Randwick
Research groups active across the Randwick campus are detailed below:
Research in cardiology involves pharmaceutical and/or device company-sponsored clinical trials and investigator-initiated studies, including antiplatelet and anticoagulation therapies, inflammatory markers, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), new stent technology, intra-coronary imaging/physiology, implantable cardiac monitors (ICM), cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT), AV node ablation, implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICD) and transcatheter heart valves (TAVI) and valve repair devices.
Key contact:
Dr Anne Russell
Anne.Russell@health.nsw.gov.au
Research clinicians:
Dr Suresh Sigarayar
Research areas: Atrial fibrillation, cardiac implantable devices, cardiac electrophysiology.
Dr Sze-Yuan Ooi
Research areas: Atrial fibrillation, cardiac implantable devices, cardiac electrophysiology, interventional cardiology.
Research being conducted in Eastern Suburbs Mental Health Services aims to improve mental and physical health outcomes in people living with serious mental illness, in addition to furthering understanding of mental illness and improving service delivery.
Current projects include topics such as:
- Smoking cessation
- Dietary interventions for mental health consumers
- Exercise interventions for mental health consumers
- Improving physical health of mental health staff
- Peer Health coaching
- Sleep Hygiene and Sleep Disorders
- Microbiome in Psychosis
- Service engagement
We have opportunities for ILP, Masters and PhD student projects. If you are interested in participating in our research, please get in contact with the people below or ask your mental health clinician for more information.
Key contacts
Rachel Morell (Research Officer) | r.morell@unsw.edu.au
Kimberley Davies (Research Officer) | kimberley.davies@unsw.edu.au
A/Prof. Jackie Curtis (Clinical Director, Youth Mental Health) | jackie.curtis@health.nsw.gov.au
Research interests
Youth mental health, cardiometabolic health, lifestyle behaviour, severe mental illness, early psychosis, physical activity, dietary intake, smoking cessation, sleep, gut microbiota.
Related pages
The Keeping the Body in Mind (KBIM) program focuses on reducing the life expectancy gap reported in people experiencing severe mental illness through delivery of lifestyle interventions. Research in this area is looking to evaluate the effectiveness of these interventions including their impact on physical and mental health outcomes.
Research clinicians:
Dr Anne Wand
Research areas: Delirium, aspects of decision making capacity, self-harm in older people, evaluation of the effectiveness of consultation-liaison psychiatry services.
Dr Michael Murphy
michael.murphy@health.nsw.gov.au
Research areas: Psycho-oncology, CBT, iCBT.
Dr Duncan George
duncan.george@health.nsw.gov.au
Research areas: Ketamine, Neurostimulation (TMS, DCS, ECT), geriatric depression, treatment resistant depression.
Key contact:
Ms Yuk Fun Chan
Research clinicians:
Dr Anne Poynten
Research areas: Diabetes: Type 1, Type 2, diabetic complications
Dr Sue Mei Lau
Research areas: Diabetes and endocrine disorders in pregnancy.
Key contact:
Associate Professor Jeffrey Post
jeffrey.post@health.nsw.gov.au
Research areas: Clinical infectious diseases, viral hepatitis, HIV, antimicrobial stewardship, allergy, clinician behaviour, prisoner health.
Research clinicians:
Dr Kate Clezy
Research areas: Infection prevention and control, antimicrobial stewardship.
Dr Adrienne Torda
Research areas: Clinical infectious diseases, translational clinical research, antibiotic allergies, vaccine use and implementation, prosthetic joint infections, diabetic foot infections, appropriate use of antibiotics, surgical infections, medical education research.
Dr Kristen Overton
kristen.overton@health.nsw.gov.au
Research areas: Clinical infectious diseases, antimicrobial stewardship, viral hepatitis, quality improvement.
Research scientists, clinical experts in reproductive medicine and cancer specialists have come together to create the Fertility and Research Centre (FRC).
The FRC is a joint initiative between UNSW and the Royal Hospital for Women (RHW) and is a multidisciplinary centre for research and clinical excellence in reproductive medicine and fertility, based at the RHW. The facility is a clinical and academic training centre, as well as an arena for world-class translational research in assisted reproduction, clinical genetics and fertility preservation. The centre is unique in Australia and possibly in the Southern hemisphere as a centre of research excellence and holistic clinical care.
