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I graduated from The University of Tasmania, and received my PhD in Developmental Biology from The University of Queensland in 2003. My PhD, performed at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience with Prof. Melissa Little, centred on understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying embryonic kidney development. My first postdoc was performed with Prof. Christine Holt at The University of Cambridge, UK, where I studied the mechanisms by which axonal growth cones navigate to their targets in the brain, using the frog Xenopus laevis as a model system. In my second postdoctoral position, with Prof. Linda Richards at the Queensland Brain Institute at The University of Queensland, my work focussed on understanding the molecular mechanisms of neural progenitor cell specification in the developing cerebral cortex. In late 2010, I took up a joint position with the Queensland Brain Institute and The School of Biomedical Sciences (SBMS) to continue my research into the mechanisms underlying neural stem cell differentiation. I have held numerous fellowships during my career, including an NHMRC Howard Florey Fellowship, an NHMRC CDF and an ARC Future Fellowship. I currently hold a continuing Teaching and Research position within SBMS, and am currently the Director for Higher Degree Research Training at SBMS.

Dr Stefanie Plage is an ARC DECRA Fellow at the School of Social Science researching health and social care in the context of housing instability. Prior to her DECRA Fellowship, she was a Research Fellow with the Life Course Centre at the School of Social Science at UQ. Her expertise is in qualitative research methods, including longitudinal and visual methods. Her research interests span the sociology of emotions, disadvantage and health and illness. Stefanie has taught introductory and advanced courses in sociology and medical sociology, research design and qualitative inquiry, including the use of software for qualitative research (i.e. NVivo). Her work is multi-disciplinary. She completed her PhD at the Centre for Social Research in Health at The University of New South Wales. In her study she employed a mix of longitudinal qualitative interviews and visual elicitation methods to explore the lived experience of people with cancer.

As part of her DECRA, UQ offers a PhD opportunity. While the DECRA itself is not focussed on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, the project will support a PhD Candidate to address their experiences. The scholarship is advertised here https://study.uq.edu.au/study-options/phd-mphil-professional-doctorate/projects/dying-dignity-caring-people-without-home-end-life . Please reach out to Stefanie directly for more information.

Dr Juan Carlos Polanco leads a research team on "Extracellular Vesicles and Neurodegenerative Disorders" at the Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research (CJCADR), part of the Queensland Brain Institute (QBI) at the University of Queensland (UQ). He holds an MSc in Biochemistry from the National University of Colombia and a PhD in Molecular Bioscience from UQ. During his PhD, Dr Polanco made significant contributions to understanding how SOX genes are involved in XX disorders of sex development. He furthered his expertise during a postdoctoral fellowship at CSIRO, developing assays to detect unstable human-induced pluripotent stem cells prone to tumorigenesis.

In 2013, Dr Polanco joined Prof. Jürgen Götz's lab at CJCADR, where he began pioneering work on small extracellular vesicles, known as exosomes. His highly cited 2016 paper in the Journal of Biological Chemistry was the first to demonstrate that exosomes encapsulate 'Tau seeds' capable of inducing Tau aggregation in recipient cells. He also showed that exosomes can propagate between interconnected neurons and that some exosomes internalised by neurons are re-released by hijacking endogenous secretory endosomes, thereby increasing their pathogenicity (Acta Neuropathologica Communications, 2018). Since 2019, Dr Polanco has secured NHMRC grants and leads a research team within Prof. Götz's larger laboratory at CJCADR.

Jason D. Pole is the Deputy Director of the Queensland Digital Health Centre (QDHeC) and a Professor in the Medical School within the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences. Jason provides research leadership for QDHeC and manages his own research program that utilises clinical and surveillance data linked with real-world administrative data to answer health questions in several areas.

Jason has a background in epidemiology, health services research and digital health with an emphasis in the use of real-world data and complex survey instruments.

Currently, Jason has research interests in the areas of digital health applications to improve system performance including patient safety, health care utilization among childhood cancer survivors, the effects of childhood cancer treatment specifically on the development of second cancers and education achievement and has interests in the financial impact of a childhood cancer diagnosis on the family and the long-term financial health of the survivor. More recently, Jason has developed an interest in adolescent and young adult oncology (AYA) survivors and the specific long-term needs of this unique cancer population.

