Professor David Harris has been awarded Kidney Health Australia’s prestigious Priscilla Kincaid-Smith Medal for his outstanding contribution to research in the field of kidney disease.
He is Professor of Medicine, The University of Sydney and Associate Dean and Head of Sydney Medical School, Westmead Hospital., and Director of the Renal Failure Laboratory, in the Centre for Transplantation and Renal Research, Westmead Millennium Institute.
He has made major clinical contributions in the prevention and management of chronic kidney disease, as well as in the management of patients with end-stage kidney disease by dialysis.
Professor Harris has played a leading role in international education initiatives in kidney disease in the developing world and is the President-Elect of the Asian-Pacific Society of Nephrology.
“Professor Harris has already made a distinguished contribution to Australian and world nephrology with his exceptional research and education initiatives. He is a most worthy recipient of our highest award,” said Anne Wilson, CEO, of Kidney Health Australia.
Dr Bamini Gopinath, a senior research fellow at the Centre for Vision Research, Westmead Millennium Institute, is the recipient of the 2013-14 Blackmores Dr Paul Beaumont Research Fellowship, which is valued at $100,000 over two years.
It is largely funded by Blackmores Institute and the Blackmore Foundation with support from the Macular Degeneration Foundation’s research fund.
Her proposed research involves a detailed analysis of the 15-year data from the landmark Blue Mountains Eye Study (BMES) to improve knowledge of the nutritional and lifestyle risk and protective factors, particularly dietary antioxidant and supplement intake, diet quality and food groups.
This is expected to help explain the causes of disease, improve early detection of people at risk of progression, and facilitate new approaches to therapy.
“Dr Gopinath has a remarkable track record with over 70 research publications in the last five years, more than half on which she was the lead author,” said Neal Mercado, director of Blackmores Institute.
“We’re delighted to support her continued research and look forward to the results of her work.”
Dr Gopinath will be working under the supervision of Professor Paul Mitchell, one of the world’s leading experts in Macular Degeneration.
