Operational 

Herston Ring Road Closure

Please be advised the Ring Road in front of the Mayne Medical School Forecourt, Herston campus, will be closed from 6-11am on Friday 21 April for the 2023 UQMS ANZAC Tribute Service. Please email the organisers for any questions.

Health and Safety Representatives EOI

UQ strongly encourages good consultation about safety issues in the workplace and would like to remind everyone that under Queensland Work Health and Safety legislation workers can nominate and elect persons within their workgroups to act as Health and Safety Representatives (HSR). Read more.

If you’d like to nominate someone within your workgroup to act as your local HSR, or if you’ve been nominated to become a HSR, please contact the Medicine OHS team to assist with this process.

View archived Operational announcements

People and culture

Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) staff survey

The UQ Cultural Inclusion Council is conducting a survey on barriers that hinder the career progression and long term planning of culturally and linguistically diverse staff. Have your say today!

UQ Wellness - Quarterly focus

The UQ Wellness team offers a host of activities and resources to help you achieve a year of wellbeing success in 2023 and beyond. Access the UQ Wellness Quarterly Focus to learn more about goal setting, an A-Z Home Buying webinar series, the Wellness @ UQ blueprint, the AltiusLife digital wellbeing platform and a variety of other wellness initiatives and events. Find out about the UQ Wellness program and live your best life.

2023 UQ Alumni Awards

Nominations for the 2023 UQ Alumni Awards are open. These awards are an opportunity to celebrate UQ ChangeMakers who have accomplished outstanding success in their field and who have made exemplary contributions to their community. Full nomination details and award guidelines are now available. The nomination process is simple. You will need:

• A current resume or biography
• A statement detailing why the nominee is a deserving winner and
• Two written references of support

Nominations close Friday 12 May. For any questions, please email the Alumni and Community Engagement team.

View archived People and culture announcements

Teaching and learning

U21 Health Sciences Group 2023 Teaching Excellence Award

Applications are now open for the the U21 HSG 2023 Teaching Excellence Awards. As each university can only nominate one staff member, those who are interested will need to contact the UQ representative, Professor Blake McKimmie to find out more about the nomination process.

Training on student mental health and wellbeing

Training on how to support students' mental health and wellbeing is now available in Workday. Student Services Counselling team has designed an eLearning module and an in-person workshop to build staff awareness on mental health, and mental ill-health and how students may be affected while studying at UQ. Supporting Students' Mental Health and Wellbeing — eLearning module (45 mins), is now available to all staff.

Writing support

Student Services has developed a new program called First Steps in Research to support Honours/Masters students with their writing. The program consists of five online workshops that will be held each semester. Students from all disciplines are encouraged to register to attend any or all of these sessions. Find out more.

View archived Teaching and Learning announcements

Professional development 

QUEX Professional Services Staff Fellowship

The QUEX Professional Services Staff Fellowship is targeted at professional staff, with the key areas of Programme development (international), International student recruitment, International employability and world-class international student experience. Please read the guidelines and application form.

View archived Professional Development announcements

Research

Research programs for students

Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences is offering several Winter Research Project Scholarships, providing students with an opportunity to gain research experience working alongside some of the University’s leading academics and researchers. Find out more.

CCI Seminar Series: Planning your Consumer Priority Setting Research Activity 

This online seminar will include the perspectives of consumers and researcher with advice for people planning consumer involvement activities for their research project. Thursday 30 March 2023, 11am to 12pm, Zoom only. Please register for the Consumer Roundtable Event 2022.

Agenda:

What is research priority setting and the concept behind the Consumer Roundtable.

Dr Bec Jenkinson is a maternity consumer advocate-turned-researcher, with more than 10 years' experience as a leader in the Australian consumer and community engagement in health services and research.

The Consumer Roundtable steering committee Q&A with:

Anja Christoffersen is the founder of Champion Health Agency and a disability advocate.

Dale Trevor in a Consumer Representative on many Consumer Advisory Groups in healthcare.

Leonie Young is a Consumer Advocacy in Research Training Provider, Patient Advocate, and Breast Cancer Survivor.

Consumer event planning and future considerations.

Alison Bell RECOVER Injury Research Centre (HABS), Knowledge Translation and Engagement Manager.

