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CPHMVS NEWS

We acknowledge the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Owners of the lands and waters where we operate our business. We honour the unique cultural and spiritual relationship to the land, waters and seas of First Australian peoples and their continuing and rich contribution to James Cook University (JCU) and Australian society.

Reconciliation Action Plan

From the Dean’s Desk Maxine Whittaker

The month of April brought close to home the impact of disasters upon tropical regions of the world. Firstly our

thoughts go out to those directly and indirectly affected by disasters so far this year, and secondly we note that

there are people, communities', animals and ecosystems affected regularly by disasters, and that these are

increasingly complex ( for real time mapping of disasters see : http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/index2.php)

Over the last 12 months the College has been increasing its expertise, engagement and collaborations in the

“Disaster space” - some of those details appear in this edition of the newsletter. We will be hosting several

Disaster and health activities this year on the cairns campus—including the ICRC training course in November

and the GOARN (Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network) training in August. The GOARN team in WHO

Geneva are particularly interested in adding One Health Surveillance and Response to their training since many

of the recent outbreaks to which they have had to respond have been zoonotic in origin. We have been

approached to support this integration and are well situated in the region and content area to do so. This work is

in association with the other two Colleges of the Division of Tropical Health and Medicine and the WHO

Collborating Centre for Nursing and Midwifery Education and research capacity Building (https://

research.jcu.edu.au/who-collaborating-centres/nursing) and more activities and research grants have been

submitted for these partnerships. Additionally discussions continue with JCU’s Centre for Disaster Studies for a

whole of institution approach.

Number 2 March—April 2017

Important dates for Higher Degree students For more details see: https://www.jcu.edu.au/graduate-research-school/workshops-

training-and-events/professional-development-program/rd7003-professional-development-workshops

Scholarly writing master class Starts : Cairns 3/8/17 and Townsville 28 July and fortnightly for 6 weeks afterwards

Job Application workshops : Townsville 9 May and 14 November; Cairns 12 May and 17 November

Conflict management training TBA October in Cairns and in Townsville

HOLD THIS DATE FESTIVAL OF LIFE SCIENCES 6-7 SEPTEMBER Townsville campus

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College Learning and Teaching Awards

This is an annual competitive award for outstanding quality teaching - based upon an academic who achieves the highest

student evaluation of teaching in 2016 , the achievement of the Nulty (2008) liberal response rate, an overall teaching

satisfaction score (for a subject offering) within the JCU top 10%, and at least 90% overall satisfaction agreement. The overall

winner of the Dean’s award is David Simcock.

For 2016 the subjects awarded the prize are:

James Cook University scientists using state-of-the-art genome sequencing have discovered two previously unknown crayfish viruses – and they hope their discovery can help boost production of the tasty

crustaceans

Associate Professor Leigh Owens, Dr. Jennifer Elliman and Mrs Kitikarn Sakuna, from JCU’s College of Public Health, Medical & Vet Sciences examined sick crayfish from a northern Queensland farm. Using next-generation genome sequencing of the crayfish, they discovered two previously unknown viruses – dubbed Chequa Picornavirus and Athtab Orthobunyavirus – living in the animals. While they do not affect humans, the viruses cause crayfish to die when stressed and are not found in healthy crayfish populations. Internal lesions were found in the nerve cord and muscles of sick animals. Dr Owens said the two viruses were dissimilar to anything seen before in crayfish. “But now we know their genome sequence, we can use advanced technologies like interfering RNA to block them in crayfish hatcheries and lift the productivity of farmers,” he said.

Dr Owens said the research was a great success story for the JCU Partnership Grants scheme, between the University and the North Queensland Crayfish Farmers Association. The scheme supports the establishment and development of mutually beneficial relationships between JCU and industry partners. “In the case of crayfish, apart from stopping the spread of these specific viruses, most of their active genes can be catalogued to help with future genetic breeding and immunological research for crayfish farmers.” Dr Elliman said it was exciting to be able to use cutting edge technologies to help Australian farmers. The team will now work on developing specific interfering RNA to limit the virus. They will also try to determine how widespread these viruses are in northern Queensland.

