Innovative research into Alzheimer’s, brain development, pituitary medicine, cystic fibrosis and mental health has led to five University of Queensland academics being named Fellows of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences (AAHMS).
Two of these academics are Queensland Brain Institute researchers.
The Academy announced the induction of 50 new Fellows at its second general meeting last night (6 October 2016), bringing the total Fellowship to 272.
Academy President Professor Ian Frazer said he was delighted to welcome the new fellows.
“Their election as Fellows of the Academy will help to ensure that the Academy can promote use of the best in research-informed health care for all Australians,” he said.
QBI’s Professor John McGrath, Chair of AAHMS Queensland State Branch and Director, Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research, joined Professor Frazer in congratulating the new Fellows.
“The new Fellows bring great skills and experience to our Academy – the depth of talent in the Australian health and medical research community is truly inspirational,” he said.
The latest induction brings UQ’s total contribution of fellows to 23. QBI’s two new AAHMS fellows are:
Professor Linda Richards
Professor Richards is Deputy Director of Research at the Queensland Brain Institute (QBI) at UQ and a world leader in brain development, nervous system wiring in particular. She is internationally recognised as driving understanding of the corpus callosum, the major connection between the brain hemispheres.
Professor Jürgen Götz
Professor Götz is Director of the Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research at QBI. He is an internationally renowned Alzheimer’s researcher who develops animal models for Alzheimer's and related dementias to dissect pathomechanisms. His discoveries about the potential for ultrasound to reverse dementia have made international headlines.
Academy celebrates health and medical research
The other three UQ AAHMS fellows are Professor Claire Wainwright, UQ School of Medicine; Professor Harvey Whiteford; UQ School of Public Health; and Professor Ken Ho, who holds conjoint professorial appointments at UQ and the Queensland University of Technology.
Academy executive member, UQ Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) and Acting Executive Dean of Medicine Professor Robyn Ward said the academy aimed to celebrate health and medical research and its implications for medical practice and policy.
“Fellows are selected based on the strength of their contribution to the health and medical fields,” she said.
“I’m pleased to see more UQ researchers join the academy, which aims to work with stakeholders to tackle global health problems with evidence-based research.”
More than 170 UQ academics and professors emeriti are fellows of Australia’s learned academies, which encompass the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia, the Australian Academy of Science, the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, the Australian Academy of the Humanities, the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies and the recently created Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences. A list of all UQ fellows is available here.
Media: UQ Communications, communications@uq.edu.au, 07 3365 1120