Jo Maxwell Faculty of Medicine, Consumer Engagement and Indigenous Research Strategy.

Foundations of Medical Research — Call for projects 

Researchers from across UQ are invited to submit project proposals to supervise Year 2 medical students in the Foundations of Medical Research course,  Semester 2,  24 July-11 November. Note: this is not the summer scholar program or volunteer/research work experience.  Proposals are extended to 3 April. Find out more or contact the Course Coordinator.

UQ medical students in your research
Please be aware there is a mandatory process for involving UQ medical students in Extra-Curricular Research to help ensure a safe and quality experience for everyone involved. Please discuss this with students before they commence any research with you and refer them to the Student Research Portal for further information.

View archived Research announcements

Event approvals

Anyone planning an event should begin by visiting the UQ events information page here to ensure they get the latest information about the events approval process, and access to the current application forms. Following current procedures and using the latest forms will avoid delays in the approval process.

UQ Mayne Events Space

Need a space to host your next event? Close and convenient to the Brisbane CBD, The Mayne Events Space boasts rooms perfect for private dinners, conferences, or workshops. Event booking information and room details can be found in our event compendium and via the Mayne Events Space website. Contact the team today for a personalised event proposal.

Events

Go Rural Virtually

During this online session, health students will hear from individuals living with disabilities as they share their personal stories and experiences and discuss Closing the Disability Divide. This unique opportunity will provide a valuable real-life perspective on the challenges faced by those with disabilities and help students better understand the needs of their patients. This interactive event will provide a platform for open dialogue, allowing students to ask questions, share their thoughts and gain a deeper appreciation for the challenges faced by those with disabilities. Join us on Tuesday 28 March, 6-7.30pm AEST. For further information and to register, please go the Go Rural Virtually website. 

U21 2023 Presidential Symposium and Annual General Meeting (AGM)

The 2023 Presidential Symposium and AGM will be held at the UQ St Lucia Campus from Wednesday to Friday 26-28 April.  The symposium, titled 'Partnering for Change - what role do universities have in achieving a net-zero future?', will focus on how U21 members can play a critical role in global efforts to address climate change and the transition to a more sustainable future.

The Presidential Symposium Session will be held in-person and online on Wednesday 26 April and is open to staff at any U21 member university. Expressions of interest are now open for speakers at the event. Find out more.

QLD Women's Health Forum

Save the date for the QLD Women's Health Forum on 8-9 June at the Brisbane Convention Centre. The forum, hosted by UQ and Mater Research, will explore The first 2000 days of life and its impact on women's health across the lifecourse and cover topics such as pregnancy, mental health, reproductive health, healthy lifestyles, obesity, sexual health, Indigenous health, violence and abuse, healthy ageing and research impacting policy change. Find out more.

U21 Health Sciences Group – 2023 Annual Meeting

You are invited to the 2023 Annual Meeting  of the U21 Health Sciences Group from Monday–Friday 28 August – 1 September at Lund University, Sweden. The theme for this year's meeting is Climate Change and Health.There is no registration fee to attend the Annual Meeting, however participants will need to pay for their own travel cost plus the formal dinner (optional) and optional tour / excursion on the last day of the gathering. Find out more and register to attend.

View archived Events announcements

View archived announcements from CHRC

From the Director’s Desk

A huge thank you to Casey and Uwe for the tremendous effort in supporting a huge number of NHMRC investigator submissions last week! Well done to all and good luck!

It was great to see so many of you at our first staff forum for this year, thank-you. In all we had 76 staff and students attend! Although this past week the new flexible work policy was launched, I am noticing that people are coming back into the office to connect with colleagues. There is such value in face-to-face interactions and I believe an important part of belonging to our CHSR team, especially considering our spread across different locations. With the beginning of our many committee meetings for this year I would like to encourage you where you can to make some of these meetings in person.

Best wishes Monika

The spirit of reconciliation

‘More and more Australians want to learn about reconciliation with Aboriginal people: What's the meaning of reconciliation? How can you contribute? And what is a RAP? Here are your answers’.
Fast Facts: The first state or territory to recognise reconciliation with a public holiday was the ACT in 2018. Family & Community Day is now known as Reconciliation Day public holiday and is the first Monday on or after 27 May.

Want to learn more? UQ has Core Cultural Learning modules you can complete at your own pace whenever you like (Modules 1-2 are required by UQ).

