Research in the School of Medicine

The School of Medicine is a part of the Faculty of Health Sciences, incorporating the disciplines of Acute Care Medicine, Medicine, Ophthalmology, Orthopaedics and Trauma, Surgery and Psychiatry.

The school is based across four campuses, The Royal Adelaide Hospital, The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, The Lyell McEwin Health Services and Modbury Hospital. Research in the school covers a broad spectrum of interests.

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Research Areas:

• Acute Care Medicine
• Medicine
• Medicine Learning & Teaching Unit (MLTU)
• Ophthalmology
• Orthopaedics & Trauma
• Psychiatry
• Surgery
• Institutions with Affiliated Researchers

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Acute Care Medicine

Perioperative medicine - new pathways in elective surgery
Professor Guy Ludbrook

Nutrition and metabolism in critically ill patients
TBC

Intensive Care medicine in the Critcally ill
TBC

Solubility of dantrolene for Malignant Hyperthermia (MH)
Professor John Russell

Anaphylaxsis
Professor John Russell

Australasian Resuscitation of Sepsis Evaluation (ARISE) study
Dr James Smyth, Associate Professor Sandra Peake

N-acetyl cysteine in acute coronary syndrome
Dr James Smyth

Nursing home residemts in the emergency department
Dr James Smyth

Intensive care medicine
Dr Adam Deane, Associate Professor Marianne Chapman

Sepsis Studies
Associate Professor Sandra Peake

Observational Studies
Associate Professor Sandra Peake

Nutritional support for critically ill patients
Associate Professor Sandra Peake

Patient safety and the use of potassium choloride and paracetamol
Associate Professor Sandra Peake

Outcome Studies
Associate Professor Sandra Peake

The application of statistical methods in the analysis of outcome data
Associate Professor Sandra Peake

Visit the Acute Care Medicine website for more information

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Medicine

Airway epithelium
Dr Peter Zalewski

Airway inflammation
Associate Professor Hubertus Jersmann

Androgen receptor
Dr Tina Bianco-Miotto, Dr Grant Buchanan, Dr Eleanor Need

Androgen regulated genes
Dr Theresa Hickey

Androgens
Dr Grant Buchanan, Dr Eleanor Need

Apoptosis
Associate Professor Hubertus Jersmann, Dr Loretta Dorstyn, Professor Sharad Kumar

Appetite, nutrition, obesity 
Professor Gary Wittert,  Associate Professor Christine Feinle-Bisset, Associate Professor Chris Rayner, Dr Richard Young

Airway re-modelling and apoptosis in COPD and asthma
Associate Professor Hubertus Jersmann

Asthma
Professor Richard Ruffin, Associate Professor Hubertus Jersmann

Behavioural neurology
Professor Philip Thompson

Body composition 
Professor Gary Wittert

Breast cancer
Professor David Callen, Professor Wayne Tilley,  Dr Carmela Ricciardelli, Dr Theresa Hickey, Dr Lisa Butler, Dr Tina Bianco-Miotto, Associate Professor Greg Goodall, Dr Grant Buchanan, Dr Eleanor Need

Cancer
Professor Dorothy Keefe, Associate Professor Greg Goodall

Cancer genetics
Professor Hamish Scott

Cancer molecular genetics
Professor David Callen

Cancer risk factors
Professor Wayne Tilley

Cardiovascular health & diabetes mellitus 
Professor Gary Wittert, Associate Professor Manny Noakes

Caspases
Dr Peter Zalewski

Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP)
Dr Grant Buchanan,Dr Eleanor Need

COPD
Professor Richard Ruffin, Associate Professor Hubertus Jersmann

Diabetes (gastrointestinal manifestations)
Associate Professor Chris Rayner

Diabetes (musculoskeletal manifestation) and osteoporosis risk factors
Associate Professor Julian McNeil

Diabetes (paediatric)
Professor Jennifer Couper

Diabetic retinopathy
Professor Robert Casson

Diarrhoea (chemotherapy & radiation-induced)
Professor Dorothy Keefe, Dr Joanne Bowen

