RESEARCHER PROFILE (Filmed November 2023)
Dr Brendan Shannon
Head of Postgraduate Programs
Monash University
Melbourne, Australia
Dr Brendan Shannon is a registered paramedic and Head of Postgraduate Programs and Deputy Head of Department of Paramedicine at Monash University.
Transitioning from 12 years clinical work as a paramedic to academia, Dr. Brendan Shannon understands the importance of research and education in the field of healthcare. He became a paramedic, pursued higher education, and transitioned into academia while still maintaining a clinical workload.
Brendan has balanced clinical and academic experience throughout his career and his research is closely informed by paramedicine practice.
Brendan has a keen research interest in alternative care pathways, non-transport, referral services, paramedic practitioners and community paramedicine. His Doctoral research focused on investigating the experiences of health services when implementing alternative care pathways.
These pathways are designed to deliver care in community settings for populations that are traditionally underserved. The programs examined were found to effectively address complex patients’ needs in community settings.
Dr. Shannon is driven to help people’s lives be better, particularly those who don’t have the privileges as others. His focus is on treating underserved communities with chronic diseases and complex social conditions, who frequently use healthcare services, through community paramedicine programs, as well as patients who frequently utilise healthcare services like the emergency department.
“The intersection of chronic disease and complex social conditions presents a unique challenge in healthcare. Researching programs to increase access to care for underserved patients within the community is a big umbrella term with lots of avenues to explore”, says Dr Shannon.
Apart from research, having a purpose to help others and teaching, Dr Shannon has a passion for restoring old cars nurtured from family influences. He also takes part in amateur martial arts, in particular Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
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Infections and other lung diseases using models of human lung tissue grown from stem cells
Dr Rhiannon Werder is a Team Leader at Murdoch Children’s Research Institute leading a multidisciplinary team, combining expertise in stem cell biology and immunology, to develop new therapies for lung diseases. Her research centres around induced pluripotent stem cells to investigate respiratory diseases, spanning acute respiratory infections to chronic lung diseases. Using stem cells, Dr Werder’s team creates models of human lung tissue. With these models, Dr Werder is investigating how human-specific pathogens infect different regions of the lung, the ensuing immune responses, and how the lung repairs itself after infections, especially in people with preexisting lung diseases.
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Investigating invasive lobular carcinoma and metaplastic breast cancer sub-types
Assoc Prof McCart Reed is the scientific lead on an MRFF-funded (Medical Research Future Fund) genomics program investigating the potential for the application of Whole Genome Sequencing in the breast cancer care pathway in Australia, ‘Q-IMPROvE’. She applies genomics and spatial transcriptomics methodologies to archival clinical samples to understand the differences between tumour types and their potential for treatment. Amy is passionate about clinical research, biobanking and precision oncology. In addition to her breast cancer research portfolio, she is on the steering committee for the Brisbane Breast Bank and the Scientific Advisory Board for Breast Cancer Trials.
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Developing upper limb motor biomarkers of dementia
Kaylee is currently a research fellow with the Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre at the University of Tasmania. She has recently submitted her PhD thesis, reporting the findings of her research on developing upper limb motor biomarkers of dementia. She has postgrad degrees in physiotherapy and experience working in the community and aged care across Tasmania for several years, where she worked with people with dementia.