Subject Code Taught into Discipline Coordinator

Advanced Cell Biology - 16-BC3102-TSV-INT-SP1 BC3102 Molecular and Cell Biology Fiona Baird

Physiological Systems and Processes 1 - 16-BM1011-MKY-LTD-SP1 BM1011 Biomedical Sciences David Simcock

Endocrinology - 16-MD1010-TSV-INT-SP1-1 MD1010 Medicine Haleagrahara Nagaraja

Refugee Health - 16-TM5536-TSV-BLO-SP9 TM5536 Public Health & Tropical Medicine Sandra Downing

Medical Physiology 2 - 16-PP2201-TSV-INT-SP2 PP2201 Biomedical Sciences Glenn Harrison

Advanced Cell Biology - 16-BC3102-TSV-INT-SP1 BC3102

Molecular and Cell Biology Fiona Baird

Physiological Systems and Processes 1 - 16-BM1011-MKY-LTD-SP1 BM1011 Biomedical Sciences David Simcock

Endocrinology - 16-MD1010-TSV-INT-SP1-1 MD1010 Medicine Haleagrahara Nagaraja

Veterinary Clinical Sciences 1 - 16-TV4001-TSV- TV4001 Veterinary Sciences Karen Gerber

Human Pathophysiology and Pharmacology 1 - 16-PP2131-CNS-INT-SP1 PP2131 Biomedical Sciences David Simcock

Medical Physiology 2 - 16-PP2201-TSV-INT-SP2 PP2201 Biomedical Sciences Glenn Harrison

Human Pathophysiology and Pharmacology 2 - PP2231 Biomedical Sciences David Simcock

New Marketing Site for JCU—BRIGHTER. Two stories from the College

Brighter is a new content marketing platform from the JCU Marketing Directorate It will be formally launched in the coming months however

the website is currently live and the content is available for distribution on social media.

Title: Deadly blood suckers Link: https://www.jcu.edu.au/brighter/articles/deadly-blood-suckers Title: No horsing around for vets Link: https://www.jcu.edu.au/brighter/articles/no-horsing-around-for-vets

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Careers Expo – Creating Multi-Skilled Scientists 20th

March 2017

The annual Biomedicine Careers Expo was held on the 20th

March organized and run by course coordinator Donna Rudd.

Industry partners from the four major employers of our

Biomedicine & Med Lab graduates – Clinical Measurements

at Townsville Hospital, QML, Pathology Queensland and

Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology, provided a quick snap shot

“who, what, when, where and how” for their individual

laboratory. The night showed the students from first to fourth

year how amazingly tailored Biomedicine at JCU is to the

North Queensland industry and that the program allows them

to graduate as a multi-skilled laboratory scientist. In the words

of Donna Rudd at the expo “…if you could measure Med Lab

and Biomedical Sciences in Australia we would be number

one…”. The student feedback on the night was unanimous -

“…tonight was a great reminder of what we are working

towards…” and “…it was great being able to talk to our

potential employers…”.

To keep up-to-date with Biomedicine activities follow us on

Instagram, twitter and the college Facebook.

Molecular & Cell Biology Outreach Activities by Margaret Jordan, James Burnell and Alan

Baxter

Emeritus Professor Jim Burnell continues to make great contributions to the Department, particularly in the areas of mentorship and outreach. With a keen interest in fostering the careers of JCU students, past and present, he recently caught up with Rebecca Smith (nee Wenta) a past Departmental major who now Head of the Science Department at Cathedral Grammar, as well as John Bamber, previously one of Professor David Miller’s honours students, who is currently teaching Mathematics and Chemistry at year 11 and 12 levels at Kirwan State High School. In mid-February, Jim spent a morning at The Cathedral Grammar addressing their three year 12 biology classes on the regulation of blood sugar levels, which continues to be a central topic in their year 12 curriculum. This is to our advantage as two of our recent recruits, Doctor Lionel Hebbard and Dr Craig Macfarlane, both work on metabolic aspects of health and disease.

