The G-Force Researcher of the Year Award for 2008 was awarded to Professor Michael Berk of Barwon Health/Melbourne University for his pioneering work in mental health.
The award was presented at the prestigious forth annual Researcher of the Year Awards on Saturday 16 August, where Geelong's business and scientific communities gathered to celebrate the region's best research.
His winning project: "Testing the glutathione dysfunction hypothesis of Bipolar Disorder - A Double Blind Randomised Placebo Controlled Trial of N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC)", followed previous research proving NAC is able to reduce depression and improve quality of life and functioning in bipolar disorder.
In this study, the efficacy and tolerability of 2g daily of NAC will be compared to placebo in patients who are suffering from bipolar disorder. A total of 150 individuals will be given NAC for 2 months and radomised to either NAC or placebo for a further 6 months.
On winning the award, Prof. Berk said: "I am incredibly excited and surprised - it's an important award award particularly given it's cross-disciplinary."
"I've come and supported all of the previous researcher of the year awards. These awards are a very important initiative for the region and this city. It really puts education, innovation, training and biotechnology as a forefront initiative of the Geelong region."
Prof. Berk has been in Geelong for eight years and said the combination of a Melbourne University position while working with Barwon Health offers tremendous opportunities for research and service delivery.
"Research in Geelong has grown hugely, as has health in Geelong. If I look at the development just in the area I work in, in the last half dozen years there has been massive progress."
"(Barwon Health) is probably the benchmark mental health service in Australia."
Prof. Berk also won the St John of God Pathology - Pathcare "Health & Lifestyle Award" earlier in the evening.
Other Barwon Health winners were:
- Associate Professor John Agar won the GHD Save the Planet Award for his research project: "Water conservation in Haemodialysis."
- Felice Jacka won the Deakin University Early Researcher Award for her project: "The relationship between depressive and anxiety disorders and lifestyle - are diet and exercise modifiable risk factors?"
For more information about the SMART Geelong Network's Research & Innovation Expo and Researcher of the Year awards, visit www.smartgeelongnetwork.com.au
11/7/2008 |