMR President Dr Paul Dawson

November 2012 2

In these days of global financial instability, we facethe ever-present question: where does Australia’s

economic future lie? What holds Australia in the firstworld are resilient institutions, a relative lack of publiccorruption and our established education/knowledgebase. If we are to maintain and grow that knowledgeeconomy, it is essential to foster educational accessand opportunity for all, through Years 1 to 12 touniversity and beyond. Here we are entering newterritory. University teaching is on the cusp of anenormous transformation as top quality lectures andthe like become available online from major institutionslike Stanford, MIT and so on.

So, what really matters from the viewpoint of Australia’sfuture is the local quality of the intellectual experience.That is anchored by our open culture, a dynamic literaryand liberal/performing arts scene and, last but notleast, by our science. And, while we have a leadingprofile in many areas, including astronomy, areas ofmaterials science, and so forth, biomedical researchis clearly the long-term jewel in the crown. Theaward of four Nobel Prizes for Physiology or Medicinefor work done here is extraordinary for a nation of thispopulation size and character.

Nobel prizes are given primarily for discovery, andmany of us have the sense that, while we are great atbasic science, we may not be so good at application.But is that really true? At the recent 75th birthdaycelebrations of the NHMRC, I was surprised to hear thatour top exports of manufactured goods are in themedical sector. No doubt that reflects imaginativebusiness decisions by companies like CSL, Cochlear,ResMed, and the like, but it must also relate to thequality of the underlying science.

Apart from any direct path linking discovery/innovationand economic development, having a dynamicbiomedical research culture serves our society in manyways. The first is that being at the biomedicine cuttingedge means that our scientists are fully exposed in theglobal research community and serve regularly onthe executives of the leading, international scienceorganizations. As a consequence, we bring many majormeetings to Australia. In my field for instance, thetriennial International Union of Immunology Societiesmeeting is to be held in Melbourne in 2016. It maynot be the Olympic Games, but it attracts thousandsof visitors.

The major benefit of this high international profile is,though, that our medical professionals at every levelare very aware of the latest trends, advances, technologyand possible problems. This translates inevitably to an

informed and dynamic culture in our research institutes,medical schools and teaching hospitals that is in turndisseminated throughout the clinical and associatedtechnical communities. The result is better health care,both at the point of patient contact and in the qualityof the advice that is available to policy makers. Afurther benefit from this international networking isthat young Australians who have completed abiomedical research PhD (typically 7 to 8 years posthigh school) are a known quantity and place very wellfor further postdoctoral training and support in majornorthern hemisphere institutions, including the leadingbiotechnology companies. We lose some, like BruceStillman who followed “double helix” Nobel LaureateJD Watson as Director of Long Island’s Cold SpringHarbor Laboratory, but many return to build their owndynamic research laboratories. Being able to bringthem back requires, of course, continuing andsubstantial financial support. The same is true forresearch trained medical graduates, where it is aconstant struggle to find the funds to keep such youngstars in science after they have returned from placeslike the Mayo Clinic. We have to get this right for boththe PhDs and the MD PhDs, as they are our future.

It is clear that a long term commitment by governmentand sustainable investment into the health and medicalresearch sector will be required for Australia to maintainits competitive edge in this arena.

Peter C Doherty, University of Melbourne

Biomedical researchand the Australian future

ASMRMentoringProgramThe ASMR invites memberswho are 2 to 12 yearspostdoctoral to participatein the ASMR MentoringProgram. Applications areaccepted all year roundand the program is free toASMR members.

For additional informationand application formsplease visithttp://www.asmr.org.au/

Mentor.html

Nobel Laureate Professor Peter Doherty,

University of Melbourne

3 November 2012

The ASMR presents an Indigenous Health Forumto explore issues surrounding women’s and

children’s health within the context of the broaderhealth and social issues faced by Australian Indigenouspeople. The Forum to be held in conjuction with the6th Australian Health and Medical Research Congressat the Adelaide Convention Centre on the evening ofMonday 26th November will tap the brains of someof Australia’s leading researchers in the fields ofIndigenous women’s and children’s health. The forumis open to all members of the public with an interestin Indigenous Health and will be chaired by JoshuaCreamer, a barrister-in-law and President of theIndigenous Lawyers Association of Queensland. It ishoped that the Forum will spark lively discussion andproduce a set of practical, realistic recommendationsdesigned to achieve better health outcomes forindigenous women and children.