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Vets train pets for less stress ‘

Show me your tail,’ ‘give me a high five’ and ‘put your nose in the muzzle’ are some of the new phrases James Cook University vet students are teaching their animal patients.

Animals often are stressed when they visit the vet, and this has adverse effects on their health and rate of recovery. JCU’s Dr Janice Lloyd, Senior lecturer in veterinary behaviour, welfare and ethics, says students are learning the techniques as part of a worldwide initiative to produce a low-stress environment for animals who attend a vet clinic.

“The animals are in unfamiliar surroundings, cannot control or predict what will happen to them, and may be in pain. If they’re stressed, they undergo physiological changes such as increased heart rate and release of cortisol. If it continues this can have adverse effects on immunity, health and behavior and delay recovery.” JCU vet students are taught to reduce stress for their patients through environmental enrichment - toys, quiet, a place to hide - and how to use a conditioning device that emits a ‘click’ sound which is immediately followed by a treat. Dr Lloyd said JCU was leading the way with this type of instruction, as stress-reduction techniques were not commonly taught to vet students.

“Dogs and cats learn to associate frightening or painful experiences with the hospital and staff. This can be lessened by training a different association with the use of a clicker and food rewards,” she said. With the help of the clicker and treats, students teach dogs to: ‘put your nose in the muzzle’, ‘give me a high five’ (to expose the under ‘arm’ area), and ‘show me your tail’ (for taking a temperature). More adventurous types of cats can even be trained to jump onto weighing scales. Dr Lloyd said the conditioning is rapid - a dog can be trained to put its head into a muzzle in a matter of minutes.

Professor Peter Chenoweth, Head of Veterinary Sciences said the new techniques were a vast improvement on previous methods. “Several staff members would have to hold a struggling dog down to force a muzzle on, no doubt making it more difficult to safely muzzle the dog on future visits,” he said.

Dr Lloyd said there was no reason a vet visit had to be an ordeal for dogs and cats. “A hippopotamus in a zoo can be taught to place its foot on a ramp to be x-rayed, and tigers can literally be caught by the tail for blood sampling. So there’s no reason our companion animals can’t be taught to engage in ‘fun’ activities that aid in handling and conducting physical examinations.”

CONGRATULATIONS FOR SUCCESSFUL GRANT

The increasing success and decreasing cost of high-throughput, genome wide genetics (termed “genomics”) have reached the point that these technologies are now able to make critical contributions to human health, particularly in the areas of cancer genetics and pharmacogenomics. The Queensland State Government plans to roll out genomic technologies within public health care across the State over the next decade. This decision raises several logistic problems. Probably the most demanding is that the interpretation of genomic data often requires a bioinformatic skill set that is largely restricted to research and academic institutions. The proposed solution to this issue, is to develop protocols to support health service research networks, providing both a better quality of data analysis as well as provision of de-identified clinical data for research programs.

Academic staff from Molecular & Cell Biology applied for one of only four, first round demonstration projects, in collaboration with a consortium that includes other JCU staff, medical staff from the Townsville Hospital, researchers from Queensland University of Technology, two Health Districts in Brisbane (Metro South and Metro North) and medical and research staff that work within them.

Our grant, that proposes to develop and test processes for using genomic technologies to improve the management of non-small cell lung cancers, was successful, providing $600,000 over the next eighteen months. The funds will support a research nurse within the Townsville Hospital and a half time bioinformatics position based in Townsville.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is inviting proposals for the latest round of Grand Challenges Explorations. Grand Challenges Explorations fosters early-stage discovery research to expand the pipeline of ideas for solving our greatest global health and development challenges. Launched in 2008 with an initial $100 million commitment from the foundation, Grand Challenges Explorations grants have already been awarded to more than 1200 researchers in more than 65 countries. Applicants can be at any experience level; in any discipline; and from any organization, including colleges and universities, government laboratories, research institutions, non-profit organizations, and for-profit companies. Initial grants will be US $100,000 each, and projects showing promise will have the opportunity to receive additional funding of up to US $1 million. They accepting applications on the following four topics until May 3, 2017: Health Systems Strengthening: Ensuring Effective Health Supply Chains; New Approaches for Improving Timeliness of Routine Immunizations in Low-Resource Settings; Wearables and Technology for Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health Behavior Change; Innovations for Integrated Diagnostics Systems; Full descriptions of the new topics and application instructions in English, French, Korean, Portuguese, Chinese and

