News and Events
Dr. Sonali R. Gnanenthiran, from the ANZAC Research Institute’s Vascular Biology Group, has been awarded the 2023 Karl Link Early Career Investigator Award in Thrombosis from the American Heart Association. The award is given to the most outstanding paper published in the Thrombosis section of the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology during the previous year. Dr. Gnanenthiran’s paper, “Identification of a Distinct Platelet Phenotype in the Elderly: ADP Hypersensitivity co-exists with Thrombin Resistance,” was selected from a pool of over 320 submissions.
The award is named after Dr. Karl Link, an investigator who discovered warfarin, a widely used anticoagulant drug. Dr. Gnanenthiran’s research focuses on the role of platelets in thrombosis, a condition in which blood clots abnormally. Her work has the potential to lead to new treatments for thrombosis, which is a major cause of heart attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases.
Congratulations to Dr. Sonali R. Gnanenthiran on this prestigious award!
Read More
The University of Sydney Medical School has awarded the 2023 Ruthven Blackburn Medal to Professor David Le Couteur AO FAHMS. This was jointly awarded with with Professor Carol Pollock AO FAHMS, from Northern Clinical School and Northern Sydney Local Health District.
The medal is awarded every second year to a senior staff member of the Sydney Medical School in recognition of a sustained, distinguished and notable contribution to clinical research, and of a demonstrated commitment to mentoring junior colleagues.
Professor Le Couteur is co-Leader of the Biogerontology Research Group at the ANZAC Research Institute, Professor of Geriatric Medicine at the University of Sydney, and Senior Staff Specialist Physician in Geriatric Medicine at the Concord Repatriation General Hospital. He has over 450 publications which have been cited over 31,000 times (H index 83). He has been awarded 26 Australian NHMRC, ARC, and MRFF research grants (>$27 million continuous funding over 26 years), and has supervised 32 postgraduate research students.
Professor Le Couteur’s research has focused on the epidemiology, pharmacology, therapeutics, and clinical research of aging. He is a world-renowned expert in the field of geriatric medicine, and has made significant contributions to our understanding of the aging process and the development of new treatments for age-related diseases. Professor Le Couteur is also a passionate mentor to junior researchers, and has played a key role in training the next generation of geriatricians.
The word ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. The soldiers who fought together became known as Anzacs, exemplifying a tradition of service, selflessness and mateship. April 25th was officially designated ANZAC Day in 1916 by Australia and New Zealand. It is a national holiday in both countries and a day of remembrance. Commemorative services are held each year at dawn, the time of the original Gallipoli landing.
With the start of the Second World War and other conflicts including those of Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq; ANZAC Day has been expanded to include remembrance of all servicemen and women who have given so much to Australia. A statue stands outside the ANZAC Research Institute based on George Silk’s famous photograph of a Panuan man leading a wounded Australian solider. The photograph was taken on Christmas Day, 1942, and has come to represent the sacrifice of Australian military personnel during the Second World War, and the mateship of the ‘Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels’. The angels were Papuan volunteers who assisted in guiding soldiers to safety along the trail. The wounded private depicted in the statue is George Whittington, and the Papuan man assisting him is Raphael Oimbari. This statue stands as a monument of the great legacy of ANZAC service and sacrifice.
(Statue outside the ANZAC Research Institute, based on a George Silk photograph)
“Lest we forget” is a phrase commonly used as symbol of commemoration in Australia on ANZAC Day and Remembrance Day. It is a line from the 1897 Rudyard Kipling poem “Recessional”:
‘God of our fathers, known of old,
Lord of our far-flung battle line,
Beneath whose awful hand we hold
Dominion over palm and pine—
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,
Lest we forget—lest we forget!’
At ANZAC Day ceremonies, after the speaker recites the Ode of Remembrance:
They shall grow not old,
as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them,
nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun
and in the morning
We will remember them.