Our five speakers are...

Professor Ngiare BrownProfessor Brown is a Yuin nation woman from thesouth coast of NSW. She is a senior Aboriginal medicalpractitioner with qualifications in medicine, publichealth and primary care and is one of the first identifiedmedical graduates in Australia. Over the past twodecades she has developed extensive national andinternational networks in Indigenous health and socialjustice, including engagement with the UN system.

Professor Bronwyn FredericksProfessor Fredericks is the Pro Vice-Chancellor(Indigenous Engagement) and BMA Chair in IndigenousEngagement at Central Queensland University. Herresearch interests focus on the socio-psychologicalaspects of chronic disease, Indigenous women’s issuesand research that privileges Indigenous knowledges,methodologies and worldviews. As a Murri woman(south-east Queensland) she has been actively engagedwith Indigenous controlled, community basedorganisations for over 30 years.

Ms Sandra CampbellSandra Campbell has worked as a registered nurseand midwife since the 1980s, most often with Aboriginalcommunity controlled organisations. She recentlycompleted PhD studies, titled “Pre-pregnancy predictorsof pregnancy events and birth outcomes in a cohortof Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in NorthQueensland”. She is interested in the intrauterineorigins of adult disease because healthy mothers tendto have healthy babies.

Professor Sue KildeaProfessor Kildea is Chair of Midwifery — AustralianCatholic University and Mater Mothers’ HospitalsWomen’s Health and Newborn Services, and a nursemidwife with experience across both tertiary andprimary health care settings and has spent a lot of hercareer in remote Australia. She is one of Australia’sleading advocates for returning birthing services torural and particularly remote areas.

Professor Roger SmithProfessor Smith is Director of the Mothers and BabiesResearch Centre/Endocrine Unit John Hunter HospitalFaculty of Health/School of Medicine & Public Healthat The University of Newcastle. He is an endocrinologistwith a special interest in the intrauterine origins of adultdisease. His research seeks to identify the factors thatlead to the high rates of preterm birth in Indigenouspeople and to understand the development of kidneydisease and diabetes in Aboriginal people.

Where: Adelaide Convention Centre,South Australia

When: Monday, November 26th, 6:45pm – 8:30pm

Who: This forum is open to all members of thepublic with an interest in Indigenous health.Attendance is free, but registration is essential!

For more details visit: www.ahmrcongress.org.auor scan the QR code

Indigenous Health Forum: Better Health Outcomes for Mums and Bubs

November 2012 4

The future health challenges facing Australians andhow to tackle them will be the focus of discussion

and set the scene for the opening of the 6th AustralianHealth and Medical Research Congress to be held atthe Adelaide Convention Centre on Sunday 25thNovember from 4:30pm. The ASMR has put together astellar list of speakers covering a variety of topics (seeopposite) and to be chaired by Professor Jim Best, whohas outlined below the areas that will be covered duringthe symposium. We look forward to seeing you there.

All would agree that good health is our most importantasset and that engagement in life and its enjoymentdepend on the state of our health. The areas ofcardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity, andmental ill health are very important health challengesfor the Australian population that reduce both thequality and length of life. But the burden from theseillnesses is not evenly spread through the population.Indigenous Australians are affected disproportionately,

raising the broader issue of the social determinantsof health and providing a challenge that includes butis not limited to the healthcare system. Understandingthrough health and medical research the basis ofhuman illness, from a molecular to a societal level, isthe first step to improved prevention and treatment.

The conditions of cardiovascular disease, diabetes andobesity and mental ill health are now well known tooverlap in their clinical manifestations and in theiraetiology. Based on extensive basic and clinical research,discoveries in recent years have demonstrated efficacyin preventive and therapeutic measures. How to takefull advantage of those discoveries by translating theminto effective treatment at the population level remainsa research challenge. How to target treatments tothose most at risk and most likely to benefit, is also animportant research question. I am sure that this openingsession of the meeting will answer many of thesequestions but will raise even more.