Upcoming CHSR Seminars

‘’The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on use of telemedicine: where do we go from here?” – Dr Ateev Mehrotra

Date: Wednesday 29 March 2023

Time: 12.30 to 1.30pm AEST

On Zoom

Research Support Team updates

Please notify the CHSR Research Support Team via the online survey or email Casey and Uwe if you are applying for grants (either as CIA or collaborator). For post-award support, please contact Phil or Olivia (for AKTN).

Funding opportunities

MRFF Million Minds Mental Health Research Mission – applications close 29 March 2023

NHMRC Synergy – applications close 5 April 2023

Ramaciotti Health Investment Grants – UQ NOI 17 April 2023

NHMRC Ideas Grants – application close 3 May 2023

MRFF RART – 12 May 2023 (1 application for UQ)

MRFF Early to mid-career researchers – close 21 June 2023

MRFF Clinical Trials Activity – applications close 28 June 2023

MRFF Chronic Respiratory Conditions – close 5 July 2023

MRFF Consumer-led grants – close 5 July 2023

MRFF – National Critical Research Infrastructure – 31 July 2023

MRFF Clinician Researchers: Applied Research in Health – close 2 August 2023

MRFF – Primary Health Care Research – close 16 August 2023

HTQ Consumer engagement microgrants – ongoing.

More funding opportunities available via the FoM CHSR teams.

Training opportunities

Career consultations for UQ academic researchers Level A-E and research professionals. Consultations can be booked online, are confidential and are tailored to one-on-one advice.

QCIF online statistics training workshops – register here

FoM MRFF Partnerships Information Session -Tuesday the 18th of April in the Mayne Medical Building at Herston/Zoom  – Register here

More training opportunities available via the FoM CHSR teams.

Marketing and Communications

Medicine Marketing and Comms are currently in the process of streamlining social media requests. Please send through all your social media requests to the marketing and communications team.

Twitter – Please follow your CHSR colleagues on Twitter. You can find their twitter handles on FOM CHSR Teams.

CHSR Publications

1. Kopra EI, Ferris JA, Winstock AR, Kuypers KP, Young AH, Rucker JJ. Investigation of self-treatment with lysergic acid diethylamide and psilocybin mushrooms: Findings from the Global Drug Survey 2020. J Psychopharmacol. 2023 Mar 6:2698811231158245. doi: 10.1177/02698811231158245. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36876583.
2. Snoswell CL, Haydon HM, Kelly JT, Thomas EE, Caffery LJ, Smith AC. How do consumers prefer their care delivered: In-person, telephone or videoconference? J Telemed Telecare. 2023 Mar 17:1357633X231160333. doi: 10.1177/1357633X231160333. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36927220.
3. Benfer K, Boyd RN, Roe Y, Fagan R, Luke C, Mick-Ramsamy L, Whittingham K, Novak I, Bosanquet M, McNamara L, Khandaker G, Fogarty L, Cadet-James Y, Ruben A, Comans T, Smith A, Ware RS. Study protocol: peer delivered early intervention (Learning through Everyday Activities with Parents for Infants at risk of Cerebral Palsy: LEAP-CP) for First Nation Australian infants at high risk of cerebral palsy - an RCT study. BMJ Open. 2023 Mar 13;13(3):e059531. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-059531. PMID: 36914182; PMCID: PMC10016288.
4. Hona TWPT, Horsham C, Silva CV, Lawn C, Sanjida S, Gillespie N, Soyer HP, Janda M; ACEMID group. Consumer views of melanoma early detection using 3D total-body photography: cross-sectional survey. Int J Dermatol. 2023 Apr;62(4):524-533. doi: 10.1111/ijd.16578. Epub 2023 Jan 27. PMID: 36707877.
5. Kim E, Nguyen KH, Donovan T, Edirippulige S, Armfield NR. A cost-minimisation analysis comparing alternative telemedicine screening approaches for retinopathy of prematurity. J Telemed Telecare. 2023 Apr;29(3):196-202. doi: 10.1177/1357633X20976028. Epub 2021 Jan 7. PMID: 33412992.

