Professor Barry Marshall, MBBS

2005 Nobel Laureate for Medicine

Professor Marshall shares the 2005 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with his colleague Dr Robin Warren for their discovery of the bacterium Helicobacter pylori and its role in gastritis and peptic ulcer disease.
Born in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, Prof Marshall graduated from the UWA medical school in 1974. He is currently a Professor of Clinical Microbiology at the University of Western Australia.
In 1982, they performed the initial culture of H. pylori and developed their hypothesis of the bacterial cause of peptic ulcer and gastric ulcer. Although this theory was met with resistance by the medical community, Marshall himself drank a petri dish of H. pylori and developed gastritis. He cured himself with antibiotics two weeks later.
Professor Marshall's dedication and persistence in clinical medicine and research have culminated in a Nobel Prize 23 years after the initial discovery. He has also received the Florey Medal, the Benjamin Franklin Medal for Life Sciences, and the Australian Centenary Medal.

For Professor Marshall's lecture at the 2005 Nobel Prize Ceremony, click here

To watch the interview of Dr Robin Warren and Professor Barry Marshall after winning the Nobel Prize, click here

Joint winner of the 1996 Nobel Prize for Medicine, Professor Doherty is an Australian-born immunologist who has worked for almost twenty years in the United States. In addition to his Nobel Prize, he has been awarded the 1995 Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research, and was also Australian of the Year in 1997.
Professor Doherty has special interest in the fields of T-cell recognition, cell-mediated immunology, viral immunology, immunopathology and immune memory. He has been a member of numerous review committees, scientific advisory boards in Australia, Britain and the USA, and has given long-term service to the International Laboratory for Research on Animal Diseases in Kenya.
Professor Doherty is a Fellow of both the Australian Academy of Science and the Royal Society of London, and currently works at St. Jude's Childrens Research Hospital in Texas.

For a brief autobiographical essay by Professor Doherty, click here

For Professor Doherty's lecture at the 1996 Nobel Prize Ceremony, click here

Robyn Williams is one of Australia’s most influential journalists in science. After graduating from the University of London, he emigrated to Australia and joined the ABC. In this time he has hosted a number of radio and television science programmes and has presented the ABC Science Show since its inception in 1975.
In addition to establishing the Eureka Awards for Excellence in Science, Communication and Innovation, Robyn is a member of the Order of Australia, has been the President of the Australian Museum Trust, and was awarded the 1993 Australian Humanist of the Year. He has also written several books. He is also the recipient of the Radio Prize from the Human Rights Commission, and the United Nations Media Peace Prize. , Mr Williams also made guest appearances in The Goodies, Monty Python’s Flying Circus and Doctor Who.

To visit "The Science Show" wesite, click here

Dr. Rafat Ansari is a Biofluid Sensor Systems Scientist in the Microgravity Science Division, and leads the Vision Research Laboratory at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, OH.
While working on a spaceflight project to study colloids, Dr Ansari was struck by the idea that a light-scattering instrument being developed for the experiment could be used to detect cataracts. In collaboration with researchers from the National Eye Institute, cataracts can now be detected at a very early stage.
He is currently researching and developing the "Built-for-Space" fiber-optic probe for early detection of cataracts, glaucoma, retinopathy, macular degeneration, and systemic diseases such as diabetes before the clinical symptoms appear.
For the story behind Dr Ansari's breakthrough in eye disease, click here
For more information on Dr Ansari's work at NASA and his curriculum vitae, click here

Professor Ian Frazer

2006 Australian of the Year

Clinical Professor Fiona Wood is currently Director of the Western Australian Burns Service. She is the Chairman of the McComb Research Foundation established in 1999 with scientist Marie Stoner. Fiona is co-founder and a director of Clinical Cell Culture (C3) and Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board where she continues to consult and provide input on C3 projects. Fiona and Marie Stoner, were awarded the 2005 Clunies Ross Award for their contributions to Medical Science in Australia.

In addition, Fiona is a consultant Plastic Surgeon to Royal Perth and Princess Margaret Hospitals, as well as being a mother of 6.

Fiona’s research through the McComb Foundation involves several collaborative research projects ranging from the multidisciplinary team approach to the treatment of burn injury. The ultimate aim is scarless healing to ensure the quality of the outcome is worth the pain of survival.

Fiona has been involved in a number of education and disaster response programs associated with her interest in burns and published a variety of papers over the years. In addition, she has been the recipient of the 2003 Australian Medical Association ‘Contribution to Medicine’ Award and an Order of Australia Medal for work with Bali bombing victims.

Fiona was named West Australian of the Year for 2004, and was nominated as a National Living Treasure and Australian Citizen of the Year in 2004.

She was again named West Australian of the Year for 2005, and received the honour of being named Australian of the Year in 2005.