AHMRC 2012 OpeningSymposium — Future HealthChallenges facing Australia

Professor Jim Best,

Head, Melbourne Medical

School and

Professor of Medicine,

Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry

and Health Sciences,

The University of Melbourne

6th Australian Health and Medical Research Congress25th – 28th November 2012, Adelaide Convention CentrePromoting new, multidisciplinary approaches to health and medical research

Featuring ASMR 2012 NSCA Healthy Start to Life: Placental Biology

· Epigenetics · Trophoblast invasion · Immunity· Sleep and pregnancy · Placental transport · Vascular adaptations

PLENARY SPEAKER AND FIRKIN ORATOR EDWARDS ORATOR

Professor Colin Sibley (University of Manchester) Professor Sarah Robertson (University of Adelaide)

INTERNATIONAL SPEAKERS

Prof Larry Chamley (NZ) A/Prof Louise O’Brien (USA)Dr Thierry Fournier (Paris) Prof Cees Oudejans (Netherlands)

N ATIONAL SPEAKERS

Dr Maree Barnes Dr Padma Murthi Dr Philippe Boeuf Dr Chris O’NeilDr Paul Dawson Dr Laura Parry Dr Eva Dimitriadis Prof Claire RobertsDr Annemarie Hennessy Dr Richard Saffrey Prof Jeff Keelan Dr David SimmonsProf David Kennaway Dr Matthew Simpson Dr Sharon McCracken Dr Michael StarkDr Peter Mark

For more information visit: www.ahmrcongress.org.au

5 November 2012

• Welcome from CEO NHMRC

Professor Warwick Anderson

• Opening message

The Honourable Tanya

Plibersek MP

• Welcome to Country

Uncle Lewis O’Brien

• Chair — Professor Jim Best

• Cardiovascular Disease — Professor Steven Nicholls

• Diabetes and Obesity — Professor David James

• Mental Health — Professor Helen Christensen

• Indigenous Health —

Professor Sandra Eades

• Genetics and Personalised

Medicine —

Professor Andrew Biankin

• Translational Research —

Professor John Hopwood

AHMRC 2012 Opening Symposium Speakers and Topics…

Would you like to develop and hone your skillson how to establish and lead a successful

medical research team? Are you uncertain of exactlyhow to dr ive down that road o f inc reas ingindependence in your research career?

The ASMR Professional Development Sessions at the2012 Australian Health and Medical ResearchCongress aim to address these vital issues. A stellarline of experts in the field will provide their wordsof wisdom on the strategies of being competitivefor grant and fellowship funding, as well as the often-overlooked topic of how to build and manage yourresearch team. How does one establish a researchniche, develop a positive and productive researchgroup cu l ture , what a re the most e f fec t ivemanagement styles, and how do you ensure yourecruit the right people?

The two sessions (repeated), held at the Congresson Monday 26th and Tuesday 27th November from1 – 3 pm will be facilitated by Dr Sarah Meachem,Prince Henry’s Institute of Medical Research andASMR Past President (2009). Both sessions will featurea presentation by Professor Maria Kavallaris (Children’sCancer Institute Australia and ASMR Past President(2007), who will set the scene by introducing thethemes and providing a stimulating overview. Sarahwill then introduce the panel members, who withher direction, and audience participation, will exploreand discuss a plethora of aspects related to the mainthemes of the sessions.

Across the two days, the expert panels will consistof a variety of well-accomplished and successfulmedical researchers who represent a range ofUniversities, Medical Research Institutes and cornersof the country. They also span a breadth of stagesin terms of career, with the hope being to providedifferent perspectives and insights to the audience.

Our esteemed panellists are:Dr Ben HoganUniversity of QueenslandA/Professor Damien KeatingFlinders UniversityProfessor Ruth GanssWestern Australian Institute for Medical Research Dr Jeff KeelanUniversity of Western AustraliaA/Professor Laura ParryUniversity of Melbourne Dr Phoebe PhillipsUniversity of New South Wales A/Professor Sharon RicardoMonash University Professor Claire RobertsUniversity of Adelaide Professor Sarah RobertsonUniversity of Adelaide A/Professor Steve StackerPeter MacCallum Cancer Centre Professor David WhitemanQueensland Institute of Medical Research

Access to one of the ASMR Professional DevelopmentSessions is by being registered for the same day of theCongress on which you wish to attend the session (e.g.registration for the whole Congress allows you to attendeither Professional Development Session, or indeedboth; registration to the Monday of the Congress wouldallow you to attend the Professional DevelopmentSession on the Monday). Please register to attend theCongress now, if you haven’t already, and you knowparticipating in one of the Professional DevelopmentSessions will benefit you. Come along to the Congressand attend some stimulating multi-disciplinary sessionspresented by national and international speakers, as wellas participate in a Professional Development Session.We look forward to seeing you there! Any questionsplease don’t hesitate to contact ASMR Research CareerConvenors Kristen Nowak (Kristen.Nowak@uwa.edu.au)or Amanda Philp (APhilp@ccia.org.au).

