There are many opportunities for women to excel at Centenary. Below are some recent examples of their achievements.
Centenary Institute Medical Innovation Awards
This annual Award recognises young, inspiring researchers Australia-wide who are tackling the big questions in the biomedical space and who are helping accelerate medical research advances for the betterment of all of our communities.
In 2019, Dr Elinor Hortle from the Centenary Institute was awarded the ‘Bayer Innovation Award’ for her discovery that platelets (cells that help the body form clots to stop bleeding) have an active role in the development of tuberculosis (TB). This provided evidence that cheap, safe, and easily available antiplatelet drugs like aspirin might provide an effective treatment for TB.
The ‘Harvard Club of Australia Foundation Travel Prize’ for the purpose of travelling to Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA to explore opportunities for collaboration, also went to Dr Elinor Hortle. Read more
Sponsored Awards
In 2017 and 2018 the Centenary Institute partnered with the Bank of Queensland to present the Bank of Queensland Gender Equity Early Career Award.
Associate Professor Jodie Ingles, recipient of the Award In 2017: Jodie has published results of a world-first study on the effects of sudden cardiac death on loved ones left behind. These families must deal with the grief of unexpected death and the genetic risk for other family members and future generations. Jodie also established the first ever Australian National Genetic Heart Disease Registry, to provide a research resource, education and Improved awareness for health professionals and families at risk. Read more
Dr Shweta Tlkoo, recipient of the Award In 2018: Shweta’s work focuses on exploring a subset of macrophages (a type of white blood cell) In breast cancer progression and metastasis, with the aim of developing more effective treatment strategies to combat the disease. She will use the Award grant to develop a deeper understanding of how the body’s defence mechanism fails to prevent cancer spread and resurgence, and how a new system can be modulated to prevent this. Read more
Achievements and Recognition
Check out below what our women of Centenary are up to!
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Genetic risk test developed to predict alcohol-related cirrhosis of the liver
An international research group led by the Centenary Institute has developed a world first genetic risk score (GRS) test able to identify patients at high-risk of developing alcohol-related cirrhosis.
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MJA Podcasts: Sudden cardiac death in athletes with Dr Jessica Orchard
Dr Jessica Orchard, a Centenary Institute researcher at the Agnes Ginges Centre for Molecular Cardiology and a Heart Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow, has been interviewed for the latest Medical Journal of Australia (MJA) podcast.
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Boost to world-class melanoma research
World-class research into melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, has been boosted with Dr Jessamy Tiffen, Head of the Centenary Institute’s Melanoma Epigenetics Laboratory, receiving a $447,000 project grant from Cancer Council NSW.
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Gene discovery suggests new treatment approach for liver cancer
In a comprehensive analysis of human gene activation data, researchers from the Centenary Institute have discovered that the dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP4) gene family is strongly implicated in the development of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common type of primary liver cancer.