10 Oct 2019
Doherty researchers elected to the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences
Three Doherty Institute researchers have been elected as Fellows in the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences (AAHMS) in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the health and medical research landscape in Australia.
Professor Katherine Kedzierska, Professor Karin Thursky and Professor Monica Slavin are among 19 women out of the 40 new Ordinary Fellows in the 2019 induction.
The new Fellows have had a significant impact on the health and wellbeing of Australians and the world – representing a broad range of fields from across clinical and biomedical sciences, including infectious diseases, epidemiology and mental health, through to biomedical engineering, health economics and Indigenous health and wellbeing.
Professor Katherine Kedzierska, Laboratory Head was recognised for her work in immunology that has helped reveal why some groups, including Indigenous Australians, the elderly and patients with co-morbidities succumb to severe influenza.
“I am greatly honoured by this election to the AAHMS. It is such an amazing recognition of my passion for human immunology, two decades of my research and all the outstanding contributions by my mentors and team members I have been privileged to work with,” Professor Kedzierska said.
Professor Karin Thursky, Director of the National Centre for Antimicrobial Stewardship at the Doherty Institute, Deputy Head of Infectious Diseases at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and the Director of the Guidance Group at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. She was elected for her significant contribution to antimicrobial stewardship in Australia.
“It is a great honour to be recognised and admitted into the Academy. I hope to use this role to promote the importance of health services research across our health care system,” Professor Thursky said.
Head of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and the Immunocompromised Host Infection Service at Royal Melbourne Hospital, Professor Monica Slavin was elected a Fellow for her work investigating fungal infections.
“I think this is recognition of the importance of fungal infections to human health and the need for more research into preventing infections in the increasing number of immunocompromised patients we see. I am honoured that the research I and my group at RMH and Peter Mac have pursued over many years has been recognised in this way,” Professor Slavin said.
The new Fellows will be admitted at the Academy’s fifth annual meeting on 10-11 October at the Harry Perkins Centre for Medical Research in Perth.
“The diverse talents and expertise of our new Fellows – as well as our existing Fellowship – reflect the incredible breadth and depth of Australia’s world class health and medical research,” Professor Ingrid Scheffer AO, incoming AAHMS President said.