Professional Development 2012The Road to Research Independence: Establishing and leading a research team

ConferencesAusBiotech 2012 —Realising thevalue of life scienceinnovation and howit will changeour lives.30 October to2 November 2012Melbourne Conventionand Exhibition Centre,Victoriahttp://www.ausbiotechnc.org/

Save thedate…NSC 2013The ASMRNational ScientificConference 2013will be held from17th to 20thNovember 2013 inBallarat, Victoria.The theme of theconference will be“Ageing”.

It is with great sadness that we learned of the recentdeath of Professor Rob Sutherland FAA AO (ASMR

Director 1983–7; President 1987).

Rob was first and foremost an outstanding scientist— his publications and honours speak for themselves.For the last 27 years he has been a stalwart of theGarvan Institute, as Director of its Cancer ResearchProgram and Director of the Kinghorn Cancer Centre.

Rob was a key player in ASMR during the middle yearsof the Society, being a Director over the period 1983–7and taking over the role of President in 1987, for thelast of the legendary Thredbo meetings, although hisown participation at that meeting was curtailed byCheryl going into labour in the midst of it. This was aperiod of significant change for the Society with itgrowing from being the ‘young Turks’ with an annualscientific meeting of a couple of hundred people tothe overarching organisation that it is today. Robcontinued to be a great supporter of the Society,encouraging members of his own laboratory and othersto take up leadership roles in later years.

During the 1980s, Rob with other ASMR Directors, mademany trips to the old Parliament House in Canberra, when

you could meet up with politicians just by standing inthe foyer or sharing the toilets with them. He had some‘heroic’ battles with Barry Jones, Minister for Science inthe Hawke Government and, at that time at least, nota strong supporter of more funding for medical research.

Rob played a significant role in guiding the nationalmedical research policy, as a member of the MedicalResearch Committee of NHMRC during the ’90s, wherehe was Deputy Chair as well as Chair of the GrantsCommittee. He also served on a number of committeesin the Cancer field. These roles were recognised in hisaward as an Officer of the Order of Australia. But Rob’sreal passion was for the laboratory and he alwayswanted to be allowed to get on with his research.

Most of all Rob was a ‘good bloke’. He was a mentorto many during his all too short life, and his advice,often given over a beer or a coffee, was always coupledwith good humour, common sense and great insight.

To Cheryl and his family, we extend our heartfeltsympathy and good wishes. We will miss him greatly.

John McDougall,ASMR President 1988

November 2012 6

On a stormy night in August, the BrandonHotel in Carlton North stoked the fires

and welcomed in an eager crowd to have“Dinner with a Scientist” to celebrate NationalScience Week. The theme for the eveningwas Allergy Research and ASMR was pleasedto host the Gastro and Food Allergy ResearchGroup from the Murdoch Children’s ResearchInstitute to have dinner with members of thepublic. Team members including Prof. Katie

Allen, Dr Jennifer Koplin, Ms Deborah Anderson and MsOlivia Hamilton mingled with dinner guests and happilyspent the evening answering questions and discussingthe latest in allergy research. The dinner attendeesincluded allergy sufferers, parents/grandparents ofchildren with allergies, school nurses, and even a graphicdesigner who designs food packaging.

Seated at communal tables, the dinner guests spentthe evening chatting about their experiences withallergies and enjoying a fabulous meal served by thewonderful staff of the Brandon. The chef made a hugeeffort to design a delicious and allergy friendly menuand enthusiastically catered for the multiple specificallergy sufferers on the evening.

During the night, allergist and researcher ProfessorKatie Allen gave a fascinating and entertainingpresentation about her research and the currentpractice for diagnosing and treating food allergies.She graciously answered many questions from thedinner guests and sat on long into the night discussingher work with her captivated audience.

ASMR thanks the generous sponsors of the evening:Re-Science (CSIRO) and the I lhan Food AllergyFoundation. Thanks also to Anaphylaxis Australia, AllergyAssist, The Allergy Shop, Health Shelf, Allergy Train, StarAllergy Alerts, and Allergy Friendly Foods for donatinggoodies and door prizes for the dinner guests.