Foundations of Medical Research – call for projects extended

Researchers from across UQ are invited to submit project proposals to supervise Year 2 medical students in the Foundations of Medical Research course (Semester 2: 24 July-11 Nov 2023). Note: this is not the summer scholar program or volunteer/research work experience. Proposals are extended to 3 April 2023. Find more details at Foundations of Medical Research or contact the Course Coordinator med.yr2projects@uq.edu.au.

View archived announcements from the Medical School

Mater Research Seminar Series 2023

Cell Cycle and Macrophage Biology Research Group presentations are on Monday, March 13 at 12.30pm, TRI Auditorium and on zoom. Speakers include Sahar Keshvari, Professor Brian Gabrielli and Zhen (Jenny) Zeng. For further information please contact the seminar series coordinator, Matthew Hunt. 

Important Information for researchers

Find out more about the ethics and governance review processes at Mater Research, how the Mater Clinical Trials Unit can assist with your clinical research activity, what is support available for researchers as well as all the necessary forms, guidelines, key contacts and resources needed to conduct research projects at Mater Research. 

Support services for researchers

Mater Research provides a range of administrative, funding and development services to support Mater researchers, enabling them to wholly focus on their research. Learn more.

Date Savers

27 March             SBMS Morning Tea, 10-11am, Garden outside Skerman (Post Office side)

4-5 April               Honours Proposal Seminars, various venues

15 May                 SBMS All Staff Meeting, 12-1:30pm, ModWest Bldg (#11A), room 101

ITS Helpdesk Enquiries

ITS have requested that when raising a Helpdesk job to install, update, or repair computers, the location of the computer (building and room number) is included in the request. They have a large volume of jobs and spend a lot of time trying to find equipment which slows them down. If you don’t know your room number it should be on the door.

New SAA Staff

The SAA Team are excited to welcome two new staff members. Julie Thompson commences on 31 March in a continuing position. Julie is new to UQ with a background in high school administration and systems analysis. Anh Troung starts on 2 April on a 12-month contract. Anh has experience in similar roles in the Faculty of Medicine and other schools.

Farewell Danielle

The SAA Team are also very sad to be saying goodbye to the lovely Danielle Weaver who is moving on to a new opportunity in the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences. Dani’s last day at SBMS will be 31 March and we will organise a morning tea to wish her well.

Manager Evaluations for APD

All APD conversations and the associated Manager Evaluations for academic staff were due to be completed by 28 February 2023 in preparation for Head of School / Institute Director review, due by 31 March 2023.

Manager Evaluations for professional and executive staff are due to be completed by 31 March 2023.

If an APD that enters your inbox is incomplete, you have the ability to send it back to either the supervisor who last had it, to a matrix manager (if assigned) or to the employee if they have not actioned any of their APD self-evaluation.

Responsibilities Professional Staff HEW 1-7

On 6 February all Professional staff HEW 1-7 and supervisors of Professional staff HEW 1-7 would have received an email reminding them of their responsibilities outlined in the Attendance, Hours of Work and Overtime (Professional Staff) Procedure [5.55.05]. The procedure provides information relating to the requirements on the use of Flexi-time, Voluntary Banked Time (VBT), Overtime and Time off in Lieu (TOIL). Please note a staff member can only engage in either Flexi-time or Voluntary Banked Time arrangements, not both at the same time.

New SBMS Publications

Fascial layers encountered in the lateral skull base region: A cadaveric and radiological analysis.

Schachtel, MJC, Gandhi, M, Midwinter, MJ, Panizza, BJ.

Head & Neck. 2023; 1- 9. doi:10.1002/hed.27342

The lateral skull base is an anatomically complex region with vital neurovascular structures in close proximity. Tumours in this region can be challenging to excise, especially when disease extends around the temporal bone and temporomandibular joint. This study aimed to examine the relation to the fascial planes of the peri-temporal bone region and the role they can play in surgical resections.

The anterior carotid sheath was formed by the tensor-vascular-styloidfascia, stylopharyngeal fascia, buccopharyngeal fascia (BPF), and longus capitis fascia (LCF), and appeared as a hypointense line on MRI. Not previously described, the glossopharyngeal nerve pierced the sheath 9.0 mm (SD 2.1 mm) below the skull base and travelled through its LCF and BPF layers to exit near the pharynx. Visualization of this plane on high-resolution MRI was achievable, which will serve as an important baseline when analyzing patients with malignancy and in determining its significance as a barrier to spread of malignancy.

