Research Week

Research Week is held annually as part of the SMART Geelong Network's Research and Learning Expo. Barwon Health hosted a successful Research Afternoon on 22 August 2007 as part of Geelong’s Research and Learning Expo with 32 posters featuring in the poster competition and 4 podium presentations.

Congratulations to the following winners:

Melinda Tursky – Best Basic Science/Clinical Science Poster

“Ex vivo expansion of Cord Blood Hemotopoietic Stem Cells”

Frank Lin – Best Public Health/Education Poster

“Learning from mistakes: a systems approach to pathology auditing”

Julie Pasco – Best Podium Presentation

“Leptin in depressed women: cross-sectional and longitudinal data from an epidemiologic study”

A Research Facilities Open Day at Geelong Hospital was also held during the expo week with over 40 students coming from various including Christian College and St Ignatius who were interested in finding out more about medical research. In addition, the annual Medical Symposium was held from 24 to 25 August and was hosted by the Cardiothoracic Unit, Cardiology Unit and Vascular Surgery Unit. It was very successful with 19 speakers and over 63 registrations.

Barwon Health is “home” to Geelong’s Researcher of the Year

Associate Professor Mark Kirkland was awarded the G-Force

Researcher of the Year Award during Smart Geelong Network’s

Research and Learning Expo. The award was given for his work

in reprogramming stem cells using recombinant homeoproteins.

Mark also won the Department of Innovation, Industry and

Regional Development Biomedical Award.

Professor Michael Berk was also recognised on the night with

a Highly Commended Biomedical Award for this research on

the use of the antioxidant N-Acetyl cysteine in the treatment

of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

Above: Assoc Prof Mark Kirkland with his award

The Researcher of the Year Awards also saluted the work of Barwon Health’s Associate Professor Julie Pasco. She took out the Deakin University Partnerships Award for her research project titled “Metabolic Syndrome in Australian Men”.