The FRC supports four main areas:
- In vitro maturation (IVM) of oocytes, which offers oncology patients and patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) the opportunity for “hormone-free” assisted reproduction technologies. These have been developed by Associate Professsor Robert Gilchrist and his colleagues in collaboration with the group at Vrie Universitat Brussels in Belgium.
- New approaches to preservation of eggs, ovarian tissue, gametes and embryos for young people with cancer. This is part of the FutureFertility initiative led by Dr Antoinette Anazodo and Professor Bill Ledger, in association with the International Onco-Fertility Consortium led by Professor Teresa Woodruff from NorthWestern University in Chicago.
- Innovative molecular genetic techniques to improve chances of a healthy pregnancy, reducing the risk of miscarriage and chromosomal abnormality
- Improving IVF success rates and safety using novel stimulation strategies and state of the art genetic profiling of eggs and embryos.
Teaching and training: The FRC provides a clinical training ground for students and staff, with the opportunity to learn within a world-class holistic assisted reproductive services clinic and to work with experts in their fields. This includes specialised innovative services that are not readily available elsewhere within NSW (e.g. fertility preservation services for oncology patients and IVM). The centre also leads in the development of new ethical frameworks necessitated by the rapid introduction of novel science into human reproduction.
Key contact:
Professor William L Ledger
The Mindgardens Neuroscience Network (Mindgardens) is an innovative organisation dedicated to clinical excellence, research and education in neurological, mental health and substance use disorders. Established in 2018, it brings together the strengths of four founding partner organisations: The Black Dog Institute, Neuroscience Research Australia, South Eastern Sydney Local Health District and UNSW Sydney to form the largest hub of scientists and clinicians working of the brain disorders in the southern hemisphere.
Mindgardens is addressing the burden of brain disorders by creating outstanding care for brain disorders by combining the efforts of world-class clinicians and researchers and through the active participation of consumers patients, the public and governments. We create new models of care that will change the way we approach, diagnose, treat, monitor, prevent and support our communities. We will develop new models of care that will afford all Australians the best life possible.
Key contact:
Heather Smith, Executive Officer: h.smith@mindgardens.org.au
The medical oncology department is active in clinical trials research in solid cancers both in partnership with the pharmaceutical industry and co-operative trials groups including Breast Cancer Trials Australia, ANZGOG, AGITG, ALTG, ANZUP and COGNO all of which have leadership representation from the department. There are particular clinical research interests in breast cancer, gynaecologic cancers, lung cancer, soft tissue sarcomas, head and neck cancers, pancreatic and upper GIT, colorectal cancer, prostate cancer and CNS cancers.
In addition, there are collaborative clinical research activities in hereditary cancers, cancers of unknown primary, patient reported outcomes, culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) groups, psychosocial research, cancer survivorship, integrated care and chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). The department supports the research activities of the Translational Cancer Research Network, Lowy Cancer Research and the Scientia Clinical Research facilities.
Key contact:
Dr Melvin Chin
Research clinicians:
Michael Friedlander
michael.friedlander@health.nsw.edu.au
Research areas: Gynaecologic cancers, breast cancer, patient reported outcomes.
David Goldstein
david.goldstein@health.nsw.gov.au
Research areas: Gastro-intestinal malignancies, culturally and linguistically diverse and chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy.
Elizabeth Hovey
Elizabeth.hovey@health.nsw.gov.au
Research areas: Central nervous system cancers, urologic cancers and geriatric oncology.
Craig Lewis
Research areas: Lung cancer, breast cancer, head and neck, sarcoma.
Siobhan O'Neill
siobhan.ONeill@health.nsw.gov.au
Research areas: Gastro-intestinal malignancies, pancreatobiliary cancers, carcinoma of unknown primary.
Allied health contacts:
Radiation Oncology, Head and Neck Cancer and Speech Pathology research group.
Janet Williams
Janet.williams@health.nsw.gov.au
Belinda Vangelov
belinda.vangelov@health.nsw.edu.au
Molly Barnhart
molly.barnhart@health.nsw.gov.au
Research clinicians:
Ross Black
Research areas: Assistive technology, vestibular disorders.
Prince of Wales key contact:
Daniel Treacy
daniel.treacy@health.nsw.gov.au
Prince of Wales research clinicians:
Mary Santos
Renae McNamara
renae.mcnamara@health.nsw.gov.au
Research areas: Chronic respiratory disease: pulmonary rehabilitation, water-based exercise, outcome measures, exercise testing, exercise training, physical activity, alternative training modes, patient education.