Spanish will be available very soon. We also invite you to check these two blogs: Innovation for an Interconnected Labor-

atory System and Improving Timeliness and Completeness of Routine Immunizations in Low-Resource Settings Will Save

Lives. For details and application instructions, please visit the Grand Challenges website. http://www.grandchallenges.org

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EVENT ANNOUNCEMENTS

April 29 is the International Day of Immunology!

In celebration of the International Day of Immunology, Doctor Margaret Jordan, with support from the Australian Society of Immunology and the Department, is organising a public lecture and expert panel between 5:30pm and 7:00 pm in The Science Place (building 142, between the ATSIP building and Nursing) on the 27th April 2017.

One of Australia’s leading haematological oncologists,

Professor Geoff Hill from Queensland Institute of Medical Research, will be presenting:

“Using the immune system to treat cancer”.

Geoff is a medical graduate of the University of Auckland, and trained in New Zealand and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. He is a NHMRC Australia Fellow and his immunology laboratory focuses on the interactions between cytokines, antigen presenting cells and regulatory T cells during transplantation.

He was the 2005 Queenslander of the Year and recipient of the Transplantation Society of Australia and New Zealand 2009 Ian McKenzie Award and the 2014 Translational Research Institute National Prize for excellence within basic and clinical research in the transplant field. He was also awarded a Queensland Health Senior Clinical Research Fellowship in 2010 to translate new cytokine and cell based therapies into clinic practice.

SCIENCE PLACE STAGE 1 OPENS by Alan Baxter

The Science Place, JCU’s new home for Biological Sciences (and Chemistry) was opened to students and staff on the 20

th February. At this stage, access is provided to the ground floor and most of the first floor, including the Lecture

Theatre and the Practical Laboratories. The main design themes of the building are concrete (an echo of JCU’s origins), timber, and copper (a feature borrowed from the Library). The stunning feature of the ground floor is a huge cylindrical fish tank containing a “coral” bommie and, since Thursday 23

rd, fish. Finding Nemo has never been so easy! It is

actually really pleasant to watch the fish swimming in schools as they explore their new environment. The ground floor has four learning spaces, two fitted out as IT (and Bioinformatics) training spaces. It also connects through to three new restaurants, not yet in occupation, but soon to provide Asian food, pasta and the Green Place fare. The eating space will be connected to the Library by an extension of the verandah walk and “across the creek” by a new bridge.

The first floor contains the prac labs and the Lecture Theatre. The huge Chemistry lab has floor to ceiling windows decorated by large transparencies of the Periodic Table. I’m sure the Chemistry staff will be delighted if you helpfully point out the errors. But the most impressive space is the joint MCB and Biology lab, which has fantastic panoramic views of Mount Stuart and south across the campus. The lab has three zones that can operate independently and simultaneously. This is achieved by a technological marvel called “sound showers”. Above each student’s place is a piezoelectric flat panel speaker that immerses them in the instructor’s voice. It is an eerie experience to have a unlocatable voice in your head; even more unnerving is to take one step backwards and find that the voice, now faint and distant, has suddenly acquired an owner, far away across the room. It will be interesting to see how well it works when competing with the ambient noise of a chattering class.

The lecture theatre is beautifully constructed, with timber finishes and windows providing natural light that is cleverly directed away from the screen. The Practical Room and Lecture Theatre can be linked audio-visually so that an experiment could be demonstrated live in the lecture theatre, or over flow audience from a popular talk could watch from the Practical Room. Stage two will be the opening of the Research Laboratories, on floors two and three, and is currently expected to happen mid-April.