If you are preparing a manuscript and you would like SBMS readership before submission, members of the Research Committee are willing and able to assist. Please contact the chair, Jana Vukovic.

If you have recently had a new publication accepted or published, please let us know.

Head of School / School Manager Update

ChatGTP has been a focus in the media and for our teaching teams in the past few months, as we grapple with how to incorporate this new technology in our learning plans. I’m pleased to announce that we have a school seminar from Associate Professor Jason Lodge, from the UQ School of Education and the Associate Dean, Academic at the HASS faculty on 4 April to discuss this matter further. I hope to see you there.

Wednesday last week saw the closing of an NHMRC Investigator grant round. Well done to all who put in an application, and best of luck for a positive outcome. Thank you to Ilan and Cathy for all the hard work that went into this round.

We also have a change in our Director, HDR for our School. Andrew Smirnov is stepping down from the role after many years of excellent service – thank you for all your hard work and efforts to help our students, Andrew. Dr Megan Ferguson will be commencing as our DHDR this week. Thanks for taking on this crucial role for our students Megan.

Look after yourself and each other.

Liz Eakin                                                                               Sarah Piper

SPH Head of School                                                           SPH School Manager

Dates for Diaries

March 30                Quarterly Division led Research Morning Tea – Planetary Health and Health Protection

March 31                International Transgender Day of Visibility – This day celebrates transgender people and raises awareness about the discrimination faced by transgender people worldwide, as well as celebrates their contributions to society.

March 31                World Autism Awareness Day - This day aims to raise awareness about people with autistic spectrum disorders throughout the world. 

April 4 & 11        Mental Health First Aid Training

April 4                 SPH Seminar Series - Chat GPT

April 7                 Good Friday (Public Holiday)

April 9                 Easter Sunday

April 10               Easter Monday (Public Holiday)

Research News

Professor Colleen Lau will be chairing the 6th Annual Southern Cross Travel Medicine Conference and 2nd Tropical Medicine Conference which is being held on Friday 1 September to 3 September 2023 in Sydney. Hear from local and international experts on travel medicine and tropical medicine and participate in interactive workshops including One Health & Zoonotic diseases, Yellow Fever, The Practice of Travel Medicine, Research Methods, and more. For more information, see the brochure here.

Dr Nayani Rajapaksha has completed her third article from her MD thesis to become a Consultant Community Physician in Sri Lanka, congratulations Nayani!

Dr Damian Santomauro has recently publicised his study on the anxiety disorder health burden. You can read more here.

Professor Gita Mishra recently presented to the UN on “How the collaborative and expanded use of telehealth can support research to inform more equitable health policy and practice for all women and girls”. What great recognition of your research Gita, congratulations.

Webinar: Mental health and climate change: Do we have a policy gap?

Join UQ researchers, and industry and government experts for a webinar on Tuesday, 28 March to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of our local, state and federal policies, and explore the way forward.

A new study has assessed the effectiveness of health, climate change, and disaster and emergency management policies from across Australia, with a particular focus on local government policies in Queensland. During this webinar, researchers will share their findings and highlight policies that are working well, knowledge gaps and areas requiring further development. Sector experts will also be involved in a panel discussion to explore implications for policy and practice. For more information and registration, please click on the link here. Don’t miss out!

School Review

Chapter authors are now working hard on the School review submission document, with first drafts due on April 17.

Inclusive stock images

If you’re looking for inclusive images for UQ documents, please take a look at the below links to two stock image libraries that have been put together to help combat the limited representations of trans, non-binary and disabled people in the media:

https://genderspectrum.vice.com/

https://affecttheverb.com/collection/

All the images in both libraries have been licenced with Creative Commons licences, so are free to use provided you comply with the licence terms.

These images, particularly the Vice ones, could be used in instances you already use other stock imagery, for example media releases. Please just be aware of your crediting requirements. Program guides on the other hand; Marketing recommends avoiding stock imagery where possible, especially ones that are very clearly Americanised in their setting and talent demographic.

Voice Makarrata Shirts

For those who are interested in showing their support for the Voice to Parliament movement, we’ve been informed that T shirts are now back in stock at The Iconic. You can get yours here.