Dr Graham Wicks

MBBS, DObstRCOG, FRACGP, DIP CLIN HYP, FASH

Dr Inglis is a UK-trained medical microbiologist with an interest in bacterial pathogenesis. He has developed molecular methods for outbreak investigations covering a variety of organisms as diverse as the Burkholderias, Campylobacter, Legionella, Listeria, Mycobacteria and Salmonella. Among his current projects is an investigation of the ecology of melioidosis in Brazil.
The classic version of Germ Theory described in many textbooks is now becoming obsolete with advances in molecular and cell biology. Dr Inglish will be speaking on emerging ideas in these fields in his presentation “The Origins of Infection".

Dr Yogesan is Foundation Chair and Professor in e-Medicine and the Managing Director of the Centre of Excellence in e-Medicine in Australia, the only such Centre of Excellence in Asia and the Pacific Region.
Dr Yogesan is also a Senior Research Fellow of the National Health and Medical Research Council in Australia. His multi-disciplinary expertise extends from medicine, e-medicine, electronic engineering, and biomedical engineering to computer science.

Professor Rene Zellweger is a specialist in trauma surgery and a speaker of international reputation. In recent years he has become particularly interested in the development and future of trauma around the world.
René Zellweger is a Clinical Professor within the School of Surgery and Pathology at the University of Western Australia. He works as a Consultant at Royal Perth Hospital in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Trauma and is actively involved in research, mainly in bone metabolism and immunology. Previous to this he worked for two years at Michigan State and Brown University in the USA and as a Consultant and Trauma-Teamleader for over 10 years at the University Hospital inZurich, Switzerland. René also worked as a trauma surgeon for the International Red Cross in the civil war in Sudan and spent two years in Cape Town, working as a Consultant in the extremely busy Trauma Unit at the Groote Schuur Hospital.
He has gained personal experience on several disaster scenes, such as the earthquake in Kobe and at the recent Tsunami in Banda Aceh. Professor René Zellweger is a fellow/member of several international associations, such as the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, the American College of Surgeons, American Association for the Surgery of Trauma, International Society of Surgery, and the European Trauma and Shock Society. He has written more than 50 publications, and contributed to many textbooks in a variety of languages.

Professor Miranda Grounds

B.Sc (Biochemistry, Zoology) Honors (Biochemistry), PhD

Appointed in 1994 as the Professor of the School of Anatomy and Human Biology at the University of Western Australia, Professor Grounds has dedicated over 30 years to studying skeletal muscle regeneration.  Professor Grounds has released over 120 publications concerning such topics as cell based therapies for muscular dystrophy and the investigation of stem cell therapies.  Research in progress at present relates to the IGF-1 isoforms and anti-cytokines therapies with applications to ageing and muscular dystrophy.  Professor Grounds is the Founder and Co-ordinator of TERC (Tissue Engineering Research Centre) and has been the Chair of the Research Committee at the School of Anatomy and Human Biology at UWA amongst many other committees and councils.  International recognition of Professor Ground’s work is evident by the numerous invitations for her to present at international conferences and also by the many overseas and national grants.

Dr Rod Moore graduated from the University of Western Australia in 1974. He worked in general practice for several years before undertaking further studies and specialising in Sports Medicine. In 1994, Dr Moore established the multi-disciplinary practice, SportsMed, which now operates from locations at St John of God Murdoch and Subiaco.  Commencing as team doctor for the South Fremantle Football Club in 1978, Dr Moore has had a long involvement with Australian Rules Football, being appointed as the West Coast Eagles team doctor when the team was founded in 1987 and continuing in this position today.  Dr Moore was also involved with the Australian Men’s Hockey team from 1994-1996.  He has also been involved with MDA National for many years, being first elected to the Council in 1998 and being elected as Vice President in 2004.  During his free time, Dr Moore is a keen golfer and is also a member of the Royal Perth Golf Club where he struggles to maintain a single figure handicap.

Twenty five year old Fiona Shepherd has been working in the disability field since she was 17. In January 2002 she was a passenger in a car accident that left her paralysed and confined to a wheelchair. Since that time Fiona's commitment to raising awareness about spinal cord injuries and the necessity for funding for future treatment has been exceptional. Working voluntarily at Spinal Cure Australia she organises network and support group meetings and coordinates fundraising events and community seminars. Fiona's work involves her dealing with various people including community members, scientists, politicians, businessmen, people with spinal injuries and staff from disability agencies. Fiona is dedicated to providing better treatment and an improved lifestyle for the disabled community. She is a brave and inspirational role model for all young Australians.

Fr Joseph Parkinson was born in Perth in 1956 and ordained a priest of the Archdiocese in March 1981. He has held a number of positions in the Archdiocese, including Director of Youth Ministry (1989-1994), Dean of Studies at St Charles Seminary (1995-96) and Parish Priest of Bayswater (2001-2002). Fr Parkinson holds a licentiate in moral theology from the Alphonsian Academy in Rome, and a PhD in moral theology from the University of Notre Dame Australia. He sits on three ethics committees at the Department of Health (WA) as well as the ethics committees of St John of God and Mercy Hospitals, and is currently the Director of the L J Goody Bioethics Centre in Glendalough.