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Scoping trip to establish on-farm fertility trials in Philippines.

Dr. Damien Paris and Dr. Santiago Peña from the ‘Fertility in Adverse Environments’ Group (Discipline of Biomedicine) recently returned from a 2-week scoping trip to the Philippines. While there, they discussed their research with the Dean and staff from the College of Veterinary Medicine, Visayas State University in Baybay City, and were invited to present their recent results at the Philippine Veterinary Medical Association Annual Scientific Conference in Baguio City. The team have developed a novel antioxidant supplement that significantly reduces sperm DNA damage in boars from 16% down to 7% during summer. This in turn should increase the number of piglets born per litter in sows. Building on their successful experiments on boars in Townsville, negotiations are currently underway to build a team of JCU/Philippine researchers to undertake ACIAR-funded field-trials of this supplement to mitigate heat stress-induced summer infertility of boars in the Philippines.

March for Melanoma

26th

March 2017

Biomedicine joined up with The Melanoma Institute Australia to

support alumni student, Mikkayla McLeod, who lost her sister to

melanoma whilst in her third year of study in Biomedicine at

JCU. Since the loss of her sister Mikkayla and her family have

become activist for regular skin checkups and to never ignore

the signs of this deadly disease. It is an extremely important

and locally relevant with 18 North Queensland locals dying and

179 diagnosed annually. Since the passing of the event

organizer Katie-Lee Spence four years ago Mikkayla and her

mother, Julie-Ann McLeod, have also taken on the role of

Melanoma March Townville event organisers. On Sunday 27th

March with Cyclone Debbie looming it made for a spectacular

morning walk around the Ross River. Staff and students from

Biomedicine joined Mikkayla, known as the Biomedicine glitter

bugs, who sparkled the whole walk with happiness while

remembering all those who have been lost.

Here is the link to the news story from the Townsville Bulletin:

http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/news/melanoma-the-deadliest-diagnosis/news-story/ed61a3c76f3a9097353e30ec604f14ea

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News from Veterinary Sciences

Well of course the big story is that we were recently ranked as top Veterinary program in Australia in 2017 based on the Australian Government funded QILT (Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching) data. The JCU Veterinary Science Consultative Committee has been established to provide a forum for discussions and information flow between JCU and those constituencies with a vested interest in educating veterinarians to best serve Northern and regional Australia; the first meeting is scheduled for April 21, 2017. Congratulations to Dr. Carolynne Joone who was awarded her PhD (“Porcine zona pellucida immunocontraception in the mare: Clinical, endocrinological and immunological effects”) from the University of Pretoria on April 7

th, 2017. Carolynne will be

celebrating on that date by presenting two papers at the Annual Conference of Australia Reproduction Veterinarians in Sydney! On June 5

th, the very first James Cook Veterinary Alumni reception will be held at the Australian Veterinary Association AGM,

which this year is in Melbourne. This is timely as we now have 7 cohorts of very well received graduates in the workplace, and are now enjoying the relief and benefits of long-term accreditation. Unfortunately another planned celebration, VetFest on April 22

nd, has been deferred, due to Cyclone Debbie and her aftermath.

We will regroup and do it even bigger and better – watch this space! This year, our nomination for Distinguished Early Career Alumni was Katherine Fryer. Kate was a member of our first veterinary

graduating class in 2010, and since then has achieved meteoric rise in both Queensland and Federal Government veterinary

circles. She now dabbles at high levels in international trade matters, particularly in policy development.

