RESEARCHER PROFILE (Filmed April 2024)
Associate Professor Jelena Rnjak-Kovacina
Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering
UNSW Sydney, Australia
Dr Jelena Rnjak-Kovacina is a Scientia Associate Professor and ARC Future Fellow leading a multidisciplinary group at the Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, UNSW Sydney in Australia.
She completed her doctoral degree in Anthony Weiss’ lab at the University of Sydney and her postdoctoral training in David Kaplan’s group at Tufts University in Boston. She joined UNSW in 2014 where her research has been supported by funding from the Australian Research Council, the National Heart Foundation, the National Health & Medical Research Council, and NSW Health. She is the recipient of multiple awards, including most recently, the NSW Ministerial Award for Rising Stars in Cardiovascular Research and the Early Career Researcher of the Year (Physical Sciences) in the NSW Premier’s Prizes for Science & Engineering.
Her research interests are at the interface of biology and engineering, focusing on the development of biomimetic materials that direct cellular interactions for enhanced vascularisation and for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. In particular, she develops novel silk-based biomaterials and investigates how biomaterial properties translate to biological outcomes.
She is actively involved in the Australasian MedTech sector, including as Vice President of the Australasian Society for Biomaterials & Tissue Engineering (ASBTE), board member of the Australian Cardiovascular Alliance (ACvA) Bioengineering flagship, Fellow of the Tissue Engineering & Regenerative Medicine International Society, and through editorial roles for multiple journals. She is passionate about research training and communication.
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Public health and research into Ear, Nose and Throat conditions
Associate Professor Paul Paddle is an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) surgeon, head and neck surgeon with fellowship training in Laryngology – Voice, airway and Swallowing disorders. Working at Monash Health and Monash Children’s hospital, Paul has extensive experience managing a wide range of paediatric ENT conditions, from neonates to adolescents. He is also an active researcher in paediatric obstructive sleep apnoea and sleep disorders.
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Gerontological physiotherapy in falls prevention and prehabilitation
Dr Rik Dawson is a gerontological physiotherapist and health leader dedicated to improving healthy ageing through evidence-based physiotherapy, digital health and health system reform. As a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Institute for Musculoskeletal Health, University of Sydney, and President of the Australian Physiotherapy Association, he combines research and policy to improve access to high quality care for older people.
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Professor Sandy Middleton
NURSING RESEARCH INSTITUTE, ST VINCENT’S HEALTH NETWORK SYDNEY, ST VINCENT’S HOSPITAL MELBOURNE AND AUSTRALIAN CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY
NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA
