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Students profiles
Dr Rachel Chan After completing a Bachelor of Science (Honours) at the University of Melbourne, majoring in pathology, Rachel Chan undertook her PhD in the Centre for Women’s Health Research. Rachel chose to study at MIMR because of its international reputation in reproductive science research. She worked under the supervision of Dr Caroline Gargett, and played a key role in Dr Gargett’s discovery and identification of adult stem cells in the human endometrium. During her time at MIMR, Rachel applied for, and received, scholarships and travel grants from Monash University and the Australian Stem Cell Centre that enabled her to attend international and national conferences, and present d her research findings to international experts. In 2006, she was a finalist in the Society for Reproductive Biology’s New Investigator Awards, which placed her in the top six young researchers in her field in Australia. After finishing her PhD in 2006, Rachel combined her postdoctoral research with a full-time research assistant position within Dr Gargett’s team. During this time, she was awarded the prestigious Schering 75th Anniversary Research Grant, awarded by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. In 2007, Rachel was offered a postdoctoral position with Professor William Yeung’s team in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Hong Kong, where she is investigating the role stem cells play in endometriosis. Rachel found the opportunities offered to her at MIMR provided the perfect foundation for her future work in stem cell research. “I found that MIMR valued the importance of networking and collaborative work. It was great to be in an environment where ideas are shared and discussed with different scientific experts. As a young scientist, this is a very exciting and rewarding, as you become more aware of the different trends in the biomedical research field.” Rachel is now co-supervising one PhD student and a Master student. and was successful in obtaining a three year grant from the highly competitive "Research Grant Council 2009/10" with her project related to stem cells and endometriosis.
Prue Cowin Prue submitted her PhD thesis in August 2007. Her association with MIMR began in her third year of a Bachelor of Biomedical Science degree, when she undertook a mini project in the Centre for Reproduction & Development. She returned to undertake her Honours in the Centre for Urological Research labs in 2003, then left to start a law degree. She soon realised she was more scientist than lawyer, so she returned in 2005 to begin her PhD thesis which involved growing human prostate tissue in the lab, from embryonic stem cells. This world-first gave Prue, her supervisor, Professor Gail Risbridger and their team the opportunity to study the development of fetal to mature human prostate. As Prue’s thesis developed, she used this model to examine the effect exposure to certain environmental chemicals had on prostate tissue. Throughout her PhD, Prue presented at local and international conferences, and was an invited speaker at two international institutions. She received numerous travel grants and awards, the most prestigious being the Bulletin Bayer Smart 100 Young Achiever Award in 2007. Prue was offered a postdoctoral position in America, but instead chose to take up the opportunity of working at the internationally-acclaimed Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, where she will apply the knowledge and skills gained at MIMR, to ovarian cancer research. “The people at MIMR have played an instrumental part in my development as a scientist and individual. The networks and collaborations I established during my PhD will continue to grow as I establish my career as a biomedical researcher. I know I will remain in touch with my MIMR colleagues and friends for many years to come.”
Gareth Weston undertook his PhD at the Centre for Women’s Health Research from 2000 -2003. With no previous laboratory experience, he engaged in a challenging laboratory-based project applying novel molecular biological techniques (gene expression microarrays) to the study of gynaecological disease. Gareth found that being in a clinical department was extremely valuable because of excellent access to human tissue and patients for experiments. Patient contact enabled him to see that the work he was doing was directly clinically applicable. Gareth believes his PhD was one of the most challenging achievements of his career to date, and one which has imbued him with skills that are valuable in clinical as well as research practice. Rather than blindly accepting the 'text-book' version of events, the PhD has encouraged him to question why doctors do things, and to look with greater scepticism at practices for which there is no or little evidence. It has taught him to think and act independently, and has reinforced his self-motivation. In 2007 Gareth Weston was appointed as a Carl Wood Senior Lecturer in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Monash University. This appointment will allow him to work more closely with students, introducing them to the cutting edge infertility treatments used both at Monash Medical Centre Clayton and Moorabbin where he operates. Gareth thoroughly recommends a PhD in a clinical university department for anyone with a genuine interest in improving our understanding of human health and disease.