Then those attending will usually repeat the words, ‘We will remember them’ followed by a short pause and then ‘Lest we forget’. These traditions carry rich symbolism and allow us to turn our minds to the sacrifices offered for the country and freedoms we enjoy. This ANZAC day, the ANZAC Research Institute also joins in this tradition:
We will remember them
Lest we forget
The health and medical ANZAC Research Institute was named after and in remembrance of the ANZAC tradition. It’s mission is to provide leadership and excellence in health and medical research activities throughout Australia, with a focus on aging, to improve the future health and medical care for the Australasian community. In so doing, the Institute will provide a lasting legacy to the veterans and their families who have created the society we have today.
Donate to the ANZAC Research Institute.
Read More
ANZAC Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand that commemorates the bravery and sacrifice of those who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations.
The ANZAC Day dawn service is a traditional commemorative event that takes place at dawn on the 25th of April each year. The service usually involves a period of silence, the playing of the Last Post, the laying of wreaths, and the recitation of poems and prayers.
The dawn service is a solemn occasion that provides an opportunity for people to pay their respects to the fallen soldiers and reflect on the sacrifices made by the armed forces. It is attended by people of all ages, including veterans, their families, and members of the general public, and is considered a significant and deeply meaningful event in Australian and New Zealand culture.
Please see the details of key dawn services around Australia below:
- Sydney:
- Location & Time: Martin Place Cenotaph, beginning at 4:30am.
- Map
- Canberra:
- Location & Time: The Australian War Memorial, beginning at 5:30am.
- https://www.awm.gov.au/commemoration/anzac-day
- Map
- Melbourne:
- Location & Time: The Shrine of Remembrance, from 5:30am.
- https://www.shrine.org.au/anzac-day
- Map
- Brisbane:
- Location & Time: The Shrine of Remembrance at ANZAC Square, beginning at 4:28am.
- https://www.anzacsquare.qld.gov.au/whats-on/anzac-day
- Map
- Perth:
- Location & Time: The State War Memorial in Kings Park, beginning at 6am.
- https://www.rslwa.org.au/commemoration/anzac-day/services
- Map
- Adelaide:
- Location & Time: The South Australian National War Memorial, beginning at 6am.
- https://www.cityofadelaide.com.au/blog/anzac-day-2023-commemorative-activities-and-road-closures/
- Map
- Hobart:
- Location & Time: The Hobart Cenotaph, Queens Domain, beginning at 6am.
- https://www.rsltas.org.au/whats-on/anzac-day/
- Map
- Darwin:
- Location & Time: The Darwin Cenotaph, on the Esplanade beginning at 6am.
- https://nt.gov.au/news/2022/anzac-day-2022
- Map
The Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway is an 800 metre track along the Brays Bay foreshore that acts as a living memorial and site of commemoration for all those who fought for Australia during World War II.
The walkway has been planted with tropical vegetation that resembles the conditions of the original Kokoda Track, and leads to a granite wall memorial bearing images of the Kokoda campaign, then a memorial rose garden; and finally onto the Concord Repatriation General Hospital site, where the ANZAC Research Institute is located.
Join us for a virtual tour along this walkway leading to the ANZAC Research Institute:
The wounded private in the photograph was George Whittington, who later died of bush typhus in February 1943. It took many years for the the Papuan man to be identified as Raphael Oimbari. He was later made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire.
The word ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. The soldiers who fought together became known as Anzacs, exemplifying a tradition of service, selflessness and mateship. April 25th was officially designated ANZAC Day in 1916 by Australia and New Zealand. With the start of the Second World War and other conflicts including those of Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq; ANZAC Day has been expanded to include remembrance of all servicemen and women who have given so much to Australia.
The health and medical ANZAC Research Institute was named after and in remembrance of this tradition. It’s mission is to provide leadership and excellence in health and medical research activities throughout Australia, with a focus on aging, to improve the future health and medical care for the Australasian community. In so doing, the Institute will provide a lasting legacy to the veterans and their families who have created the society we have today.
