MESSAGE FROM THE ACADEMIC DIRECTOR
In a further positive sign for the institute, we are helping to co-ordinate a number of high-profile events including a Space Colloquium in collaboration with the Australasian Society of Aerospace Medicine. This collaborative event will be held over two days on June 30 and July 1 at the Susan Wakil Health Building at the University of Sydney. Participants will hear about the effects of the space environment on the human body, the challenges of human spaceflight and future space exploration medical capabilities. We will also be staging a two-day Road Safety Colloquium next year in collaboration with the Traffic Injury Research Foundation - Ottawa, Canada, local Rotary clubs, and the John Walsh Centre for Rehabilitation Research. This event at the Kolling will focus on research programs to reduce the impact of traumatic injuries. I encourage everyone to attend these events, as well as our regular Kolling Seminar Series, which are continuing to attract a collection of impressive local, national, and international presenters. Thank you to all those involved behind the scenes as well as our presenters.
To point out just one example, a recent collaboration with colleagues at Stanford University, Royal North Shore Hospital and Sydney University is set to help inform the assessment and management of some cancers. By combining our expertise, we will be better placed to use deep learning artificial intelligence to develop and test early management pathways. Our researchers are making significant progress across the institute, and as you will learn through this newsletter, there’s been some important work around the use of donor tendons for ACL injuries, as well as some promising developments in ovarian cancer research. The team from the John Walsh Centre for Rehabilitation research has launched an exciting clinical trial to support those with spinal cord injuries. It’s a world-first study combining breathing techniques with heart rate feedback. We are thrilled to welcome internationally recognised Meniere’s disease expert Professor Jose Antonio Lopez Escamez to the institute. Antonio has relocated from Spain to the Kolling where he has established the Meniere’s Disease Neuroscience Laboratory. His research focuses on the influence of family heritage in Meniere’s disease and new genes linked to the disease.
It has been a fairly remarkable start to the year for our Kolling research team. As you will see through this newsletter, the national and international spotlight has been directed to a number of our researchers acknowledging their expertise, experience and of course their impact. Encouragingly, we’ve also had the opportunity to recognise a number of outstanding researchers through our annual Kolling awards and travel awards program. It is truly impressive that 16 institute researchers were recently included in the Stanford University study identifying the top two per cent of researchers in the world. This is a wonderful result, highlighting the depth of experience across the Kolling priority research areas. This study represents further confirmation of our positive contribution to patient care and community health. It is pleasing to report that there’s been steady progress with the implementation of the Kolling Research Plan, and I would like to thank the leadership teams for their valuable time and support to help realise our goals. We are making great strides towards improved interdisciplinary collaboration, funding and patient-centred care.
Professor Jim Elliott
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KOLLINGNEWS | MAY 2023
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