Centre for Infection & Inflammatory Disease

Prestigious award for outstanding young scientist

Dr Brendan Jenkins, Senior Scientist and Research Fellow at the Monash Institute of Medical Research, has received one of Australia’s most prestigious medical fellowships.

Dr Jenkins was one of only two Australian scientists to receive a five-year Senior Medical Research Fellowship, valued at one million dollars, from the Sylvia and Charles Viertel Foundation. The Fellowship is awarded to scientists who completed their PhD studies no more than 10 years ago. Dr Jenkins competed against over 40 other applicants, and was interviewed by a panel of eminent scientists and Trustees of the Sylvia and Charles Viertel Foundation.

“This recognition is a reflection on the whole laboratory team. We are getting to a very exciting point in our work as we translate our laboratory findings into potential clinical and commercial realities. We are currently examining gastric biopsies from stomach cancer patients to validate our mouse model findings. The results appear to be correlating, which is extremely satisfying for us all,” Dr Jenkins said.

“I believe that, as a scientist, I have a responsibility to inform the community about the importance of a healthy and sustainable medical research system to ultimately combat major health concerns such as stomach cancer. The Fellowship will allow me to maximise the time I can spend in my lab and to communicate my findings to the community on an ongoing basis.”