College of Medicine & Dentistry


Anna Vnuk

Anna Vnuk

Natalie Drever

Natalie Drever

Anna Kokavec

Anna Kokavec

Leanne Hall

Leanne Hall

Sam Manger

Sam Manger

John Abbott

John Abbott

Karen Carlisle

Karen Carlisle

Jay Iyer

Jay Iyer

Exploring the Long-Term Effects of Probiotic Supplementation in Premature Infants (Old ID 27031)
Donna Rudd - Physiology and Pharmacology
16 Oct 2020 - 22 Jul 2025
Probiotic supplementation is now standard care for pre-term infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU); significantly reducing the risk of Necrotising Enterocolitis (NEC) and mortality. What is not known is the long-term impact of this probiotic treatment on the developing infant gut microbiome. Evidence from a previous study shows positive effects, however, two important questions remain. 1. Microbes from probiotic supplementation appear to colonize the infant gut, cause positive modulation and reduce the incidence of disease, does this effect persist over the first year of life? 2. Should the criteria for probiotic supplementation be expanded to include all infants?
Review of Tokelau's Clinical Health Services and Patient Referrals Sceme (Old ID 26397)
Michelle Redman-MacLaren - Medicine
05 Dec 2018 - 30 Jun 2020
The Tokelau Government has asked for an independent review of the Tokelau Patient Referrals Scheme (TPRS) and clinical health services. In partnership with the Tokelau Government, the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) has engaged a Massey University-led team to do the review. Our proposal is distinguished by three features in particular: the team is Pacific-led, the review design is bottom up, participatory and solutions-focussed, and our approach is grounded in a Tokelauan world view of health and wellbeing. This approach will allow for the co-creation of knowledge, will ensure that the review is inclusive of a diversity of views, including marginalised groups, and will enable us to undertake an in-depth review which reflects the social, economic, cultural and spiritual context. Methodological innovations such as use of the Systems Assessment Tool and particpatory co-design workshops will enable us to generate robust findings combining quantitative and qualitative data.
Generation of novel peptide-MHC antibody therapies to combat seasonal and pandemic potential influenza virus (Old ID 28968)
Influenza pandemics have caused significant morbidity and mortality throughout history. The 1918 influenza pandemic resulted in 25-50 million deaths globally. Myrio Therapeutics is a Melbourne-based company leading the development of antibodies directed to peptide-MHC (pMHC) targets. Myrio’s competitive edge is provided by a patented Retained Display (ReD) discovery platform allowing rapid isolation of high affinity human single chain antibodies, which are readily converted into different therapeutic formats. Myrio has identified several first-in-class antibodies against highly conserved influenza virus peptides presented on common human leukocyte antigens (HLAs) for further testing in vitro and in vivo in mice.
Exploring the educational and program impact of strategies to increase high quality GP registrar supervision and training in underserved communities in north-western Queensland (Old ID 25073)
Richard Murray - Medicine
01 Jul 2018 - 30 Jun 2019
This project builds on the previously funded ACRRM ERG - to develop a general practice workforce that is aligned with population health needs and optimising workforce sustainability and training in rural and remote areas. The first project identified underserved communities where GP registrar training capacity could be better targeted by strategically establishing registrar training posts in underserved communities. New training posts have been established or are in development in the underserved areas identified by the first project. This new project will evaluate these new training posts; measuring the educational impact of training in underserved areas and the impact of training posts on local communities.
Implementation and evaluation of a student-led rehabilitation and lifestyle service for people with chronic and disabling conditions in Cape York (Old ID 26301)
Alice Cairns - MCRRH Research
01 Feb 2019 - 31 Dec 2019
This project will evaluate the implementation of a student-led rehabilitation and lifestyle service for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in Napranum and Weipa in partnership with Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service (TCHHS) and Apunipima Cape York Health Council (ACYC). This research is expected develop a sustainable service model that is valued by people experiencing chronic and disabling conditions and their families living in Napranum and Weipa communities.
Governance and accountability: the experience of Aboriginal Health Workers (Old ID 25066)
Steph Topp - PHTM - Tropical Health
01 Jul 2018 - 31 Dec 2018
This program will form a foundational component of Dr. Topp’s long term vision to develop a JCU-based health systems governance research program focussing on Australia’s remote and rural health workforce. The proposed project encompasses the first empirical study on AHW governance in Australia, leveraging collaborations with key industry stakeholders in the tropical north. Outcomes, both publications and established industry relationships, will form the basis for future competitive grant applications that extend Dr. Topp’s research expertise and presence, including by opening up new opportunities for collaborations with international colleagues working in the health system governance and accountability domain.
Classifying the Type and Severtiy of Traumatic Injury in North Queensland: A Multicentre Retrospective Study (Old ID 26830)
Hayley Letson - Medicine
01 Oct 2020 - 01 Mar 2023
Queenslanders living in regional, rural and remote areas having a higher incidence of traumatic injury and are disadvantaged by prolonged prehospital times. The aim of this project is to define and describe trauma patients transported by aeromedical emergency services to and between Townsville, Cairns, Mt Isa and Mackay hospitals over a 3 - year period (2016-2018). A key objective is to conduct a comprehensive analysis of clinical interventions and therapies from point-of-injury to hospital admission, and patient outcomes to hospital discharge. This data will help inform all stakeholders on the current state of emergency trauma care in the tropics.
Clinical and economic evaluation of novel blood tests for stroke (Old ID 23159)
Joseph Moxon - Medicine
01 Aug 2017 - 01 Sep 2021
This clinical study aims to test the ability for 2 novel blood borne markers to 1) diagnose stroke and 2) predict patient outcomes 90 days after stroke onset. In partnership with the Townsville Hospital, I will recruit presenting patients suffering suspected stroke and collect blood samples at presentation and after 24 hours as part of their usual care. Blood will be analysed for circulating concentrations of the novel markers which will be statistically compared to current gold standards in stroke assessment. Patients will be followed up at 3 months to assess disability, and perform economic analyses to quantify healthcare costs.
Evaluation framework for community rehabilitation services in remote northern Australia (Old ID 26713)
Alice Cairns - MCRRH Research
01 Jan 2020 - 31 Dec 2020
An evauluation framework for community rehabilitation services in northern Australian will be developed. In Stage 1, a guiding framework will be revised following a systematic literature review. In Stage 2, routinely collected data relevant to the framework will be identified through data scoping. In Stage 3 the framework will be refined using a modified Delphi consensus approach and in Stage 4, tested for data accuracy and to determine rules for application. Processes and outcomes responsive to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities will be prioritied. This evaluation framework will enable continuous quality improvement, benchmarking against national standards and evidence-informed investment.
Tilapia Biocontrol Project. (Old ID 27044)
Ellen Ariel - Microbiology and Immunology
01 Jul 2020 - 31 Oct 2022
Determine the susceptibility of two tilapia species present in Australian waterways (O. mossambicus and T. mariae ) to TiLV and demonstrate the efficacy of TiLV as a potential biocontrol agent for tilapia in Australia.
Reseracher: Jeffrey Warner (Head, Biomedical Sciences and Molecular Biology)
Reseracher: Jeffrey Warner (Head, Biomedical Sciences and Molecular Biology)
Reseracher: Jeffrey Warner (Head, Biomedical Sciences and Molecular Biology)
Title: English
Reseracher: Eric Kalo (Lecturer Medical Education)
Title: French
Reseracher: Eric Kalo (Lecturer Medical Education)