“Meningococcal B is a very serious and life-threatening condition with up to 10% of children and adolescents dying from the infection.  It is rapidly fatal and a very distressing disease for families,” says Associate Professor Helen Marshall, from the University of Adelaide’s Robinson Institute and Director of the Vaccinology and Immunology Research Trials Unit at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Adelaide.

Clinical trials are underway evaluating the safety of a potential meningococcal B vaccine in healthy adolescents and adults.  The results of the study will be reviewed prior to licensing of the vaccine in Australia.  This work is part of a large international study.

Healthy adolescents and young adults aged 10-26 years are needed to take part in the vaccine study.  Parents who would like their teenager to take part in the study, or young adults interested in participating, should call Study Coordinator Su-San Lee on 8161 8117.

Professor Ralph Martins was voted Western Australian of the Year in 2010 and Western Australian Citizen of the Year in 2011. He is the Inaugural Chair in Ageing and Alzheimer’s at Edith Cowan University, Western Australia. Professor Martins is supported by the McCusker Alzheimer’s Research Foundation in Western Australia, and by national and international research funding bodies. Jointly presented by the SA & NT Dementia Training Study Centre and the School of Molecular and Biomedical Science of the University of Adelaide.

Date: Wednesday 29 May 2013

Time: 12.00pm – 1.30pm

Venue: Law Lecture Theatre 1
University of Adelaide Law School (Ligertwood Building)
ADELAIDE SA 5000

Directions: enter the university from Pulteney Street where you will find
Bonython Hall. The Ligertwood Building lies east of Bonython Hall on
the other side of the plaza. Go to the reception at the main entrance of
Ligertwood and then the lecture theatre is one floor up
at the northern end of the corridor.

Cost: No charge

Register here

REGISTRATIONS ARE ESSENTIAL
AS PLACES ARE LIMITED
Confirmation of your registration will be sent via email

The results of a major stroke incidence study are published in this month’s issue of the international journal Stroke. The study looked at the number and causes of strokes among 148,000 people living in the western suburbs of Adelaide.

The study, conducted in 2009-2010, found that the incidence of first stroke was 161 per 100,000 people per annum. That’s down by almost 10% on a similar population study in Perth in 1989-1990, which found the incidence of first stroke was 178 per 100,000 people.

“With an increasingly aging population, we might have expected to see the number of strokes in the community rising. However, what we’re seeing is that the rate of strokes is actually decreasing, which is good news for Australians,” says a chief investigator of the study, Professor Jonathan Newbury from the University of Adelaide’s School of Population Health.

Learn more

What: ASMR Medical Research Week® – SA Annual Gala Dinner

Where: Adelaide Pavilion, Veale Gardens, South Terrace, Adelaide
When: Monday 3rd June, 7 pm to 11 pm

We look forward to Professor Wirz-Justice’s inspiring presentation on her outstanding achievements of her career.

ABOUT Professor Anna Wirz-Justice:

Emeritus Professor Anna Wirz-Justice is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Chronobiology, Psychiatric Hospital of the University of Basel.

With more than 20 year of research on seasonal affective disorder and light therapy, her outstanding contributions to the field has allowed Anna to introduce light therapy to Europe. Her collaboration with artists, architects and designers, who are inspired by the complexities of neuroscience, has instigated the incorporation of novel lighting regimens in architecture to improve sleep, mood and cognition in Alzheimer’s patients.

The session will include information on the following prestigious scholarships:

• Fulbright Scholarship: for postgraduate or postdoctoral study in the United States of America
• Rhodes Scholarship: for postgraduate or postdoctoral study at Oxford University in the United Kingdom
• General Sir John Monash Scholarship: for postgraduate study for up to 3 years in another country

Date: Friday 24 May 2013
Time: 10:00am
Venue: The University of Adelaide
Professional & Continuing Education (PCE)
115 Grenfell Street, Level 9, Room 9.01

Please register your attendance by emailing Rosie Wilkes (rosie.wilkes@adelaide.edu.au) by 5.00pm Monday 20 May 2013.

To further postgraduate study in medical research, 2 scholarships of $4,000 each are offered to eligible PhD students undertaking medical research in the Faculty of Health Sciences. Applications by 31 May 2013.
Learn more

“Egg allergy is the most common food allergy in Australia, affecting 9% of young children,” says University of Adelaide PhD student Merryn Netting, from the Women’s and Children’s Health Research Institute (WCHRI).

Ms Netting, who is based at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital, has 20 years’ experience as a paediatric dietitian. She is conducting the CAKE (Can egg Allergic Kids eat baked Egg?) Study with the Women’s and Children’s Hospital Allergy Unit to see if small amounts of baked egg help children to more quickly overcome their allergy.

Speaking in the lead up to Food Allergy Awareness Week (13-19 May), Ms Netting says: “Ten years ago, if a child had an egg allergy we would recommend a totally egg free diet. However, our thinking on the issue has now changed – we introduce children early to baked egg, and if they tolerate it we encourage them to include it in their diet regularly. This new research is helping to put that thinking to the test.” Learn more

When:
Wednesday June 5 2013

Registration:
5.30 Speakers 6.00 – 7.30 pm then Networking

Where:                     
The University of Adelaide Hughes Lecture Theatre, (via the Hub) Hughes Bldg  North Terrace  Adelaide

Representative:
APS SA Branch/College of Health Psychologist

Presenters:            
Dr Peter Tyllis - Chief Psychiatrist Health SA
Lynne James - Project Manager SA Suicide Prevention Strategy
Philip Galley - Clinical Quality Improvement Leader for Southern
Adelaide- Fleurieu Kangaroo Island (SAFKI) Medicare Local
Kiara Cannizzaro - Community Engagement Coordinator at SAFKI Medicare Local

Synopsis: This program will provide insight into the breadth of current public health initiatives in suicide prevention from the perspective of both state and federally funded initiatives. Presenters will provide an overview of policy, community engagement    and current clinical initiatives.

The Office of the Chief Psychologist in SA Health has developed the South Australian Suicide Prevention Strategy as a focal point for the collaborative effort required of all government departments, the non-government sector, business  and community groups to achieve effective reductions in the rate and occurrence of suicide in our community. The office has been involved in the recent publication of Guidelines for Working with the Suicidal Person

The SAFKI Medicare Local provides a Suicide Prevention Service that delivers short term support for people who are at risk of developing suicidal thoughts or intent. The organisation also provides education to primary health care providers on suicide, risk assessments and referral pathways.

Cost:
Students: $10
APS members: $20
All others: $25
Register online through the APS CPD website Link

For further details:   
Grant Dewar (grant.dewar@adelaide.edu.au)
Marijeta Kurtin (marijeta.kurtin@hotmail.com)

We hope you can Join Us
Seating Capacity is limited to 140 

Date:                           Monday 13 May
Time:                          12.00 – 14.00               
Venue:                       Napier LG 24

Presenters:                    Dr Erik Sorensen

Dr Mette Groenkjaer
Dr Birgitte Schantz Laursen
Dr Edith Mark

For more information please see the final program.

To register your attendance RSVP to morgan.glazbrook@adelaide.edu.au by COB Friday 10 May