Committee members
President
Qualifications: BSc Hons, PhD
Position: Senior Lecturer, Department
of Pharmacology,
University of New South Wales
Research Interests: Autoregulation of blood flow is the ability of tissues to control ‘local’ blood flow in response to changes in systemic blood pressure and the tissue’s metabolic requirements.
Our research focuses on the various theories proposed to explain autoregulation of blood flow; pressure-induced changes in the diameter of arterioles (myogenic mechanisms) and alteration of arteriolar diameter in response to metabolic products (metabolic mechanisms). We are also interested in the effect of metabolic diseases such as obesity and diabetes on small artery function.
Vice President
Name: Dr Maria Jelinic (m.jelinic@latrobe.edu.au)
Qualifications: BBSc, MSC, PhD
Position: NHMRC & National Heart Foundation Research Fellow, Department of Physiology, Anatomy & Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, La Trobe University
Research Interests: It is estimated that 80-90% of cases of chronic kidney disease are undiagnosed. This is because kidney disease can be largely asymptomatic whereby up to 90% of kidney function is lost before the disease is detected. By this stage, the condition is irreversible with dialysis or kidney transplantation the only viable treatment options. Dr Maria Jelinic hopes to make this a problem of the past. Her research is aimed at developing better therapies and early detection procedures for chronic kidney disease patients. Maria is particularly interested in how the vasculature contributes to the progression of chronic kidney disease in the settings of obesity and diabetes.
Treasurer
Name: Assoc Prof Shaun Sandow (ssandow@usc.edu.au)
Qualifications: BSc Hons, PhD
Position: Associate Professor, Biomedical Science, University of the Sunshine Coast and Visiting Senior Research Fellow, Department of Physiology, University of New South Wales
Research Interests: Control of vascular tone in health and disease, with a focus on identifying targets to control blood flow.
Our studies aim to determine some of the ways that cells in arteries communicate with one another and specifically, at how they control the balance between the way that arteries narrow (constrict) and enlarge (dilate). This balance is referred to as vascular tone and is the main determinant of blood pressure and alterations in these underlie cardiovascular disease. Current studies focus on determining how to correct vascular function in preeclampsia (high BP experienced by some women in pregnancy), gestational diabetes and ischemic stroke.
Secretary
Name: Victoria Hinkley (vhinkley@usc.edu.au)
Qualifications: BBMedSci (Hons), AFHEA, PhD Candidate
Position: Associate Lecturer Biomedical Science, University of the Sunshine Coast, PhD Candidate, University of Queensland.
Research Interests: Victoria is currently completing her PhD at the University of Queensland, investigating capillary ultrastructure and plasma loss from the circulation in preterm piglets. This work aims to elucidate the mechanisms underlying cardiovascular dysfunction in preterm infants, ultimately contributing to improved clinical outcomes. Victoria’s other research interests include mechanisms of vascular control in pre-eclamptic and hypertensive pregnancies and stroke.
Immediate Past President
Name: Professor Georges Emile Raymond Grau (ggrau@med.usyd.edu.au)
Title: Chair of Vascular Immunology, Department of Pathology, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine & Health
Institute: The University of Sydney
Professor Georges Grau, MD (University of Liège) and Privat-Docent (University of Genève), is the Chair of Vascular Immunology at the University of Sydney since 2006. His research in immunopathological mechanisms of infectious diseases focuses on cytokines and the microvascular endothelium. His >400 papers have been cited over 40,000 times and his h-index is 104. Since 2015 he serves as Discipline Leader (Pathology), Marie Bashir Institute, and in 2017 he was elected President of the Australian-New Zealand Microcirculation Society (ANZMS).
Working experience:
with his team at the Vascular Immunology Unit, he has:
- analysed the cellular and molecular mechanisms of the interactions between microvascular endothelial cells and cells of the immune system.
- contributed to the elucidation of cytokine interactions leading to tissue injury, using in vivo intervention studies in various models of pathology, with particular attention to TNF.
- developed a brain endothelium co-culture system, to study blood-brain barrier changes in cerebral malaria, sepsis, multiple sclerosis, viral encephalitides and cryptococcal meningoencephalitis
- studied extracellular vesicles, particularly microvesicles and exosomes, released in these co-cultures and shown their role as crucial effectors of cytokine-mediated pathology
- deciphered critical molecular mechanisms of microvesicle release in inflammatory conditions
- shown that inhibition of microvesicle release can prevent pathology.
Past President
Name: Dr Marianne Tare (marianne.tare@monash.edu)
Qualifications: BSc(Hons) PhD(Monash)
Position: Senior Lecturer, Monash Rural Health and Research Fellow, Department of Physiology, Monash University
Research interests: My research group focuses on the mechanisms that regulate the function of resistance arteries in health and disease. Current studies focus on vascular adaptations to pregnancy and dysfunction in disease (e.g. diabetes, hypertension) and resulting from suboptimal intrauterine/postnatal conditions. Exposure to early life insults can have profound effects on vascular function in the offspring, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease. We are investigating the mechanisms responsible for vascular and cardiac dysfunction in models of early life insults ranging from nutritional deficiencies through to substance abuse, and the effects of therapeutic interventions.
Past President
Position: NHMRC Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Inflammatory Diseases, Monash University Department of Medicine, Monash Medical Centre.
Research Interests: Dr. Michael Hickey is an NHMRC Senior Research Fellow. His laboratory examines leukocyte recruitment in inflamed tissues, a process which underlies the pathogenesis of most inflammatory diseases. His research examines the control of leukocyte-endothelial cell interactions and leukocyte migration in the inflamed microvasculature, using intravital (in vivo) microscopy to examine the functional microvasculature in models of inflammation.
Current diseases examined include contact sensitivity and glomerulonephritis. An additional focus is human endothelial cell biology.
General
Committee Members
Dino Premilovac (dino.premilovac@utas.edu.au)
Chen Huei Leo (chenhuei_leo@sutd.edu.sg)
Early Career Researcher Representatives
Sarah Marshall
(Australia)
Student Representative
Vivian Tran (Vivian.Tran@latrobe.edu.au)
New Zealand & State Representatives
| NZ: | Rebecca Dyson |
| NSW: | Anthony Ashton |
| TAS: | Dino Premilovac |
| SA: | David Wilson |
| VIC: | Michael Hickey |
| WA: | Ruth Ganss |
| QLD: | Shaun Sandow |
Past Presidents of the ANZMS
Inaugural – Frederick Colin Courtice
1991 – John Gavin
1995 – Les Schrieber
1997 – Peter Rogers
1999 – Michael Perry
2001 – Tailoi Chan-Ling
2003 – James Brock
2005 – Chris Jackson
2007 – Shaun Sandow
2009 – Michael Hickey
2013 – Marianne Tare
2017 – Georges Grau