Claire Boswell-Ruys
claire.boswellruys@health.nsw.gov.au
Research area: Spinal cord injury.
Kerry Blyth
Research areas: Musculoskeletal, knee injury.
Peter Beshara
peter.beshara@health.nsw.gov.au
Research areas: Orthopaedics, musculoskeletal, shoulder.
Elizabeth Bye
elizabeth.bye@health.nsw.gov.au
Research area: spinal cord injury.
The Royal Hospital for Women
The physiotherapy department at The Royal Hospital for Women is involved in proof of concept and translational research projects. Senior clinicians have published and presented works such as systematic reviews, case reports and qualitative studies across a variety of fields including models of care, advanced practice physiotherapy, vulvovaginal pain, obstetric anal sphincter injury, continence & pelvic floor dysfunction.
RHW key contact:
Diana Slack
RHW research clinicians:
Hannah Graetz
Hannah.graetz@health.nsw.gov.au
Research areas: Continence, pelvic floor dysfunction, vulvovaginal pain, advanced practice physiotherapy, models of care.
Melissa Chapman
melissa.chapman@health.nsw.gov.au
Research areas: Pelvic floor dysfunction, forceps delivery.
The Public Health Unit is responsible for monitoring and responding to public health risks in the community within SESLHD boundaries, whether these risks are caused by exposure to infectious, chemical or radiological agents. The Unit undertakes epidemiological and other forms of public health research when opportunities present themselves. The main broad fields of research are in immunisation, infectious diseases surveillance and response, environmental health including tobacco control; we have recently developed a focus on research into the use of social media in health protection.
Key contact:
Professor Mark Ferson
Research areas: Immunisation, epidemiology of infectious diseases of public health importance (e.g. gastroenteritis, measles, viral hepatitis, arboviruses, STIs), public health law and history.
Research clinicians:
Dr Catherine Bateman-Steel
catherine.batemansteel@health.nsw.gov.au
Research areas: Health protection – epidemiology and surveillance, notifiable disease, bio-preparedness, traveller health; social media in public health; social determinants of health; global health; health equity; health and human rights; population mental health.
Kelly-Anne Ressler
kellyanne.ressler@health.nsw.gov.au
Research areas: Epidemiology and surveillance, notifiable diseases, sexually transmissible infections, traveller health, foodborne diseases, vaccine preventable diseases.
Sandra Chaverot
sandra.chaverot@health.nsw.gov.au
Research areas: Epidemiology and surveillance of notifiable diseases, emerging Infectious diseases, biopreparedness, Influenza, mosquito borne diseases, traveller health, rabies, vaccine preventable diseases, social media in public health.
Key contact:
Professor William Ledger
Research clinicians:
Michael Costello
Research areas: Infertility and reproductive endocrinology.
The South Eastern Area Toxicology Service (SEATS) was commenced in 2003. SEATS provides a 24 hour, 7 day a week admitting service in clinical toxicology at the Prince of Wales Hospital (POWH) as well as a bed-side consultation service to the Sydney Children’s Hospital (SCH) and a phone consultation service to the other hospitals in the SESLHD and also the SCH. Currently, we have about 1000 toxicology consults and admissions per annum with 1500 patients projected within the next 5 years.
The SEATS has set up multi-centre collaborative clinical research through the Australasian TOxicology Monitoring (ATOM) project. The ATOM project was commenced in 2013 to investigation the pharmacokinetics and dynamics of drugs in overdoses. The consultants in SEATS supervise medical students in doing Independent Learning Projects as well as Master and PhD students. In 2015-July 2018, SEATS has written over 20 publications.
Currently there are active clinical projects on the following:
- Digoxin Overdose and Response to Antibody (DORA)
- Australian Paracetamol Project (APP)
- Sotolol, Propranolol, Atenolol, Metoprolol Study (SPAM)
- Anticoagulation Project Time & Treatment (aPTT)
- MEtformin TOxicity Study (METOX)
- Pregabalin Gabapentin Toxicity Project (PGTP)
- Dialysis of Toxins Study (DOTS)
- Sodium channel blockers Overdose & Alkalinisation (SODA)
- Dihydropyridine Toxicity Project (DTP)
- Post Overdose Trail Test Study (POTTS)
Key contact:
Associate Professor Betty Chan
Research areas: Digoxin, dihydropyridine, trail test, sodium channel blockers.
Research clinicians:
Dr Angela Chiew
Dr Angela Chiew
Research areas: Paracetamol, anticoagulant, beta-blockers.