Grant Opportunities

Rapid applied research translation – applications close 12 May

Consumer-led research – applications close 14 June

Chronic respiratory conditions – applications close 14 June

Maternal health and healthy lifestyles – applications close 14 June

Early to Mid-career researchers – applications close 21 June

Clinical trials activity – applications close 28 June

Space Update

We are now finalising the process of having the Level 0 computer lab (015) in the Public Health Building returned to us for the remainder of 2023. This space will be used as an open plan room for HDR students and casual professional research staff, freeing up offices elsewhere in the building for new academic staff. We’re still working on the details of who will sit in the new open plan space and when the move will happen, if you’re keen to sit in this area with your friends, please email Sarah Piper, she’d be very happy to hear from you.

SPH Higher Degree Research Update

New Director HDR: Dr Megan Ferguson is taking over from Dr Andrew Smirnov in the DHDR role from Monday 27th March. HDR enquiries can also be directed to our HDR Liaison Officer Ligi George (hdr.med@enquire.uq.edu.au)

A Microsoft Teams group for SPH HDR students is being set up to facilitate better communication with and among students. All SPH HDR students should join, via the this link (emailed recently).

If you have any questions about this MS Teams group, please contact Sarah Piper School Manager (s.piper@uq.edu.au).

Two SPH surveys for HDR students have recently gone out, one informing the development of the ‘Buddy System’ (for new students), the other the planning of support for HDR Placements. These are both very short surveys. It would be great if HDR Students could please check their email for the survey links and respond as soon as possible.

The 2023 SPH HDR Conference will be held on Thursday 23rd November. Please save the date in your calendar!

AWEI Survey

UQ is proud to participate once again in the Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI) survey by Pride in Diversity. This survey is a fantastic opportunity for us to track our progress and benchmark ourselves against other leading organisations in Australia.

Your feedback is invaluable to UQ, as it helps us understand the views and experiences of all employees, regardless of your sexual orientation or gender identity. We want to ensure that UQ is a place where everyone feels included and supported, and your input will help us achieve that.

If you have not completed it yet, the survey is completely anonymous, so please feel comfortable to share your honest thoughts and experiences. We encourage everyone to participate and have their say, as every voice counts in creating an inclusive workplace culture.

The survey closes Thursday 30 March.

Upcoming learning and safety courses

The below courses are available on Workday in Quarter 1 and Quarter 2, 2023. These courses are designed to help staff with managing the risks and understanding the responsibilities of working in the UQ environment. 

Q1 & Q2 2023 training courses:

MARCH

• Contemporary Expectations in HDR Supervision: In-house – Zoom
• Fire Extinguisher Training

APRIL

• Provide CPR (HLTAID009)
• Provide First Aid (HLTAID011)
• UQSafe System Training for Safety Coordinators (HSW_OHS_007)
• Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response 101
• Calling Out Bad Behaviour in the Workplace
• Supporting students with mental health conditions
• Ally Workshop - Face to Face
• Fire Extinguisher Training
• Ethics Awareness Workshop
• Budgeting & Forecasting Workbook

UQ Research Data Manager (RDM) Training opportunities

29 March – Managing sensitive data

12 April – Publishing datasets with UQRDM and eSpace

18 May – Finding data for your research project

31 May – Introducing FAIR and CARE principles for responsible research

SPH LinkedIn Page

Continue to help build our SPH LinkedIn community by following and inviting others to follow our School of Public Health LinkedIn page: UQ School of Public Health | LinkedIn. Please send Ailsa Bolton any content you would like uploaded to LinkedIn. Alternatively, you can post on your own personal LinkedIn page and tag the School of Public Health by simply typing @UQ School of Public Health and clicking the SPH page that appears as a tag option.

SPH Research Dissemination Toolkit

Keen to disseminate your research publicly? The SPH Research Dissemination Toolkit can help you do this.