A great night was had by all, and many of the attendeescommented on what a delight it was to be able to interactone on one with leading medical researchers. We wereparticularly thrilled to hear that as a result of discussionsover dinner, one of the school nurses and a young allergysufferer are now collaborating with the Gastro and FoodAllergy Research Group to produce a DVD for educatingschool students about allergies and anaphylaxis.

Rachel BurtASMR Director

Dinner with a Scientist — Advances in allergy research

Professor Katie Allen,

Dr Jennifer Koplin,

Olivia Hamilton and

Deborah Anderson

from the Gastro and Food

Allergy Research Group

at MCRI

Vale – Rob Sutherland

7 November 2012

Ispent one month with Professor John Aplin and DrJoycelyn Glazier at the Maternal and Fetal Health

Research Centre, St Mary’s Hospital, University ofManchester during June-July 2012. The main aim ofour collaboration was to bring together the malariaresearch world with that of experts in placentaldevelopment to ask the question — whether malariainfection in early pregnancy might have a negativeimpact on the growing fetus, through disturbingnormal placental development?

To test this question, I was trained in the ‘scratch’wound healing assay technique. We adapted an invitro functional assay of early pregnancy placental cellbehaviour to test the effect of P. falciparum or P. vivaxin the first half of pregnancy on trophoblast cellmigration. In normal pregnancy, trophoblast cellmigration into the maternal decidua is essential toestablish adequate blood flow to the placenta, andtherefore supply of nutrients to the developing fetus.Impairment of this biological process leads to restrictedfetal growth and poor health outcomes for the baby.

Using samples collected from women in Papua NewGuinea we found that the plasma from women infectedwith P. falciparum significantly impaired trophoblastmigration. This in vitro evidence suggests infection withP. falciparum could interfere with the development ofthe placenta, and therefore be a contributingmechanism to the fetal growth restriction observedwith malaria during pregnancy. This is an importantfinding for disease management because currently theWHO recommendation does not protect women frominfection in early pregnancy. We plan to submit ourrevised publication to PLoS One for review.

We also found a relationship betweenthe amount of parasites in a woman’sblood and the degree of change introphoblast behaviour: the higherdensity infections have the largestn e g a t i v e e f f e c t o n p l a c e n t a ldevelopment. Interestingly, P. vivax did not seem tointerfere with placental development, which couldbe due to the low parasitaemia observed with thisparasite species, or the high variation we observed.

During my stay I presented a one hour lecture ‘Malariain pregnancy: small babies, big problem’ at GrandRounds at St Mary’s Hospital. I took the opportunityto meet with three other lab heads in Manchester todiscuss future collaborations on placental vasculardevelopment, micronutrients and pregnancy andmetabolomics. We have some new ideas andcollaborations that we will submit grants on, includinga fellowship application to be based in the UK. I alsomet with Professors Bernard Brabin and Feiko ter Kuile,who are leaders in the field of malaria in pregnancyat the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. I gave ashort presentation on our preliminary data, whichstimulated much discussion. In both presentations,support from ASMR was acknowledged.

Overall, the research exchange was highly productivefor both research outcomes and to establish networkswith research leaders in Europe, and to stimulate novelresearch questions and grant/fellowship submissionsfor my next post-doc on medical research.

Dr Alex Umbers University of Melbourne

ASMR Research Award— International Winner: Dr Alex Umbers

Dr. Alex Umbers at work in the

Maternal Fetal Health Research

Centre in Manchester, UK

The ASMR is on Facebook!To keep up with all the latestinformation and updates on ASMRevents, awards, activities and photos,join the ASMR Facebook page!www.facebook.com/theASMRThere is a direct link to the Facebookpage on the ASMR homepage(www.asmr.org.au).

…and now on Twitter!

For all of the latest news andfacts on Australian health and

medical research, you can nowfollow us on Twitter…

@TheASMR1Or just scan the QR code with

your smartphone or tablet deviceto be taken straight there!