Diet, nutrition, weight management, obesity
Associate Professor Manny Noakes

Dietary restriction
Associate Professor Christine Feinle-Bisset

Dopamine cell molecular biology
Associate Professor James  Temlett

Drug discovery
Dr Grant Buchanan, Dr Eleanor Need

Endocannabinoids 
Professor Gary Wittert

Endocrinology (adrenocorticol function, stress & disease) 
Associate Professor David Torpy

Endoscopy research
Professor Gerald Holtmann

Energy and food intake
Associate Professor Christine Feinle-Bisset

Epigenetics
Professor Hamish Scott, Dr Tina Bianco-Miotto

Estrogen receptor 
Dr Grant Buchanan, Dr Eleanor Need

Functional dyspepsia and gastrointestinal disorders
Associate Professor Jane Andrews, Professor Gerald Holtmann

Gastrointestinal motor function, hormones & functional dyspepsia 
Associate Professor Christine Feinle-Bisset, Associate Professor Chris Rayner, Dr Richard Young, Dr Mark Schoeman

Genome sequencing
Dr Grant Buchanan, Dr Eleanor Need

Glaucoma
Associate Professor Robert Casson

Haematological malignancy
Professor Hamish Scott

Hormone action and therapy
Professor Wayne Tilley

Hospital infection control
Dr Peng Bi

Immunology and molecular biology of the respiratory tract
Associate Professor Hubertus Jersmann

Immunology of coeliac disease and inflammatory bowel disease
Dr Adrian Cummins

Infectious diseases and epidemiology
Dr Peng Bi, Dr John Hayball

Inflammatory bowel disease
Associate Professor Jane Andrews

Intestinal stem cell
Dr Adrian Cummins

Leukaemia biology & targeted drug development
Associate Professor Andrew Zannettino, Professor Hamish Scott

Lymphatic vascular development
Dr Natasha Harvey

Medical training assessment
Professor Richard Ruffin

Men's health 
Professor Gary Wittert

Mesenchymal stem cell biology and tissue regeneration
Associate Professor Andrew Zannettino

Microvascular dysfunction
Associate Professor John Beltrame

Molecular biology of cancer
Associate Professor Greg Goodall

Molecular regulation (programmed cell death)
Dr Loretta Dorstyn, Professor Sharad Kumar

Molecular therapeutics
Dr Lisa Butler

Mucositis (gastrointestinal/alimentary) & mucosal barrier injury
Professor Dorothy Keefe, Dr Joanne Bowen

Motor neurophysiology and movement disorders (tremor, tics, chorea, dystonia, myoclonus)
Professor Philip Thompson, Associate Professor James  Temlett

Nerve-gut research
Dr Richard Young

Palliative and non-malignant end of life care 
Dr Gregory Crawford

Nutrition and musculoskeletal health
Professor Michael James

Obesity 
Professor Gary Wittert,  Associate Professor Christine Feinle-Bisset, Associate Professor Chris Rayner, Professor Christian Gericke

Obesity & diabetes mellitus
Dr Alena Janovska, Dr Richard Young

Oesophagitis
Professor Dorothy Keefe, Dr Joanne Bowen

Preclinical models
Dr Lisa Butler

Prostate cancer
Professor Wayne Tilley, Associate Professor David Horsfall, Dr Carmela Ricciardelli, Dr Lisa Butler, Dr Tina Bianco-Miotto, Professor Chris Sweeney, Dr Grant Buchanan, Dr Eleanor Need

Respiratory disease
Professor Richard Ruffin, Associate Professor Alan Crockett, Dr Chris Barton, Professor Nigel Stocks

Skeletal muscle energy metabolism 
Professor Gary Wittert,  Dr Alena Janovska

Sleep apnoea in adults
Dr Adam Elshaug

Stem cells (neurobiology, including neural tract development & regeneration, & genetics of neurobiology) 
Associate Professor Simon Koblar 