View archived SPH announcements

From the Acting Director’s desk

Congratulations to Nadeeka Dissanayaka on her successful MRFF grant, “Enhancing the utility of neuropsychological evaluation for earlier and effective diagnosis of dementia in Parkinson’s disease”, and to the Antimicrobial Optimisation Group (including Suzie Parker and myself) who were also successful in a MRFF Grant, “Pharmacogenomics for better treatment of fungal infections in cancer, The PRAGMATIC Study”. Success with these kinds of large grants is a tremendous validation of the individual research team’s capabilities, but also the support structures that allow them to succeed. In this sense, the achievements for Nadeeka, Suzie and others is also the achievements for Roheen Gill and Sara Gollschewski and the Professional Research Team. Both grants exemplify the value of strong interdisciplinary and inter-institution collaborations and will (hopefully) serve as a very nice template for others to consider when developing their own grant submissions to MRFF, of which there is a very full calendar of grant opportunities available now. Now is the time to be planning for those MRFF submissions, in order to make your grant as compelling as possible! 

In other news, we have a number of people about to submit their NHMRC Investigator Grants. Each person has worked diligently on their application, again very well supported by Sara G and Roheen. We wish those applicants the very best of luck, and that they will each have fair reviews that do justice to the tremendous effort they have dedicated to their applications!

Do you have any nominations that are now open for Adjunct and Honorary Professorial conferrals? If so, please let me know. The submission deadline is in mid-April, so I would need relevant information by early April.

Congratulations to Dr Soumyalekshmi Nair on receiving the Society for Reproductive Investigation President’s Plenary Award. The award recognizes the four highest ranked abstracts chosen for presentation during the President’s New Investigator Plenary Session(s) at the Annual Meeting and aims to encourage young investigators to present high-quality abstracts for consideration.

Want to be included in the newsletter?
Email your updates, event, awards to news@uqccr.uq.edu.au for inclusion.

Are you a wellbeing?
Check out UQCCR’s Wellbeing committee Initiatives and other Centre news on the Staff hub.

UQCCR Seminar Series

Join us this Wednesday 29 March 12-1pm for a seminar presented by Dr Lauren Kalinowski titled ‘Prognostic biomarkers in Invasive Lobular Carcinoma’ and Dr Kevin Koo titled ‘Creating Precision Nanodiagnostics for Prostate Cancer Liquid Biopsies’. More Info online.

UQCCR and RBWH Neurosciences Seminar Series
Join us Thursday 20 April 8 to 9am for a seminar presented by Prof Patrick Kwan titled ‘Personalised Management of Epilepsy: Can AI and Stem Cells Help?’.

UQCCR Paper of the Month

To nominate for this monthly award, please submit a proforma and pdf of your paper to Julie Wixey the first week of the following month i.e., if you published online in March you need to submit by Friday 7 April.

Sweet Treats!
The UQCCR Social Club has restocked the chocolates with Cadbury Fundraiser treats. Chocolates are selling for $1 each (great value for the size of the chocolates). We have a new white container which is just for the chocolate money.  We also understand that people may want to pay via bank transfer, so you can find the Social Club bank details on the chocolate sign. Also, due to inflation, the soft drinks will now be $2 each. The money for drinks and the chips will still be placed in the old plastic cash box or via bank transfer.

UQCCR Easter hamper raffle
As many of you are now working from home and no longer seeing posters in the lifts, we wanted to draw your attention to the UQCCR Easter hamper raffle being run by the social group. This super delicious hamper of chocolatey goodness could be yours for the small cost of a $2 raffle ticket. Profits will be used to subsidize future UQCCR social events. Note that raffle tickets can be purchased virtually by contacting Tracey Harvey (t.harvey1@uq.edu.au) – no need to even be in the building! In addition, we will have our Easter bunny helpers going around the building to sell raffle tickets. The raffle will be drawn on Wednesday 29th March during the seminar series, so grab your tickets now!

The Conversation - Pitching and Writing Masterclass
Do you have an important story to share about your research? Do you need help to tell your story in a concise and compelling way? The Conversation’s senior editors can show how it's done with their Pitching and Writing Masterclass, delivered via two, 2-hour interactive Zoom sessions over two days, with online and offline writing assignments. The cost per person is $690 + GST. Find out more.

Faculty’s Research and Statistical Support Services (RASSS)
Need help with study design, data analysis, manuscript, grant application or PhD supervision? To discuss bespoke statistical support at UQCCR, please complete a request form or email Mark Chatfield. See more Information (under the Research Support banner).