Dr Camden Lo Camden Lo completed a Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences in 2002 at Melbourne University, and felt that an honours year was an attractive option for him. In 2003, Camden started his Honours year, in the Testis, Development and Germ Cell Differentiation laboratory under Assoc Prof Kate Loveland, in the Centre for Reproduction and Development. This work led on to a PhD where he was co-supervised by Assoc Prof Kate Loveland and Prof David Jans. Camden completed his PhD in 2008 which investigated the role of Microtubule-Associated Protein-2 (MAP2), a cellular structural protein, in the context of mammalian germ cell development, and how MAP2 affected male reproductive biology. During his studies, Cam solidified his relationships and knowledge with imaging and microscopy techniques and during his candidature, took up a Casual Research Assistant role at Monash Micro Imaging. During 2008 a full time research position was offered jointly between MIMR Core facility, Southern Clinical School and Monash Micro Imaging, to develop and enhance the microimaging capabilities at the Institute. Camden began his current role as an imaging research fellow in August. He feels that as part of a dynamic team at MIMR, he has been privy to a rich source of knowledge and collaborative work. All of these things have helped him in his success and Camden now looks forward to using the new equipment installed as a result of a recent NHMRC funding grant, to push his experience and potential further.
Camden is currently working with Dr.Jeff Crosbie where they are studying how Synchrotron radiation affects cell viability and kinetics in relation to using it in a clinical radiotherapy setting.
Dr Jeff Crosbie Jeff Crosbie started as a post-doctoral fellow in the Centre for Women’s Health Research in May 2009, he is part of the synchrotron radiobiology research group led by Prof Peter Rogers. Jeff also works part-time at the William Buckland Radiotherapy Centre at The Alfred Hospital as a senior medical physicist. Jeff undertook PhD studies in the School of Physics at Monash University between 2005 and 2008. During this time, Jeff travelled to the SPring-8 synchrotron near Osaka, Japan to obtain his experimental data, securing his own beamtime and travel grants. Jeff showed novel radiobiological effects in tumour and normal tissue irradiated with synchrotron-generated X-ray microbeams, as well as describing a method for measuring the dose distribution from the microbeams. In 2005, Jeff was awarded prizes for best presentation by a 1st year postgraduate student and best overall presentation, at the MIMR annual postgraduate symposium. In the same year, Jeff was awarded the Varian prize for best presentation at the Engineers and Physical Scientists in Medicine annual conference. He was highly commended for the same prize in 2007. Jeff and his MIMR colleagues plan to utilise the Australian Synchrotron, which is a national facility located in Clayton. In late 2009, the Imaging & Medical Therapies beamline will be active and Jeff will participate in some of the first investigations on this beamline. Jeff is very pleased to be working at MIMR. “The people are great; they are open and friendly, with an optimistic, “can-do” approach. The glass is always half-full at MIMR!” Brad Edwards Brad completed his PhD on “The Development of Respiratory Control in Newborns” in September 2009 in the Ritchie Centre for Baby Health Research under the supervision of Dr. Phillip Berger and Dr Malcolm Wilkinson His work focused on unstable breathing patterns in newborn infants – where regular breathing repetitively stops for periods of time whilst sleeping, and is often associated with hypoxemia, which is a decrease in the oxygen levels in blood being carried around the body. It is believed that newborn infants are often at risk of these occurrences. In 2009, Brad received a Harold Mitchell Foundation Travel Scholarship to attend the “11th Oxford Conference on Modelling and Control of Breathing” in Nara, Japan. The conference gave him the opportunity to present his research to internationally recognised researchers in the field and to create links with prospective institutions for a post-doctoral study program. As a result of attending this conference, Brad was offered a post-doctoral position at Harvard Medical School in Boston Massachusetts working in the Division of Sleep Medicine, Sleep Disorders Research Program, with Assoc. Prof Atul Malhotra. Whilst at Harvard, Brad will examine the effect aging has on the propensity for unstable breathing, and the effect changes in lung volume have on airway collapsibility in elderly individuals with Obstructive Sleep Apnea; a disorder caused by repetitive collapse of the upper airway during sleep. After completing his study at Harvard, Brad would like to return to Australia and establish himself as an independent investigator in the field of respiratory physiology and Sleep Apnea research.
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