Lindsay Murray is Medical Director of the Western Australian Poisons Information Centre based at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, is Medical Director of the Australian Poisons Research Centre, a category A centre within the University of Western Australia, and has an appointment as a Consultant Clinical Toxicologist to the World Health Organisation.

Dr David Caldicott is currently Research Fellow in the Emergency Department of the Royal Adelaide Hospital, with a keen interest in terrorism and drug research.
He completed an honours degree in Industrial Microbiology prior to studying medicine at St Mary’s Hospital Medical School in London at the time of the IRA’s bombing campaign.
He supplemented his scholarship by working nightclub bars and security in the west end of London, at the height of the emergence of ‘ecstasy’, before coming to Australia in 1999.
He is currently convenor of OzTox Collaboration, Australia’s largest hospital-based illicit drug research group and is an enthusiastic recreational drug user- shiraz, single malt whiskey, and the odd cigar.
He is on-site medical advisor to the Federal Government’s drugs television advertisement campaign, adviser to SAPOL, STAR group and AFP on clandestine drug laboratories, and is also an adviser to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (USA) on drink spiking and chemical submission.
He is also the lead author of the only Australian study examining emergency department preparedness for terrorist events and is the chairman of the Mass Casualty and Terrorist Incident Research Group. He co-Designed the “Bombs, Blasts and Bullets” course and is a member of the World Association of Disaster and Emergency Medicine Working Parties on Terrorism, and on Chemical, Biological and Radiological (CBR) Weapons.
Dr Caldicott will speak about his experiences in the field of “tactical emergency medicine” and with managing and preventing GHB overdoses, as well as “pill testing” research he has conducted at rave parties.

Dr Rik Hagen who is well qualified in medical emergency management. He is employed at the Emergency Department of the St John of God Hospital and the Royal Flying Doctor Service. He also has many years experience in world rallying and recently worked at the Australian Grand Prix where he was able to work alongside the worlds best motorsport medical staff.

Hon Jim McGinty

BA BJuris(Hons) LLB JP MLA

Jim McGinty was elected to the WA Parliament on 26 May, 1990 as the Labor Member for Fremantle. Prior to this he had been Secretary of the Miscellaneous Workers’ Union from 1978-1990.
From 1991 to 1993, he was Minister for Housing, Construction, Services, Heritage and Environment.
From 1994 to 1996, he was Leader of the State Parliamentary Labor Party.
With the election of the Gallop Government in February 2001, he was appointed Attorney General; Minister for Justice and Legal Affairs; Electoral Affairs; Peel and the South West.
In June 2003, after a Cabinet reshuffle, he added the Health portfolio to his key areas of responsibility.
Mr McGinty has degrees in Arts and Law from the University of WA and has tutored in Constitutional and Administrative Law at the Law Schools of both UWA and Murdoch University. In 1988, he was awarded the Blackstone Anniversary Prize in Constitutional Law.
As Attorney General, he has initiated an extensive law reform program to modernise the justice system, make it more accessible and affordable for the community, and bring about equality before the law for all citizens.
He is passionate about social justice and moved quickly on gaining office to remove decades of discrimination under the law against gay and lesbian people. He also implemented new laws to give de facto couples equality before the law to access the Family Court to resolve property and maintenance disputes.

Mr McGinty was born in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia on 22nd September 1949. He is married to Heather and they have three adult children. Recreations include scuba diving, boating, cooking, reading and the arts.
Educated at Christ the King Primary School and Christian Brothers College in Fremantle; Marist Brothers Colleges in Bunbury and Wangaratta; and the University of Western Australia.
President Guild of Undergraduates 1972; President Societies Council 1970; and student representative University Senate 1971, 1972. Awarded the Cruickshank-Routley memorial prize for Contribution to Student Life 1971.
Mr McGinty joined the ALP while a student in 1968 and has been a delegate to the ALP National Conference and National Executive and to all State ALP Conferences since 1969.

After earning her PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Melbourne, Elizabeth Finkel went on to do five years of postdoctoral research at the University of California in San Francisco. After returning to Australia, Elizabeth traded the
laboratory bench for the laptop. Over the last 15 years, she has enjoyed writing for both the scientific and lay audience. She is currently a correspondent for the US magazineScience, and a contributing editor to Cosmos magazine. She is also a frequent contributor to ABC radio?s Ockham?s Razor, the Science Show and the Health report. She has won numerous awards for journalism including the Michael Daley award, MBF awards and Amgen awards. She was a finalist in the Eureka prize for her 2002 radio feature on stem cells. In April 2005, her book "Stem cells: Controversy at the Frontiers of Science", was published by ABC books. It won the Queensland Premier?s Literary Award, and was short listed for the Victorian Premier?s literary award. It was also a finalist for the Australian government Eureka award for promoting the public understanding of science. passed after the stormy debates of 2002.

Dr Jann Marshal is a doctor whose field of interest is Telehealth.

Dr David Baker is a Paediatric Oncologist with an special interest in stem cells.