Jason maintains appointments as an Associate Professor in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto and an Adjunct Scientist with the Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute and an Adjunct Senior Scientist with ICES, Toronto.

Dr Javad Pool is a researcher focusing on the use of AI and the sustainable implementation of emerging technologies. He completed his PhD in Information Systems at The University of Queensland, where his thesis received the ACPHIS PhD Medal for the best PhD thesis in Information Systems in Australia. He has conducted research in Digital Health, Responsible AI, and Information Systems, with a particular focus on trust in AI, data privacy, and the socio-technical aspects of Information Systems. His work aims to develop a better understanding of responsible and effective use of Information Systems, particularly in organisational contexts.

Research Interests

• Advanced Drug Delivery and Nanomedicine 1.Advanced drug delivery methods (controlled release dosage forms such as tablets, granules and microspheres) 2. Biomaterials as next generation adjuvant for vaccine delivery 3. Surface modified nanomaterials (Silica, Polymer, Liposomes) 4. Programmable nanoparticales for oral drug delivery and targeting 5. Translocation of nanoparticles after oral drug delivery (In-vitro and In-vivo)

Qualifications

• Master of Pharmaceutical Science, Gujarat University
• Bachelor of Pharmacy, Gujarat University

Profile Summary

Dr Sandro Porceddu is an internationally recognised radiation oncologist and a leading authority in head and neck and skin cancer. With over 20 years experience in medicine his areas of clinical expertise include head and neck cancer, skin cancer, sarcoma and lymphoma. He is currently a senior radiation oncologist and Director of radiation oncology research at the Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, Professor of Medicine, University of Queensland and Associate Editor for the International Head and Neck journal, Oral Oncology.

Dr Porceddu is a nationally and internationally recognised cancer advocate through his involvement in high-level committees, engagement with key policymakers, community education and media roles.

Career Summary

Professor Porceddu completed his medical degree at Monash University before undertaking his residency at Monash Medical Centre, Melbourne. He commenced his specialist training in radiation oncology at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in 1996 and was made Fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists, Faculty of Radiation Oncology in 2000. After working as a consultant radiation oncologist at PeterMac for several years he moved to the Princess Alexandra Hospital in 2004.

Professional Committees and Organisations

Professor Porceddu has been the President of the Clinical Oncology Society of Australia (COSA), the peak organisation for cancer-related health professionals, and the Trans Tasman Radiation Oncology Group (TROG), one of the largest cancer collaborative trials group in Australia/New Zealand. He has served on numerous national and international professional and academic committees including the board of the Cancer Council of Australia, the National Cancer Expert Reference Group for the Commonwealth and the International Union for the Control of Cancer (UICC) TNM Expert Advisory Panel.

Currently, he is the Chair of the Cancer Council Queensland Co-operative Oncology Group, a committee that provides over $1.2M per annum to support clinical research throughout Queensland and is on the board of the of the Head and Neck Cancer InterGroup (HNCIG), a group of leading world cancer experts dedicated to promoting the global harmonisation of head and neck cancer research and treatment.

Academic Highlights

Professor Porceddu runs an active clinical research program with over 150 peer-review articles, book chapters, published abstracts, invited reviews and commentaries. He has received invitations to speak at major international conferences such as the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting and publish in prestigious journals such as the Lancet Oncology and Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Awards

Trans Tasman Radiation Oncology Group Outstanding Contribution

American Head and Neck Society Chris O’Brien Travelling Scholar

Pre-eminent status by Queensland Health

Rouse Fellowship, Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists

Teaching

Dr Porceddu has had a life-long commitment to teaching and is a supervisor and mentor to Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Philosophy candidates, Clinical Research Fellows, MBBS Honours students, resident, registrars and other allied health professionals.

NAME Professor Elizabeth Ellen POWELL

POSITION TITLE Professor, School of Medicine, The University of Queensland; Hepatologist, Princess Alexandra Hospital

Email e.powell@uq.edu.au

EDUCATION/TRAINING

Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery with First Class Honours (M.B.,B.S.Hons1), The University of Queensland

Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), The University of Queensland

Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, London

Fellow, American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases

Elizabeth Powell is a Hepatologist and Senior Staff Specialist in the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Princess Alexandra Hospital. She is also Professor, School of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Director of the network Centre for Liver Disease Research in The University of Queensland and a Research Fellow with the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. She is also a recent past member of the Executive of the Australian Liver Association.