For more information, or to promote an ASMR event, please contact the page administrator, Dr Roger Yazbek (roger.yazbek@unisa.edu.au)

November 2012 8

Australian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology IncAustralian Society for Parasitology Australian Vascular Biology SocietyBaker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute Bionics Institute of Australia Burnet Institute Cardiac Society of Australia and New ZealandChildren’s Medical Research InstituteClinical Oncological Society of AustraliaEar Science Institute AustraliaEndocrine Society of AustraliaEskitis Insitute Fertility Society of AustraliaHaematology Society of Australia and New ZealandHealth Innovations Research Insitute (HIRi)High Blood Pressure Research Council of AustraliaHuman Genetics Society of AustralasiaInstitute of Health and Biomedical InnovationInstitute of Mind and Behavioural SciencesKolling Institute of Medical Research Lions Eye Institute LimitedMater Medical Research Institute National Association of Research FellowsNeuroscience Society of Australia and New ZealandNutrition Society of Australia IncOphthalmic Research Institute of Australia Perinatal Society of Australia and New ZealandPrince Henry’s Institute Research Centre for Clinical & Community Practice InnovationRoyal ANZ College of Obestetricians and GynaecologistsRoyal Australasian College of SurgeonsRoyal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists Royal Australasian College of PhysiciansRoyal Australian College of General Practitioners Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia Society for Free Radical Research (Australasia)Society for Reproductive Biology University of Queensland — Diamantina Institute Thoracic Society of Australia and New ZealandTransplantation Society of Australia and New ZealandWomen’s & Children’s Health Research Institute

Associate Members of ASMRArthritis AustraliaAustralian Red Cross Blood ServiceAustralian Respiratory CouncilBrain Foundation Clifford Craig Medical Research TrustCystic Fibrosis Australia IncorporatedFoundation for High Blood Pressure ResearchHaemophilia Foundation of AustraliaJuvenile Diabetes Research FoundationKidney Health AustraliaLupus Association of NSW McCusker Alzheimer’s Research Foundation MS Research AustraliaMuscular Dystrophy Association IncNational Heart Foundation of AustQueensland HealthScleroderma Association of NSW Inc

Supporting Members of ASMRBiota Holdings LimitedResearch AustraliaSapphire Bioscience Pty LtdServier LaboratoriesWiley-Blackwell

ASMR Directors 2012Executive DirectorsDr Paul Dawson — President

Associate Professor Naomi Rogers — President-electand Regional Events Convenor

Associate Professor Kristen Nowak — Honorary Treasurerand Research Careers Convenor

Dr Roger Yazbek — Honorary Secretaryand Communications Convenor

DirectorsDr Rachel Burt — Sponsorship Convenor

Dr Louise Dunn — Media Convenor

Dr Rosemary Keogh — NSC 2012 and ASMR MRW® Convenor

Dr Amanda Philp — Assisting Research Careers and ASMR MRW®

Dr Steven Polyak — AHMRC 2012 Convenor

Dr Juliet Taylor — Membership and NSC 2013 Convenor

Dr Daniel Wallace — Newsletter Editor

Senior Executive OfficerCatherine West

ASMR State Branch Convenors Dr Jane Carland & Dr Francesca Charlton — New South Wales

Co-convenors

Dr Richard Clark — Queensland Convenor

Dr Rajaraman Eri — Tasmania Convenor

Dr Krystal Evans — Victoria Convenor

Dr Rob Marano — Western Australia Convenor

Dr Cassandra McIver — South Australia Convenor

Contact details from www.asmr.org.au/Statebranch.html

Affiliate Members of ASMRANZAC Research Institute Australasian College for Emergency MedicineAustralasian College of DermatologistsAustralasian Faculty of Occupational and Environmental MedicineAustralasian Gene Therapy Society IncAustralasian Menopause SocietyAustralasian Sleep AssociationAustralasian Society of Clinical Immunology and AllergyAustralasian Society for HIV Medicine IncAustralasian Society for ImmunologyAustralasian Society for Infectious DiseasesAustralasian Society for Psychiatric ResearchAustralasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists

and ToxicologistsAustralian and New Zealand Association of NeurologistsAustralian and New Zealand Bone & Mineral SocietyAustralian and New Zealand College of AnaesthetistsAustralian and New Zealand Obesity SocietyAustralian and New Zealand Society for Blood TransfusionAustralian and New Zealand Society for Cell & Developmental Biology IncAustralian and New Zealand Society of NephrologyAustralian Atherosclerosis SocietyAustralian College of Ambulance Professionals Australian College of NursingAustralian Diabetes SocietyAustralian Medical Students’ Association Ltd Australian Physiological SocietyAustralian Rheumatology Association