AND WELCOME: We are very pleased to welcome Associate Professor (Veterinary Anatomic Pathology) James Taylor into our ranks commencing on Tuesday 18th April. More background information on Jim, who has previously with the Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries, Parks Water and Environment will be forthcoming in the next newsletter

WORKING IN PRESERVING HEALTH, MANAGING HEALTH PROBLEMS & SUPPORTING RESILENCE IN DISASTERS

JCU becomes Global Outbreak and Response Network (GOARN) partner institute. GOARN (http://www.who.int/ihr/

alert_and_response/outbreak-network/en/) is a collaboration of existing institutions and networks that pools human and

technical resources for rapid identification, confirmation and response to outbreaks of international importance. Coordinated

through the World Health Organisation, GOARN ensures that the right technical expertise and are skills are on the ground

where and when they are needed most. As a partner institution, JCU will be able to participate in responses to outbreaks

through provision of technical experts. A data base of JCU experts willing to be involved is currently under development.

In February Sandra Downing attended the GOARN Training Partners workshop in London which aimed to identify training

needs of deployees in outbreak emergency scenarios and to provide feedback on current training, governance and

participation. The workshop brought together over 35 participants, including high-level academics from leading institutes of

medical research, representatives from partner institutions within the United Nations system and civil society, and technical

experts from national public health agencies.

Tammy Allen, Lecturer CPHMVS, continues to work closely with the Health Emergencies Programme, WHO, to

improve WHO Member States’ capability to effectively respond to public health emergencies through the use of Public Health

Emergency Operation Centres (PHEOCS). Tammy has most recently been involved in developing a PHEOC plans and

procedures instructional handbook, due to be published late May. (See http://www.who.int/about/who_reform/emergency-

capacities/emergency-programme/en/)

Epidemiological support for humanitarian emergencies: Over the past 3 months Sandra Downing has been providing

epidemiological support to Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF) in their Iraq and Jordan missions which focus on

non-communicable diseases and mental health respectively. Over the past few weeks she has also been involved in the

Ethiopia (Somali region) response to the drought where malnutrition is now further complicated by a cholera outbreak.

Centre for Excellence in Disaster Management & Humanitarian Assistance : The JCU MOU with the Centre for

Excellence in Disaster Management & Humanitarian Assistance (https://www.cfe-dmha.org/) has been finalised. We will

be working in collaboration with them to host the Health and Humanitarian Action in Emergencies course in late November

2017 (https://www.cfe-dmha.org/Training/Health-Emergencies-in-Large-Populations-HELP-Course).

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TM5564: Acute Care in the Resource Poor Environment

This subject provides students with an overview of the knowledge, skills and attitudes required for the successful provision of acute care in a resource poor environment. The subject encompasses the full spectrum of care provided, from prior program planning and personal preparation through to recognition of problems and alternatives and how difficulties may be avoided, accepted or overcome. The focus for the subject will be on developing a fuller understanding of the difficulties encountered in providing acute care to patients in resource poor environments. It is principally concerned with the provision of care in countries other than Australia, where there are serious limits on the provision of funding for staff, equipment and medicines, such that these limitations directly impact on the provision of care.

MPH&TM turns 25 by Peter Leggat The Master of Public Health and Tropical Medicine (MPH&TM) course at James Cook University (JCU) turns 25 this year and it represents only one of two such named courses globally, with the other being at Tulane University. More than two-thirds of our Public Health and Tropical Medicine (PHTM) students enrolled in masters’ programs undertake the MPH&TM. The MPH&TM was originally developed under the stewardship of Ian Wronski, the late Rick Speare, Peter Leggat and others. The MPH&TM was launched in 1992 at what was then known as the Anton Breinl Centre for Tropical Health and Medicine, which was based downtown at the heritage listed building at the old Townsville General Hospital site (see Photo 1 below). This building was purpose built for the original Australian Institute of Tropical Medicine (AITM) founded in 1910. The Inaugural Director of the AITM was Dr Anton Breinl, who was recruited from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.

MPH&TM moves from strength-to-strength: In 1992, subjects were offered only in block mode, but were conducted at several sites, including Townsville, Cairns, Nhulunbuy (Gove) in the Northern Territory and Broome in Western Australia. From very humble beginnings, PHTM courses currently have more than 900 students enrolled and is based at more modern teaching facilities at the Townsville Campus of JCU (see Photo 2 below), with subjects being offered at undergraduate and postgraduate level in block, limited, external and semester modes.

