The Australian Society for Medical Research (ASMR) Profile picture
The ASMR advocates for health & medical research for a healthy, equitable future. Tweets: @conorjmccaff
Oct 1, 2020 6 tweets 3 min read
Did you know: When a research grant is awarded, the administering institution has to find an extra 20-40% of the value of the grant to cover overheads, simply so the research can proceed? The Job-Ready Bill removes the source of this overhead funding.

That's catastrophic (1/6👇) The Bill remains only to be voted on by the Senate before it will severely impact on Universities, academics, students and the sector. The ASMR has serious concerns regarding the Bill and how it will adversely affect health + medical research in Australia
Sep 22, 2020 15 tweets 10 min read
Have you wondered who is behind all our fantastic ASMR Medical Research Week® events in each state?

ASMR Director @IgnitingScience works with some very talented researchers who come together and form our ASMR state committees.

Meet our 2020 NSW committee!

A thread👇 Image Dr Nunki Hassan @NunkiHassan is the co-convenor of NSW ASMR. She is currently a Research Officer at the @KidsCancerInst and an associate lecturer @UNSW. She is passionate about cancer research and spreading awareness about medical research to the community. Image
Sep 21, 2020 4 tweets 3 min read
In conjunction with @QUT EMCR Committee @TheASMR1 will run a panel discussion on Perspectives on the NHMRC Investigator Grant Scheme.

The panel discussion will take place on Wednesday, September 23rd, 2.30-4pm, via zoom: qut.zoom.us/j/98570583045?… Image We will hear from investigators who have been successful with both EL1 and EL2 fellowships :

- Dr. Holly Anderton (NHMRC EL1 Investigator Recipient, @WEHI_research
- Dr. Carlos Salomon Gallo (NHMRC EL2 Investigator Recipient, @UQ_News)
Sep 18, 2020 4 tweets 1 min read
🗣 NSW + Newcastle high school students - on October 14, you'll have a chance to virtually meet scientists from a wide range of fields, including Cassandra Griffin!

Her journey into the science world has been a little different to most!

A thread 👇 Image Training in the performing arts after graduating high school and working both onstage and behind the scenes in the theatre industry, medical research wasn’t an obvious destination.
Sep 18, 2020 11 tweets 11 min read
South Australian High school students - unsure about your career in science?

This Monday, you'll have a chance to learn about where a career in science can take you!

A thread 👇

Register here: trybooking.com/BLGZH

Event page: facebook.com/events/3060628… Image Meet Michelle Forgione @ForgioneAu.

Michelle is a #PhDcandidate at @sahmriAU, researching acute lymphoblastic #leukaemia. She has special interests in #cancer epigenetics and #pharmacogenomics. Image
Aug 24, 2020 5 tweets 3 min read
ITS TIME! The 59th ASMR National Scientific Conference will be held on 18-19 Nov 2020.

Abstracts are open until 25 Sept: asmr.org.au/asmr-nsc/

FREE for ASMR members
Student non-members $35
Regular non-members $50

Graphic: Jo-Maree Courtney of @ComeScienceBlog

A thread👇 Image The meeting was scheduled to be held in Melbourne, however, due to the restrictions on in-person gatherings and travel (not part of our 2020 vision...) we are now hosting an online event to ensure we still all get a chance to "meet"
Aug 18, 2020 10 tweets 2 min read
The Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) was instated to help fund Australian medical research. It has been apparent that the awarding of these disbursements is flawed.

Have first hand examples of administrative or procedural issues with the MRFF? Please contact us.

A thread 👇 The inception of the MRFF gave us two sources of government funding for health and medical research – the @nhmrc grants (which are expertly managed) and the MRFF.
Aug 3, 2020 15 tweets 9 min read
Make no mistake.

Australian medical research is in crisis.

In his article, @jcarapetis echoes the alarm and discusses issues at the heart of the ASMR’s mission.

The sector is on the brink of collapse.

But we can fix it.

@ausgov, are you listening?

Here’s how:

A thread 👇 We’ve been losing our skilled and talented researchers in recent years with an increasing brain drain due to a lack of funding.

#COVID19 has made this worse.

#ecrchat #phdchat #ScienceTwitter #AcademicTwitter
Jul 22, 2020 5 tweets 3 min read
You wouldn’t read an article on rockets and planets and claim to be an astronaut or a pilot...

Empower yourself with knowledge, but acknowledge where your limitations are.

(1/5) @AcademicChatter @AcademicsSay #phdchat #ecrchat #ScienceTwitter #phdlife

Art: Matt Reuters Image 2h on YouTube is no substitute for the knowledge of experts with decades of medical or scientific education, a century of fervent progressive research and refinement, stringent quality control, and huge advances in technology.
Jul 17, 2020 4 tweets 2 min read
Australian medical research is punching above its weight, producing 3.8% of medical research output worldwide. In terms of research output per capita, we publish more research than the USA, China, Japan, Italy, Canada, Germany and France. Image Through our advocacy, the @nhmrc budget doubled in 1999 and 2006.
Jul 1, 2020 5 tweets 2 min read
The unsustainable costs of the projected health challenges will directly affect the future health care of all Australians.