Steroid receptors and signalling
Dr Tina Bianco-Miotto, Dr Grant Buchanan, Dr Eleanor Need

Stroke
Associate Professor Simon Koblar, Dr Jim Jannes, Professor Philip Thompson, Dr Thomas Kimber, Professor Prash Sanders, Professor Robert Vink

Ubiquitination (regulation of ion channels & transporters)
Dr Loretta Dorstyn, Professor Sharad Kumar

Vascular biology
Dr Claudine Bonder

Zinc & respiratory disease
Dr Peter Zalewski, Professor Richard Ruffin

Visit the Medicine website for more information

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Medicine Learning and Teaching Unit (MLTU)

Assessment of performance in clinical setting (medical education) 
Professor Anne Tonkin, Dr Hugh Kildea

Clinical reasoning ability (development in the medical curriculum)
Professor Anne Tonkin, Carole Gannon

Clinical skills training in the medical curriculum 
Professor Anne Tonkin, Dr Hugh Kildea

Curriculum design & implementation (medical)
Professor Anne Tonkin, Carole Gannon

Language & learning in medical courses
Helen Fraser & Carole Gannon

Medical education
Professor Anne Tonkin, Associate Professor Hubertus Jersmann, Professor Anna Chur-Hansen

PBL-based learning in the medical curriculum
Professor Anne Tonkin, Carole Gannon

Professional behaviour (development in teenage medical students)
Professor Anne Tonkin, Dr Kingsley Whittenbury

Psychological distress in medical students
Professor Anne Tonkin

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Ophthalmology

Blindness prevention
Professor Dinesh Selva, Professor Robert Casson

Eye research
Professor Dinesh Selva, Professor Robert Casson

Lacrimal surgery
Professor Dinesh Selva

Macular degeneration
Professor Robert Casson

Ocular research
Professor Dinesh Selva, Professor Robert Casson

Oculoplastic surgery
Professor Dinesh Selva

Orbital disease
Professor Dinesh Selva

Thyroid eye disease
Professor Dinesh Selva

Visit the Ophthalmology website for more information

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Orthopaedics & Trauma

Spinal Cord Injury
Dr Ruth Marshall, Dr Jillian Clark

Hip Reconstruction
Professor Donald Howie, Dr Bogdan Soloman

Bone Trauma
Associate Professor Anthony Pohl. Dr Bogdan Soloman, Dr Mellick Chehade

Orthopaedic Oncology
Dr Mark Clayer

Visit the Orthopaedics & Trauma website for more information

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Psychiatry

A comparative investigation of the neuropsychological characteristics and consequences of Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes
Mr Grant Sinnamon

A study on the prospective association between specific domains of cognitive function, their morphological brain correlates and genetic and protein markers during aging
Mr Grant Sinnamon

CoFaMS: Cognitive Function and Mood Study: An investigation of the relationship between cognitive function and mood disorders
Mr Grant Sinnamon

Identification of candidate genes for response to antidepressant treatment
Bernhard Baune

Identification of genes related to cognitive function and emotion processing in depression
Bernhard Baune

Intergenerational health influences within families
Professor Anna Chur-Hansen, Dr Shona Crabb, Professor Helen Winefield

Investigation of pharmacological antagonists relevant to cognition, emotion processing and addiction behaviour
Bernhard Baune

Investigation of neuropsychological and neuropsychiatric sequelae of comorbid cardiovascular and mood disorders
Mr Grant Sinnamon

Job stress and work-life balance in health care profession
Professor Anna Chur-Hansen, Dr Shona Crabb, Professor Helen Winefield

Patients’, health care professionals’ and community perceptions and experiences of genetic risk for illness
Professor Anna Chur-Hansen, Dr Shona Crabb, Professor Helen Winefield

Social supports (including companion animals), and psychological and physical health
Professor Anna Chur-Hansen, Dr Shona Crabb, Professor Helen Winefield

The relationship between cognitive function and the aetiological and clinical factors of type 1 diabetes
Mr Grant Sinnamon

Anxiety disorders
Professor Helen Winefield

Child and adolescent health and illness
Professor Michael Sawyer

Cognition
Professor Cherrie Galletly, Dr Amy Perfors

Dementia
Dr Patrick Flynn

Depression
Dr Geoff Schrader, Professor Robert Goldney, Dr Anne Sved-Williams

Depression & terminal illness
Dr Gregory Crawford

Eating disorders
Professor Cherrie Galletly

History of psychiatry
Professor Robert Goldney

Medical education
Professor Anna Chur-Hansen, Professor Helen Winefield, Associate Professor Leslie Koopowitz, Professor Cherrie Galletly, Dr Geoff Schrader

Post traumatic stress disorder
Professor Cherrie Galletly

Psychology of health and health care
Professor Helen Winefield

Psychiatric aspects of HIV and Hepatitis C
Dr Andrew Beckwith

Quality of life
Professor Michael Sawyer

Schizophrenia and its socio-cultural aspects
Professor Helen Winefield, Professor Cherrie Galletly

Suicidal behaviour
Professor Robert Goldney, Dr Anthony Davis

Critical health psychology
Dr Shona Crabb

Neuropsychiatry
Professor Cherrie Galletly

Psychosis and Schizophrenia
Professor Cherrie Galletly

Suicide prevention
Professor Robert Goldney

Visit the Psychiatry website for more information

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Surgery

Ablative techniques in tumour treatment
Professor Guy Maddern

An investigation into the long-term quality of life outcomes following the surgical treatment of anovaginal fistulae
Prof Peter Hewett, A/Prof Nick Rieger, Jacqueline Stephens, Mr Andrew Luck, Mr James Moore

Cell death pathways and the immune response to menstrual cycle-associated mammary gland regression
Associate Professor Wendy Ingman

Health technology assessment in surgery
Professor Guy Maddern

Prevention of adhesion formation in abdominal surgery
Professor Guy Maddern

Surgical simulation
Professor Guy Maddern

Factors in surgical mortality
Professor Guy Maddern

Large vessel reactivity as a significant contributor to symptoms in peripheral arterial disease
Dr Prue Cowled, Professor Rob Fitridge

Macrophages in the human breast inflammation in mastitis
Associate Professor Wendy Ingman

Outcome Modelling in Aortic Surgery
Dr Prue Cowled, Professor Rob Fitridge

Pathophysiology of small bowel damage following major vascular surgery
Dr Prue Cowled, Professor Rob Fitridge

The roles of bacteria and pathogenic fungus in chronic rhinosinusitis
Professor Peter Wormald, Dr Sarah Vreudge

The role of complement in breast cancer susceptibility
Associate Professor Wendy Ingman

The role of transforming growth factor beta in regulating macrophages in the mammary gland
Associate Professor Wendy Ingman

Therapeutic approaches to limit peripheral reperfusion injury
Dr Prue Cowled, Professor Rob Fitridge

Understanding the relationship between breast density and cancer risk
Associate Professor Wendy Ingman

Assessment methodologies
Associate Professor Peter Devitt

Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease
Professor Glyn Jamieson

Medical & health professional education, and on-line learning
Associate Professor Peter Devitt

Oesophago-gastric malignancy
Professor Glyn Jamieson

Burns treatments and skin engineering
Associate Professor John Greenwood

Surgical oncology
Associate Professor Bredon Coventry

Inflammatory bowel disease
Associate Professor W.E.W. Roediger, Associate Professor Adrian Cummins

Visit the Surgery website for more information

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Institutions with Affiliated Researchers

• Child Health Research Institute
• Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)
• Basil Hetzel Institute
• The Centre for Men's Health
• CCRE for Nutritional Physiology
• Hanson Institute
• Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science
• Repatriation General Hospital
• Royal Adelaide Hospital
• The Queen Elizabeth Hospital
• Women’s and Children’s Hospital

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More Information

Further details are available, please contact the Faculty of Health Sciences office.