Professor Powell has a very productive research group, bridging basic science and clinical research. Her main research interests include:

(i) developing strategies to improve the assessment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease by primary care clinicians and non-hepatology specialists.

(ii) examining ways to improve education and medication management for people with decompensated cirrhosis (advanced liver disease)

(iii) examining the role of injury-stratifying biomarkers for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Dr Melinda Protani is an epidemiologist with over 15 years experience in research and tertiary education. She is the current Program Director for the Master of Epidemiology at UQ. Her research is focussed on cancer aetiology, survivorship and patterns of care, with a particular interest in inequity in access to health services and the receipt of optimal cancer care. Dr Protani has experience in a number of methods including medical record audits, surveys of the general population, patient groups and clinicians, and data linkage using registry and administrative datasets.

Breast and Endocrine Surgeon, Mater Hospitals South Brisbane.

Previous Fellowships at University of Nottingham(UK) and Mayo Clinic (USA)

Chairman, Foundation for Breast Cancer Care

Senior Surgeon Breast Screen Qld Metro south Brisbane

Professor Rae received her PhD in 2007 in the area of reproductive physiology and has been working in the area of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander maternal and infant health and chronic disease since that time. She began as the Group Lead for the Indigenous Health Research group at the Mater Research Institute in a role that bridges the Mater, University of QLD and is actively growing partnerships with the Aboriginal community-controlled health sector in QLD. The importance of maternal health for Indigenous communities has been identified as a critical national research priority by Indigenous communities. Her work has had a multidisciplicinary nature and while always focused on the health of Indigneous Australians she has published in areas including pregnancy and birth outcomes, nutrition, psychosocial health, growth and development during infancy, the use of arts in health education to name a few.She has a particular passion for working in partnership to co-design research projects that support improving health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. Her specific focus has primarily been to develop programs that reduce chronic diseases which afflict Aboriginal people more commonly through early detection and diagnosis, health education, and developing a thorough understanding of risk factors that impact on this community. She has mentored her team of staff and students to co-produce and co-disseminate findings from these programs of work and to build research capacity for all team members including those who identify as Indigenous and for those from rural locations of research studies.

Prior to her role at Mater Research, she was the inaugaral Director of the Gomeroi gaaynggal program (2007-2019), which had two major programs of work 1. ArtsHealth for community engagement, health education and health promotion and 2. A Health research program for understanding the development of chronic disease in the Indigenous community through the Gomeroi gaaynggal cohort. Program 1 was successful in transitioning its funding to local Aboriginal community-controlled sector in Tamworth (2019). Prior to its transition, she led a community focussed ArtsHealth program to improve health knowledge, particularly in the areas of social and emotional wellbeing in the community, with the assistance of a team of beginning Indigenous researchers. Over 100,000 hours of community education were delivered through this program. 2. The Gomeroi gaaynggal cohort work has involved the recruitment and retention of a prospective longitudinal cohort of Indigenous women from pregnancy through until the infants are 10 years of age highlighting her expertise in working with Indigenous families during their antenatal and early childhood years. The importance of maternal health for this population is a critical priority to improving the life-long health of the Indigenous communities of Australia.

Dr. Divya Ramnath is a post-doctoral researcher in Prof. Matt Sweet's lab at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB), The University of Queensland. As an early career post-doctoral researcher, she led a new project, characterising inflammation-associated determinants of chronic liver disease at the IMB Centre for Inflammation and Disease Research (CIDR).

Dr Isuru Ranasinghe is a Senior Staff Specialist Cardiologist and Professor in Cardiology at the Prince Charles Hospital and the Northside Clinical Unit of the Faculty of Medicine at UQ. He leads research in clinical cardiology, cardiovascular epidemiology and healthcare safety and quality. Dr Ranasinghe has recipient of nationally competitive scholarships and fellowships including the NHMRC Postgraduate Scholarship, the NHMRC Neil-Hamilton-Fairley Early Career Fellowship and the National Heart Foundation of Australia Future Leader Fellowship.

Dr Rash completed his Honours (1996) and PhD (2001) on the pharmacological activity of spider venoms at the Department of Pharmacology, Monash University in the group of Professor Wayne Hodgson. After 18 months as an Assistant Lecturer at Monash Pharmacology, he was awarded an INSERM/NH&MRC Post-doctoral Fellowship to work in the group of Prof. Michel Lazdunski at the Institute of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology in Antibes, France. It was here that he became involved in discovery and characterisation of venom peptides that act on acid-sensing ion channels, voltage-gated sodium channels and other pain related channels. Upon returning to Australia to the Institute for Molecular Bioscience (The University of Queensland), he established an ASIC research program and was awarded an NH&MRC project grant as CIA to investigate the molecular basis of the interaction of PcTx1 and APETx2 with ASIC1a and ASIC3 respectively. Dr Rash was appointed as senior lecturer in Pharmacology in the School of Biomedical Sciences in early 2016 where he continues his research on identifying novel bioactive peptides from animal venoms, unravelling the molecular basis for their specific channel interactions and their use as research tools and potential therapeutic lead molecules.

I am a Principal Investigator (PI) and a senior research officer (SRO) at Mater research – UQ with excellent clinical and research laboratory skills and expertise in conducting and analyzing laboratory assays and resolving complex research and clinical laboratory problems. I can describe myself as determined, reliable, studious, conscientious, attentive, industrious, diligent, and focused on the timely, quality completion of all lab procedures. I am able to work well under pressure and time constraints within high-volume environments both independently and in collaboration within a team. I am also a highly self-motivated and career-oriented individual with a genuine interest in addressing cancer molecular mechanisms with the goal of developing novel cancer therapeutics and immunotherapy focusing on tumor microenvironment, immunoregulation and signaling pathways in cancer and metastasis.

I received my Bachelor's in Biology (2001) from Yarmouk University in Jordan, followed by postgraduate degrees from the University of Houston in Houston-Texas (2002-2007). My studies are integrative in nature, joining the best of both the Neuroscience world and Circadian Biology (the study of biological clocks). In the laboratory of Prof. Arnold Eskin, I investigated how processes as complex as learning and memory are modulated by biological clocks i.e. the circadian (about 24 hours) system, using Aplysia californica as the experimental model. After completing my Master's in Science in 2005, my research focused on the mechanism by which biological clocks modulate learning and memory. This work was performed in the laboratories of Prof. Gregg Cahill and Prof. Greg Roman, experts in chronobiology and behavioral neuroscience, respectively. Using Zebrafish as a model system, I investigated the role of melatonin, a night-time restricted hormonal signal, in modulating long-term memory consolidation. My findings, published in Science in 2007, shows that the circadian system via the cyclic night-time confined synthesis/release of melatonin “the hormone of darkness” functions as a modulator, shaping daily variations in the efficiency by which memories are processed. After receiving my Ph.D. in 2007, I joined as a postdoctoral fellow the laboratory of the pharmacologist and melatonin researcher Prof. Margarita Dubocovich. My postdoctoral work engaged in elucidating the role of melatonin in circadian physiology and pharmacology during development and ageing in rodents (Mus musculus) and non-human primates (Macaca mulatta) at the Feinberg School of Medicine (Northwestern University-Chicago) and the State University of New York (SUNY). From 2010-2015, I held a teaching/research position in the Dr. Senckenbergische Anatomy and the Dept. of Neurology at the Goethe University in Frankfurt-Germany. During this time, I was involved in teaching gross human anatomy while continuing my endeavor in understanding the mechanistics involved in shaping memory processes (acquisition, consolidation and retrieval) by the circadian system.

Professor Reade is Director of the Greater Brisbane Clinical School and Professor of Military Medicine and Surgery at UQ. The Greater Brisbane Clinical School comprises all the Brisbane teaching hospitals of the University of Queensland along with the preclinical teaching resources of the St Lucia campus and the General Practice Clinical Unit. A specialist intensive care physician, anaesthetist and clinician-researcher, he also leads a program of research relevant to military trauma medicine and surgery that holds equal promise for severely injured civilian trauma patients.

After clinical training in anaesthetics and intensive care medicine in Sydney, Melbourne, Oxford and Pittsburgh, a doctorate in the molecular pathogenesis of nitric oxide production in human septic shock from the University of Oxford and a postdoctoral research fellowship in clinical trials and epidemiology from the University of Pittsburgh, Michael returned to Australia as Associate Professor of Intensive Care Medicine at the Austin Hospital & the University of Melbourne in 2007. Michael held faculty appointments at the University of Oxford (where he taught physiology), the University of Pittsburgh (where he was an Instructor in critical care), and currently holds adjunct or honorary appointments at the University of London, the US Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, the University of Melbourne and Monash University. He has supervised postgraduate students in basic, applied and clinical research, and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy of the United Kingdom.

