Fellowship ​

Professor Steve Wilton, along with colleague Professor Sue Fletcher, were early pioneers in the use of antisense oligomers to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Three exon-skipping compounds from his group have now been approved by the US FDA to restore functional dystrophin expression in the most common mutations causing DMD. His research team is currently exploring treatments for scores of diseases, aiming to develop new therapeutics for many inherited and/or acquired conditions. This work has been recognised with several awards, including a Eureka prize, over the last decade. He was made an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2021. 

Professor Sharon Goldfeld holds a unique position within Australian child health research: with 10 years government experience, she is an expert in policy, a paediatrician, and a public health clinician-scientist. Over her career she has successfully translated her research into service delivery and policy, including the national implementation of the Australian Early Development Census which has unlocked our understanding of the distribution of early childhood development across the country.  Professor Goldfeld has generated national evidence on equitable service delivery (in health and education), generated new approaches to precision policy and developed data to drive systems change especially focused on children living in adversity. She leads an innovative program focused on investigating, testing and translating sustainable policy-relevant solutions that can eliminate inequities for Australia’s children.

In remote Australia, 45% of Aboriginal children have skin sores, the highest rate in the world. Professor Asha Bowen has generated new knowledge to improve skin health, including being first in describing the heavy burden for remote Aboriginal children. She led the first trial to show short course oral antibiotics effectiveness for treatment of skin sore in remote Australia, which changed treatment guidelines across Australia. Additionally, her work has demonstrated that skin sores contribute to rheumatic fever, thus changing the prevention paradigm in Australia and globally. Professor Bowen’s new research methodologies for remote skin health research are used globally. Professor Asha Bowen has incorporated prevention, alongside diagnosis and treatment of skin infections, in the SToP Trial, which has reduced the burden of skin infections in the Kimberley. 

Professor Deborah Lupton’s research is interdisciplinary, spanning public health, medical sociology, digital health, and communication studies. She has three decades of experience in researching the social dimensions of lived experiences of illness and disease, the political dimensions of medicine and public health, and health and risk communication. She is internationally recognised for her foundational scholarship applying contemporary sociocultural theory to medicine and public health topics. She has been awarded two honorary doctorates from European universities. She is one of the top-most cited social researchers worldwide. 

Professor Raymond Lovett is one of Australia’s most influential and respected Indigenous  (Ngiyampaa/Wongaibon) epidemiologists. Professor Lovett leads the Mayi Kuwayu Study cohort study, which is directly informing the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan. Professor Lovett was instrumental in founding the National Centre for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Wellbeing Research: Yardhura Walani at ANU and has extensive experience in policy and practice implementation. Professor Lovett has a reputation for building Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander majority teams and leading large-scale research programs that translate to tangible and enduring benefits for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. 

Professor Patricia Davidson is a strong researcher and academic leader with an enviable track record of competitive funding, mentorship and peer-reviewed publications. She is the only nurse to win the Eureka prize for mentorship. Previously, she was Dean of the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, the world’s number one nursing school. In 2021 she was the recipient of the Consortium of Universities for Global Health Distinguished Leader Award. She is a global leader in health service development and advocacy, focusing on person-centred care delivery and improving cardiovascular health outcomes for at-risk populations. 

Scientia Professor Justin Gooding is an international leader in the field of surface chemistry who has utilised his expertise to make pioneering advances in the areas of biosensing, biomaterials and cell biology. He has contributed >500 journal articles to the international literature along with 17 patents, with his work having been pivotal to the development commercialised technologies for glucose monitoring and the 3D printing of cell cultures for biomedical research, drug development and personalised medicine. 

Dr Christopher Burns is an accomplished and highly regarded medicinal chemist and drug discoverer. He was the lead inventor of the drugs momelotinib (recently approved by the US FDA) and lexibulin (underwent Phase 2 trials). He is an inventor on 29 patents and co-author of 68 scientific publications. Currently CEO and MD of ASX-listed Amplia Therapeutics, a company he co-founded, he has worked in both industry (Pfizer, Cytopia, Gilead) and academia (The University of Sydney, WEHI). He is a consultant to selected biotech companies, VCs and academic groups, and contributes to various academic committees. 

Professor Julie Simpson is recognised internationally for her leadership in biostatistics and contributions to pioneering work on novel treatments and disease prevention. Her primary focus is the integrated application of advanced statistical methods and mathematical modelling to optimise the management and control of malaria. Her research has changed antimalarial policy and practice internationally and thereby had a direct impact on the global burden of malaria. She has a broad collaborative network, attracting $77 million in funding and publishing >350 peer-reviewed articles. She has received numerous awards for research excellence and the mentoring of emerging leaders in biostatistics. 

Professor James Whisstock is a former ARC Laureate Fellow, ARC Federation Fellow and NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellow. His discoveries include elucidating the mechanism of function of perforin-like pore forming immune effectors. These molecules are responsible for mammalian immune cell- and complement-mediated cytolysis and are key for destroying virally-infected cells, malignant cells, and pathogenic bacteria. Conversely the unwanted activity of perforin-like proteins can damage healthy tissue in inflammatory and auto-immune diseases. Armed with these insights, Professor Whisstock is translating his discoveries and developing new immunomodulatory drugs. He mentors a large team of talented young researchers who are inspired by his achievements. His previous leadership roles have included Scientific Head of EMBL Australia and Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging.