GRANTS STARTING IN 2015

The PA Hospital Centres of Health Research and the Boards of the PA Research Foundation and PAH Private Practice Trust Fund are pleased to announce the successful recipients of the 2015 funding round of the PA Research Support Scheme.

The PA Research Support Scheme aims to award excellence in research; providing people and project support and rewarding research excellence on the PAH Campus. Grant funding is awarded to researchers across medical, allied health, nursing and basic/clinical fields who strive to translate research discoveries into improved health and medical outcomes.

The PA Research Support Scheme is a joint initiative funded by the PA Research Foundation, through generous donations from the public, donors, bequests and local businesses, and the PAH Private Practice Trust Fund.

Over $2 million in research grants was awarded to 25 researchers based at the PAH campus in the following fields: bone regeneration, cancer research, cardiovascular disease, chronic rhinosinusitis, liver function and disease, obesity, rehabilitation, rapid response calling, and trauma and disease management.

Successful recipients were from a variety of disciplines, including: the PAH Departments/Divisions of Addiction and Mental Health Services, Cancer Services, Cardiology, Clinical Support Services, Diabetes & Endocrinology, Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Intensive Care, Nephrology, Occupational Therapy, Otolaryngology (Head and Neck Surgery), Surgery, and Urology, as well as UQ’s School of Medicine and Diamantina Institute, QUT’s Institute for Health and Biomedical Innovation; and the Australian Prostate Cancer Research Centre – Queensland.

Congratulations to all the researchers who received grant funding. We look forward to following your journey on the road to finding better treatments and cures for some of today’s biggest health challenges.

GRANTS STARTING IN 2015

Postgraduate Scholarships

PAH Senior House Officer (Fellowship in Clinical Research) New Appointment Grants

Project Grants Small Grants

ALH Breast Cancer Grants Near-Miss NHMRC Grants TRADIM Research Grants

Postgraduate Scholarships

Postgraduate Scholarships provide a stipend for up to 3 years full-time (6 years part-time) towards a research masters or doctorate degree.

Ms Freyr Patterson

Use of groups in brain injury rehabilitation: a mixed methods study of group processes and effectiveness

Supervisors: A/Prof Jennifer Fleming & Dr Emmah Doig (UQ)

Dr Moe Thuzar

(Diabetes & Endocrinology)

Regulation and metabolic significance of brown adipose tissue in humans Supervisors: Prof Ken Ho & Dr Phillip Law

Dr Aidan Woodward

(Gastroenterology & Hepatology)

Assessment of muscle mass, muscle function and outcomes in patients awaiting liver transplantation

Supervisors: Prof Graeme Macdonald & Prof Jeff Coombes (UQ)

PAH Senior House Officer (Fellowship in Clinical Research)

The PAH Senior House Officer (Fellowship in Clinical Research) provides funding of $75,000 for one year to enable medical graduates who have completed or are about to complete clinical training to experience research, or for a bridging period towards consideration of a doctorate degree.

Dr Paul Bullen

(Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery) – 6 months Fellowship

Investigating the role of LOXL2 expression in perineural invasion and downstream molecular pathways in cutaneous head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Supervisors: A/Prof Ben Panizza & Dr Glen Boyle (QIMR)

Dr Aaron Griffin

(ENT Surgery) – 6 month Fellowship

Anti-inflammatory properties of bioactive extracts as novel therapeutics for the treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis

Supervisors: A/Prof Ben Wallwork, A/Prof Ben Panizza & Dr Peter Cabot (UQ)

Dr Tavis Read

(Plastics and Reconstructive Surgery)

An evaluation of current and novel treatments for the management of in transit melanoma metastases

Supervisors: Dr Michael Wagels, Prof Mark Smithers, Prof Peter Soyer & A/Prof Helmut Schaider (UQ)

Dr Mihir Shanker

An experimental model to investigate the influence of mechanics on bone regeneration and healing

Supervisors: Prof Michael Schuetz & Dr Devakar Epari (QUT)

New Appointment Grants

The New Appointment Grant provides $75,000 pa for 2 yrs, to assist a new PAH-based clinical appointee to set up their research program.