UQ Clinical trials procedure
If you are establishing a clinical trial, please check the UQ Ethics page to ensure that you are familiar with UQ requirements, such as submitting additional notifications, obtaining any additional insurance for international sites, completing the UQ template Risk Assessment and Management Plan (RAMP) and ensuring your GCP training is current. Sabine and Hanna, who work on Faculty of Medicine UQCCR contracts, are happy to assist with any enquires. Alternatively, please visit the Research Support team in Room 735 for any questions.
 
Toolbox Talks
Please send through any requests for 2023 Toolbox talk topics to Chris Shannon. Recordings are now available on the UQCCR intranet under ‘research resources’. Seminar Series recordings are also available.
 
After-hours access to UQCCR
If you require access to UQCCR outside of work hours (6.00 am - 6.00 pm) Monday-Friday, please get in touch with Chris Shannon as soon as possible. There is a two-day lead time to arrange access so, unfortunately, this cannot be done on the same day as your request. Please do your best to plan your research accordingly.
 
Budgets
Many research contracts submitted for signature are not using the UQ costing and pricing tool and do not factor in overheads or provide a relevant independent exemption reference, such as the funding body’s rules on their website. Failure to confirm these aspects early can mean delays in getting your contract signed or GRL issued. If you have any questions about the CPT or overheads, please contact Roheen.
 
COIs
FACs and research contracts require confirmation that your online COI disclosures, if applicable, have been approved by UQ, before a GRL can be issued or a research contract signed. Online approval happens via Workday in consultation with your line manager. As the COI process can take a few weeks, please ensure that you attend to your annual COI and updates, and factor in the timing required to avoid delays.
 
Research infrastructure
You can now access a spreadsheet on the UQCCR intranet that lists all current core equipment available in the Clinical Trials Support Unit on Level 3 and that which can be borrowed from individual research groups. In addition, the equipment wish list is now live and can be viewed and added to as required.
 
Research funding support
Visit the Faculty website for current research funding opportunities. Please contact Roheen Gill well ahead of any deadline if you are planning to apply for upcoming opportunities and Sara Gollschewski to discuss strategic funding alignment. You can find a summary of funding support and assistance available to researchers for administration, reporting and closing out of existing funding in this document under 'Research Resources'.
 
Twitter Blitz – Career Development Committee
Interested in becoming a UQCCR Twitter Champion? If you are interested, please contact Kate Matthews. The role includes:  

• Keeping and following all UQCCR Twitter handles and being available to help others with Twitter questions
• Always using #UQCCR and @UQMedicine
• Promoting your work and that of others in the building
• Sharing and adjusting the template tweets posted on Microsoft Teams
• Tweeting once a week 

Consumer and Community Involvement Seminar Series

This online seminar, Planning your Consumer Priority Setting Research Activity, will include the perspectives of consumers and researchers with advice for people planning consumer involvement activities for their research project. Thursday 30th of March 2023, 11.00am to 12pm; Via Zoom. Register here for the Consumer Roundtable Event 2023.

TRI ImageJ Workshop

Tuesday 28th March 2023, 10.30am to 1pm; TRI Room 2007. Learn about how to use ImageJ software to analyse microscopy data. Ideal for new users and/or as a refresher; and open to all TRI occupants. Register here.

MRFF Partnerships Session - 18 April 2023

The Faculty of Medicine will be hosting a MRFF Partnerships Session on 18 April, 10.30am – 12.00pm, followed by lunch in the ES Meyers Lecture Theatre, Mayne Medical Building, Herston.  The session will be available in hybrid mode to allow for remote attendance but there will be no recording.

Please see flyer for details. Please CLICK HERE to register or via the QR code on the flyer.

Frazer Institute Seminar Series

On Tuesday 28 March, 9.30-10.30am Professor Edward B. Lewis and Ellen Rothenberg, from Caltech, will present Regulating progenitor-cell entry into the T-cell developmental pathway in the TRI Auditorium and via Zoom. Ellen studies gene regulation and development of T lymphocytes, gene networks controlling hematopoietic cell fates, and mechanisms underlying the dynamics of single-cell developmental decisions. 

Expressions of Interest – Infrastructure items

The Frazer Institute Research Committee is seeking expressions of interest for a wish list of external grant opportunities, philanthropic opportunities, TRI new and replacement scheme, Faculty capital replacement and general needs. Expressions of interest are encouraged at any time. Please use the new form and submit at any time with the words 'General Equipment EOI' in the subject line.

 View archived announcements from UQDI