Graduates win Victoria fellowships

Three Monash graduates identified as emerging leaders in science have been awarded 1999 Victoria Fellowships by the state government.

Announced by Victorian Industry, Science and Technology minister Mr Mark Birrell, the fellowships provide up to $15,000 towards a short-term study mission to assist career development, develop a potentially commercial idea or enable specialist training not available locally.

Currently completing her PhD in the Department of Medicine at Monash, Ms Sacha Dopheide is investigating the mechanisms of blood clot formation in vitro. Her research has already resulted in the development of a quantitative assessment of blood clot formation which has been patented and is under commercial development. The fellowship will enable her to visit laboratories overseas that have established animal models that can be used to study the human circulatory system.

Dr Paul Dietze is a senior research fellow at the Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre in Melbourne. His research has led to the development of new heroin overdose initiatives being implemented in Melbourne. Dr Dietze will use the fellowship to present some of his findings at two international conferences. He will also visit Germany, Italy and Norway to study and document heroin overdose initiatives with a view to establishing their suitability to the Victorian context.

Paediatric gastroenterologist Dr Katrina Allen is completing her PhD, which investigates the therapeutic value of liver cell transplantation and ex vivo gene therapy for the liver. She is currently working at the Murdoch Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, in Melbourne. Dr Allen will visit a specialised liver research unit in New York for three months. She will also attend a major international liver conference.