PHTM Alumni Event Melbourne 5 April 2017: We are celebrating the Silver Jubilee year of the MPH&TM with a series of PHTM Alumni events. The first of these was held on Wednesday 5 April 2017 at the Hilton Melbourne South Wharf at Dock 37 Bar and Kitchen. It was conducted in association with the 15

th World Congress of Public Health, which was being

held next to the Hilton Melbourne South Wharf at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from 3-7 April 2017. At its peak there were 25 people present at the event. The event was hosted by the Head of PHTM, Professor Peter Leggat, and Associate Professor Richard Franklin. Other PHTM senior academic staff were also present and included Associate Professor Sue Devine and Sandra Downing. The Dean of the College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences (CPHMVS), Professor Maxine Whittaker, was a special guest at the event (see Photo 3 below).

We wish to thank the JCU Alumni Office, particularly Lorna Hempstead, and the College, particularly Professor Maxine Whittaker, for their kind assistance with and sponsorship of this event. We also thank Heidi Liang from the Hilton Melbourne South Wharf for her assistance. We would also like to thank all attendees of this PHTM Alumni event and also the alumni who took the time to update their details with the JCU Alumni Office.

PHTM Alumni-where are you now? Our thousands of alumni are scattered throughout Australia and the world; hence it is a challenge at the best of times to host such events and keep up-to-date contact details for everyone. If you are an alumni and are not receiving emails concerning these events, please contact myself (peter.leggat@jcu.edu.au) or the JCU Alumni Office (alumni@jcu.edu.au). In the near future, we hope to have a new PHTM website and link at least one new PHTM social media platform to the website to assist with outreach to our current students and Alumni.

What a participant said following the PHTM Alumni event…. “Thank-you for the opportunity to meet yourself and other Alumni in Melbourne last week…I finding it (MPH&TM) valuable for my role as the medical lead for infection prevention at Western Health. It also combines my philosophy of a global appreciation of health as well as my interests in TB, tropical medicine and socially disadvantaged groups.” Dr Adrian Tramontana, Western Health, Melbourne

Photo 3: Several of the participants at the PHTM Alumni event (from L to R: Professor Scott Kitchener, DrPH graduate, Griffith University, Toowoomba; Professor Peter Leggat, Head PHTM; Professor Maxine Whittaker, Dean CPHMVS; and Dr Adrian Tramontana, MPH&TM student,

Western Health, Melbourne)

Photo 2. Anton Breinl Centre now used for PHTM and other teaching

Photo 1. Anton Breinl Centre for Tropical Health and Medicine circa

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Well Done Paul : QUEENSLAND'S EMERGING SCIENCE LEADER

A Cairns immunologist who is investigating the benefits of hookworms for people with coeliac disease has been chosen as Queensland’s inaugural Emerging Science Leader. Deputy Premier Jackie Trad presented the award to AITHM researcher Dr Paul Giacomin at last night’s (Thursday 23 March) Queensland Science Reception in Brisbane.. Dr Giacomin was selected as Emerging Science Leader from the 40 current Advance Queensland Research Fellows.

This award, to be made annually, identifies a current Queensland scientist who is creating breakthroughs in research, leading collaboration, advocating for science, and inspiring others to build a career in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).. Dr Giacomin said he was excited and honoured to be selected. “I think it is a fantastic initiative to acknowledge emerging Queensland-based scientists for both their academic and community engagement achievements,” he said.

As an Emerging Science Leader, he will continue to actively advocate for Queensland science and highlight the achievements of scientists across the state, as well as supporting the Queensland Chief Scientist as an ambassador for science. His research investigates the key immune cells and cytokines involved in immunity to intestinal worms, as well as exploring the potential beneficial effects that worm infection may have in alleviating inflammation associated with autoimmune diseases. “It might seem like an unlikely remedy, but we know that parasitic worms are able to survive in the human gut by dialling back our immune response. This research puts that ability to work against coeliac disease, which is an autoimmune disorder,” he said.