In parallel with his academic and clinical work, Michael served in the Australian Army Reserve until his appointment to the full-time ADF Chair in 2011. He was commissioned as a General Service Officer in the Australian Army in 1990, and prior to his appointment to UQ had deployed to Bosnia and Kosovo (on attachment to the British Airborne Brigade), Timor, the Solomon Islands and Afghanistan. In 2013 he commanded the Australian Specialist Health Group at the NATO ISAF Role 3 Hospital in Kandahar, Afghanistan, and in 2015 in Iraq he was the first Director of Clinical Services of the ADF hospital deployed in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. He deployed again to Iraq in 2016 and 2017. From 2015-2018 he was the Director of Clinical Services of the Australian Regular Army's only field hospital. In 2017 he led this unit to become the first ever ADF hospital accredited by the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons Trauma Verification Program. He was recognised for this service by appointment as a Member in the Military Division of the Order of Australia in the 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours List. From 2019-2022 on promotion to Brigadier he was appointed Director General Health Reserve - Army, responsible for technical regulation of specialist medical, nursing and allied health support. He remains a senior clinical advisor to Joint Health Command of the Australian Defence Force.

Professor Reade's clinical research focusses on treatments for exsanguinating haemorrhage, improving trauma systems, and preventing and treating acute cognitive impairment (such as that which results from traumatic brain injury). He is the Chief Investigator in an NHMRC-funded clinical trial of cyropreserved (frozen) platelets, a technology which holds equal promise to military and civilian trauma patients, particularly those in smaller hospitals. He is also a Chief Investigator in NHMRC-funded multicentre clinical trials of tranexamic acid and fibrinogen concentrate (drugs thought to reduce mortality from traumatic bleeding), the effect of erythropoietin on inflammation and mortality after severe trauma, a novel anti-delirium strategy for use in critically ill patients, and an advanced MRI/biomarker study in traumatic brain injury. He has active research collaborations with Australian Red Cross Lifeblood, the National Trauma Research Institute, the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Research Centre at Monash University, the ANZICS Clinical Trials Group and the ANZCA Clinical Trials Network.

Professor Reade is also developing a research programme focussed on trauma systems design, in collaboration with colleagues at the Jamieson Trauma Institute on the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital campus, Australian state ambulance services and the US and UK armed forces, aiming (for example) to optimise the allocation of prehospital and hospital resources in the management of life-threatening trauma.

Professor Reade currently supervises 10 postgraduate students (including 4 PhD students) and one postdoctoral research fellow, most of whom are Defence Force officers. He holds or has held research grants totalling >A$51M, has published >230 peer-reviewed papers and delivered >440 lectures at national and international conferences. From 2019-2021, Professor Reade was President of the Australasian Trauma Society.

Associate Prof Amy McCart Reed holds a PhD in molecular biology from The University of Queensland. She is a Fellow of the Faculty of Science of the Royal College of Pathologists Australasia. Her early postdoctoral work focused on understanding the genetic basis of colorectal cancer using experimental disease models, as part of a Cancer Research UK-funded colorectal cancer program led by Professors Ian Tomlinson and Andrew Silver. After returning to Australia, she was recruited to the Molecular Breast Pathology group at UQ’s Centre for Clinical Research and has undertaken a series of studies investigating the genomic landscape of breast cancer special types. Amy's research program includes studies on Metaplastic breast cancer and Invasive Lobular Carcinoma, two breast cancer special types in need of targetted therapy options. A/Prof McCart Reed is the scientific lead on an MRFF-funded genomics program investigating the potential for the application of Whole Genome Sequencing in the breast cancer care pathway in Australia, 'Q-IMPROvE'. She applies genomics and spatial transcriptomics methodologies to archival clinical samples to understand the differences between tumour types and their potential for treatment. Amy is passionate about clinical research, biobanking and precision oncology. In addition to her breast cancer research portfolio, she co-manages the Brisbane Breast Bank and is on the Scientific Advisory Board for Breast Cancer Trials, as well as being an elected member of the UQ Academic Board.