NEWBORN SCREENING OF INFANTS AND NEWBORNS WITH CONGENITAL HYPOTHYROIDISM
Associate Professor Michelle Jack
Clinical Practice & Co-Lead Doctor of Medicine
Bond University, Queensland, Australia
RESEARCHER PROFILE
Filmed in Robina, Queensland | July 2024
Michelle Jack is Associate Professor of Clinical Practice, Faculty of Health Sciences & Medicine at Bond University, QLD and co-Head of Paediatrics and a Paediatric Endocrinologist at Lismore Base Hospital in NSW. She graduated from Medicine at the University of Queensland with first class honours and the University Gold Medal and has a PhD in hyperinsulinism from the University of QLD. She has postgraduate qualifications in higher education and is a fellow of the higher education academy.
Assoc Prof Jack is an experienced leader and practitioner in the healthcare, research and higher education sectors. Career highlights include: Head of Department Paediatric Endocrinology, Royal North Shore Hospital; Academic Lead Education & Partnerships, University Centre for Rural Health, University of Sydney; Head of the Beta Cell Laboratory, Kolling Institute; Chair Australasian Paediatric Endocrine Group scientific program organising committee and Co-Chair international scientific program organising committees; Chair Northern Sydney Adolescent Committee; International Research Fellowship, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Head of Research, Impact Institute.
Assoc Prof Jack is passionate about the health and wellbeing of children and adolescents, with diverse research areas including the impacts of family friendly workplace initiatives, screening and management of thyroid disorders in infants and children. She supports her First Nations colleagues on Indigenous-led research projects funded by the Medical Research Future Fund, aiming to improve the social and emotional wellbeing of First Nations Children. Through her clinical and academic roles, Assoc Prof Jack hopes to make a positive difference to the health and well-being of children and their families.
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DNA repair on the Fanconi anaemia pathway
Associate Professor Wayne Crismani is an internationally recognised expert in DNA repair, with a particular focus on Fanconi anaemia (FA)—a cancer-predisposition and bone marrow failure syndrome marked by extreme sensitivity to DNA damage. Based at St Vincent’s Institute in Melbourne, he leads a research program dedicated to understanding the genetic, cellular, and reproductive consequences of FA. He is currently supported by a Victorian Cancer Agency Mid-Career Fellowship and funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council.
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Non-invasive tools for CVD screening and monitoring
Dr Hadi Afsharan is a Research Fellow Cardiovascular Science & Diabetes at the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research; is a translational research and innovation fellow in medical technologies at The University of Western Australia, holding dual titles as Translational Fellow and Innovation Fellow within UWA’s Medical School and the FHRI (Future Health Research and Innovation) program.
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Genetic disease research imitating function and architecture of organs
Professor Wolvetang was among the first to bring the first human embryonic stem cells to Queensland, with his Wolvetang Group at the AIBN now renowned for its work with organoids: growing them, studying them, and using them to try and understand diseases and human development.
Using cutting edge technology, Professor Wolvetang designs and grows organoids both for their own work and for labs across the country, coaxing pluripotent stem cells or tissue samples into 3D structures that mimic the function and architecture of real brains, livers, kidneys, spinal cords, and intestines.