Please join me in congratulating CPHMVS PhD student, Adrien Marc, who has just been awarded

an Advance Queensland PhD top-up Scholarship (http://advance.qld.gov.au/uni-researchers/phd-

scholarships/researchers-recipients-2017.aspx) to undertake a collaborative project supervised by

Damien Paris with Dean Jerry on “ Development of advanced reproductive techniques to

characterize infertility in barramundi”.

Number of external grant applications CPHMVS (Jan, Feb , Mar) Thank you and well done

Jan Feb Mar

SUCCESSFUL GRANTS THIS PERIOD

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A brighter future for life in the tropics world-wide through graduates and discoveries that make a difference

Contact Us Contributions and feedback welcome. Next newsletter deadline 23rd June, 2017 for June release.

Please send to : admin.cphmvs@jcu.edu.au

HDR CORNER By Kerrianne Watt

2017 has got off to a flying start in the world of HDR. So far in 2017, we have had:

2 confirmation seminars (Wytamma Wirth and Silvia Luiza Saggiomo)

5 Mid Candidature Reviews (Max Berger, Roni Nugraha, Femke Van den Berghe, Narges Mashkour, Tanya Diefenbach-Elstob)

3 pre-completion seminars (Robert Courtney, Imanuel Benu & Sean Taylor)

5 thesis submissions (Sean Taylor, Denise Turner, Gerardo Martin Munoz De Cote, Tiange Liu)

Sincere congratulations to all of these students and to their advisory teams.

Several confirmation and pre-completion seminars are scheduled for the coming weeks. We also have some informative sessions planned for our regular Research and Research Education forums on Thursday arvos, related to HDRs. These include: scholarship scoring, Grad Cert Res Methods, and the Cohort Programme.

Thanks to those students and staff who attended the HDR Induction day on 23rd March. There were approximately 40 people in attendance across Cairns and Townsville. We received very positive feedback about this seminar, from new and currently enrolled students alike, as well as supervisors. We heard about Safety and Biosafety, College HDR Contacts (CPHMVS.AcademicServices@jcu.edu.au or Kerrianne.watt@jcu.edu.au), HDR Milestones and Procedures, Administrative processes, HDR Funds, the Cohort programme, and we also fielded some curly questions. The pizza afterwards was delicious! Many thanks to all who were involved in preparing and running the session. I would like to reiterate the main theme of the Induction Day, which is that we (Shane and I) are here to support students and advisors throughout their PhD candidature. Please remember to submit all HDR paperwork (VOCs, progress reports, paperwork regarding confirmation or pre-completion seminars, and MCRs) to the CPHMVS.AcademicServices@jcu.edu.au email address. A reminder that “signing sessions” are scheduled twice per week, to ensure efficient and regular processing of HDR paperwork, then submission to GRS.

Congratulations are in order for Ann Kraeuter who was nominated as the CPHMVS HDR Student Ambassador. This is an initiative of GRS. The purpose of this role is primarily to meet and greet international candidates as they arrive in Townsville and Cairns.

Publication Impact: Invitation for Expert Opinion in the Supreme Court of Victoria

Based on a recent paper titled towards the elimination of excessive cobalt supplementation in racing horses: a pharmacological review published in the journal research in veterinary science, Dr Kinobe was invited to provide expert written testimony to the supreme court of Victoria on what is known about the pharmacological and biochemical effects of cobalt in horses. The particular case involved Barrister Damian Sheales and the Age news agency and the jury rendered a verdict last week. Comments made by the judge have been made public and are not restricted and many news outlets have reported on this case. (http://aucc.sirsidynix.net.au//Judgments/VSC/2017/T0152.pdf).

Pubic Health and Tropical Medicine Alumni

Event, Melbourne 5th April .

As part of the 25th birthday of the MPHTM and

on the occasion of the World Congress of

Public health being held in Melbourne we took

some time out to network with alumni and

students .