A/Prof Dan Siskind

(Metro South Addiction & Mental Health Service)

Novel pharmacological treatments for obesity and diabetes for people with schizophrenia managed on clozapine

Dr Ian Vela

Metastatic prostate cancer and circulating tumour cell in vitro culture

Project Grants

Project Grants provide $75,000 in funding support for projects that demonstrate cross disciplinary PAH campus collaborative research with a potential to be translated into improved health outcomes.

A/Prof Andrew Barbour

Significance of telomeric length variation in Oesophageal Adenocarcioma and in Barrett's Oesophagus

Dr Vaida Glatt

(Institute for Health and Biomedical innovation, QUT)

Effect of fixation stability on the healing of large bone defects in response to lower doses of BMP-2

Prof Gerald Holtmann

(Gastroenterology & Hepatology)

Influence of a behavioural incentive (reward) and of stool/mucosa associated microbiome (MAM) on the quality of bowel preparation prior to diagnostic colonoscopies

Prof Elizabeth Powell

(Gastroenterology & Hepatology)

Susceptibility to infection in patients with decompensated cirrhosis and ascites

A/Prof Raymond Steptoe

(UQ Diamantina Institute, UQ)

Prof Michael Stowasser

(Endocrine Hypertension Research Centre)

The thiazide sensitive sodium chloride cotransporter - in vivo quantification by urinary exosome analysis for diagnostic purposes in salt sensitive hypertension

Prof Elizabeth Ward

Can a computerised home-therapy program (SwallowIT) provide an effective model for delivering intensive swallowing therapy? An RCT of an innovative service model for Head & Neck Cancer patients

Small Grants

Small Grants provide $25,000 in seed funding for projects that will have the potential to build capacity and/or result in future NHMRC grants.

Ms Shannon Crouch

(Intensive Care Outreach Service)

The use of altered rapid response calling criteria in a tertiary referral facility

A/Prof Gerald Kaye

(Cardiology)

Assessment of adherence to beta-blocker (bisoprolol) in heart failure patients followed up at Princess Alexandra Hospital outpatient clinic

A/Prof Ben Panizza

(Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery)

Development and characterization of a corticosteroid-based mucoadhesive in situ nasal gelling system for post-operative chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS)

ALH Breast Cancer Grants

The ALH Breast Cancer Grant provides $75,000 support for research directed towards improving health and medical outcomes pertinent to breast cancer.

A/Prof Sandie McCarthy

Enhancing cognitive function after breast cancer treatment with the Younger Women's Wellness After Cancer Program

Prof Ken O’Byrne

Optimisation of in vitro and in vivo cell culture for breast cancer circulating tumour cells to provide a window into metastatic disease

Near-Miss NHMRC Grants

Near-Miss NHMRC Grants provide 12 months support for project grant applications submitted by PAH researchers to the National Health and Medical Research (NHMRC) funding scheme. These unsuccessful NHMRC applications were categorised as highly fundable (Category 5) but failing to meet the funding threshold in the 2014 application round.

A/Prof Andrew Barbour

Understanding oesophageal cancer response to therapy: The DOCTOR Trial Genomics Sub-study

Dr Katherine Irvine

Identifying protective v pathogenic macrophages in chronic liver disease: Critical for macrophage-targeted therapy

Prof Colleen Nelson

(Australian Prostate Cancer Research Centre, QUT)

Development of Yb-1 as a therapeutic target in advanced prostate cancer

Prof Michael Stowasser

(Endocrine Hypertension Research Centre)

Finding curable hypertension in post-menopausal women

TRADIM Research Grants

Trauma and Disaster Management (TRADIM) Research Grants provide financial support to staff employed by the National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre (NCCTRC), PAH or Royal Darwin Hospital to support research studies exploring trauma and disaster management. These grants are funded by the NCCTRC Trust Fund.

A/Prof Eric Chung

Genitourinary injury and adult pelvic trauma: Clinical outcomes, multidisciplinary delivery of healthcare service and guideline implementation in the management of urinary and sexual dysfunction

Prof Michael Schuetz

Quality of trauma data for understanding serious bicycle-related injuries in Brisbane and Darwin: Comparing circumstances, patterns, treatment, severity, costs and outcomes of serious cycling injury

Dr Davie Lie

(Metro South Addiction & Mental Health Service)