QIMR researchers awarded top Fellowships

Two researchers from the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR) have been awarded Health Research Fellowships from the Queensland State Government.

Research Division Chairs, Professor James McCarthy and Professor Michael Breakspear were awarded the fellowships to continue their ground-breaking medical research.

Professor McCarthy said this will be a great boost to his area of research into malaria. “This award will help us to move basic discoveries in malaria from the laboratory into clinical trials in humans and therefore help us to develop vaccines and drugs to prevent and treat malaria.”

“Almost one million people die of malaria each year, and we are working towards a vaccine and new drugs to reduce the number of people affected by this disease.”

Professor Breakspear said mental health research is an area that is in great need of funding. “Mental health is a major contributor to the burden of disease in Australia but receives only a fraction of funding that is required. Mental health research requires a four-fold increase in funding to bring it to parity with other causes of illness and disability.”

“We are grateful to the Queensland Government for committing vital funds to medical research in Queensland to improve the health of people in Australia and worldwide.”

The Deputy Premier, The Honourable Paul Lucas said “Queensland Health has recently awarded 14 research fellowships to help further secure our future on the medical research stage…which will be run as five year projects across a range of fields including oral health, mental health, cancer care, falls prevention, respiratory and infectious diseases.”

The Health Research Fellowships provide funding of up to $150,000 per year for five years as salary support which will allow health districts to back-fill the clinical time of practising clinicians or other health professionals to undertake clinical or health service research.

Successful applicants will undertake research that has the potential to lead to improved patient care in Queensland by influencing health policy and clinical practice.