Investment into Australian health and medical research has delivered better health care for Australians and people around the world.

A thread 👇 Image For almost a century, the @nhmrc has overseen the distribution of research funding in Australia, using a series of robust processes that are directly underpinned by transparency and peer review.
Jun 22, 2020 5 tweets 3 min read
“The Government says … 62 per cent of employment growth in the next five years will be in health care, science and technology, education and construction.” In response, they’re reducing the fees associated with these degrees by up to 20%. abc.net.au/news/2020-06-1… That’s great, but how will the health and medical research sector cope with all these new graduates when the @ausgov is currently unable to adequately support researchers and the sector?
Jun 8, 2020 7 tweets 3 min read
We are glad to see the dysfunctional “panic and neglect” approach to research funding in Australia being addressed on @ABCaustralia @4corners tonight with @ianhfrazer @ProfPaulYoung & @GregHuntMP

Consistent research investment can help solve society’s most pressing problems. "That cycle of panic and neglect is something which those of us in the sector have watched now time and time again. And it is sadly the case that many projects that had promise were defunded because priorities moved elsewhere" - Jane Halton
May 25, 2020 11 tweets 7 min read
Meet Dr Chantal Attard @Chantal_Attard, the researcher from @MCRI_for_kids who is transforming the lives of children living with complex heart disease!

A thread 👇

#blood #stroke #bleeding #haematology
@AcademicChatter #thrombosis #meettheresearcher #hematology #cardiology Image The coagulation system prevents the body from bleeding after injury, but what you might not know is this system continuously develops with age. This means children & adults have different risks of blood clotting + bleeding. This alters how they react to blood-thinning medications
May 20, 2020 5 tweets 2 min read
Where do these innovations come from? Research ultimately leads to better ways to understand, predict, prevent, diagnose, and treat disease. We cannot judge the value of basic science research which may seem obscure on face value.

A thread 👇 (1/5) 80yrs ago, people never anticipated that studying arcane bacteria in thermal springs would lead to a discovery that transformed the face of modern research - leading to a multimillion$ industry, countless scientific findings & innovations (+it’s a cornerstone of #COVID19 testing)
May 19, 2020 4 tweets 2 min read
Australian medical research is punching above its weight, producing 3.8% of medical research output worldwide. In terms of research output per capita, we publish more research than the USA, China, Japan, Italy, Canada, Germany and France.

Read more: www2.deloitte.com/au/en/pages/ec… Image Through our advocacy, the @nhmrc budget doubled in 1999 and 2006.
May 19, 2020 10 tweets 6 min read
MEET THE RESEARCHER,
Dr Shelley Gorman of @UWAresearch @uwanews and @telethonkids investigating how sun exposure may improve the well-being of people who are overweight or diabetic.

A thread 👇👇

#sunexposure #diabetes #obesity #sun #research #cardiovascular #metabolic Image Over one quarter of Australian children are obese or overweight. What can we learn from science to reduce this alarming statistic?
May 14, 2020 6 tweets 3 min read
What's news?

Find out in the latest edition of our newsletter.

asmr.org.au/wp-content/upl… Image Including a Presidents report from A/Prof Christoph Hagemeyer @cehagemeyer of @MonashUni about the advocacy work we do for our members and the entire Australian health and medical research workforce
May 14, 2020 6 tweets 2 min read
A fundamental task for any Australian Government is ensuring its citizens enjoy the best possible health/ healthcare, while being fiscally responsible to current and future generations. At no time has this become more apparent than in the wake of the current global pandemic. Image We, the ASMR, are Australia's peak body representing health and medical researchers, call upon the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition to commit to bipartisan support of further investment into health and medical research to adequately maintain the research pipeline.
May 5, 2020 12 tweets 6 min read
Meet Kevin Hendrawan, the PhD Student from the @SVH_BSCCR lab at St Vincent's Centre for Applied Medical Research @UNSW, the researcher helping us understand how people with #multiplesclerosis may benefit from stem cell transplantation

A thread 👇

#stemcells #transplant #Tregs Image While our immune system is important for eliminating harmful foreign molecules and/or pathogens (like the virus causing COVID-19), it is equally important that it does not attack our own cells and organs (which is what occurs in autoimmune diseases).
Apr 16, 2020 9 tweets 6 min read
Meet Dr Yazad Irani, @Yaz_Sci, at @sahmriAU, the researcher paving the way to better outcomes in chronic myeloid #leukemia - by helping predict patient responses to #cancer therapy

A thread 👇

@AcademicChatter #chemotherapy #medicalresearch #precisionmedicine #CML #immunology Image Our blood is composed of red blood cells, in charge of carrying oxygen; and white blood cells, whose main function is to help the immune response to fight infections and diseases.