Learn more about the Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway.
Donate to the ANZAC Research Institute.
If you would like to do this virtual walk in person, this is the route:
Lee Hampton is a contemporary Aboriginal artist and descendant of the Wodi Wodi, Worimi and Yuin people. Lee has created artwork to commemorate the ANZAC Research Institute’s 20th Anniversary, and presented it to the institute at Admiralty House.
The artwork is now on display at the entry of the institute, and highlights it’s unique ANZAC heritage, a tradition of research, while also honouring the indigenous owners of the land on which it stands. Lee has kindly provided the story of the artwork, which is displayed beside it at the institute, and is also posted below.
Lee Hampton, with Dr Teresa Anderson AM, presenting his artwork for the ANZAC Institute’s 20th Anniversary (Admiralty House, Kirribilli).
Lee Hampton’s artwork “Healing the Past, Present & Future”, as currently on display at the ANZAC Research Institute.
The story of the artwork by the artist:
Title: Healing the Past, Present & Future
“This artwork represents and celebrates the ANZAC Research Institute’s continued partnership with Concord Hospital. The ANZAC Research Institute’s role is to provide better care and health outcomes on behalf of veterans and their community. There is a close association with the Kokoda Track, with Concord Hospital having it’s very own Kokoda Memorial Trail, with a bronze statue of the famous photo (taken by New Zealand photographer George Silk) of a Papuan (Hanua) Man Raphael Oimbari leading wounded soldier Private George Whittington from the battle field to an aid station from the Kokoda Track. Oimbari, was one of 14 Hanuan men that volunteered to help take food, medical supplies and ammunition to the front line for the ANZAC’s, these men were affectionately known as Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels. In this artwork, we see Oimbari and Whittington, immortalised in the centre of the artwork, walking through a set of stone gates, on a bed of blue and red poppies. These gates stand at the beginning of Concord Hospital’s Kokoda track memorial walk, The bed of poppies represent fallen ANZAC’s and also the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island service men and women that have frequented the ANZAC Institute and Concord Hospital over the past 80 years. The bottom of the artwork is a series of mountain valleys and peaks, covered in a thin row of red poppies. This represents the elevations of the Kokoda Track, and the difficult pathways of which the ANZAC’s had fought against the Japanese. The blue dot work above represents two things. Firstly, the obvious one, the sky above the mountain range, secondly, it represents water. The flow of water represents healing, and this is what the ANZAC Research Institute and Concord Hospital both represent. Directly above this blue section is another pathway of broken ground bordered by blue and red poppies. This is an aerial view of the Kokoda track, but also represents the journey of broken veterans, on a journey of healing. It is a long journey, but is possible through the help of all the wonderful staff at the ANZAC Research Institute and Concord Hospital. The Poppies again representing the Aboriginal & Torres Strait Island Communities. Above this section lies a black area, that has a number of meeting places and journey lines in white, these meeting places are surrounded by Aboriginal symbols for people, there are 140 in total, these represent the number of International authors who have published research articles and papers that have been written by the ANZAC Research Institute over the years. The journey lines continue off the top right of the artwork, this represents the ongoing journey and development by the ANZAC Research Institute to better serve not only it’s veterans but also community and staff for a brighter future for all. Directly below the Kokoda Memorial Track Walk Sign is a series of coloured dots, this coincides with the journey lines below and represents the ANZAC Research Institute’s published papers and articles. The size of the circles represent the number of publications. Where there are more circles, there are more authors involved. The different colours represent the main groupings of authors. Top left of the artwork is an aerial view of a section the Kokoda Memorial Track Walk and the surrounding waterways that border it. It is again filled with red and blue poppies, the blue poppies representing TSI service men and women, and the red poppies, Aboriginal servicemen and women. Coming together, the whole artwork tells the story of 80 years of Concord Hospital’s association as a veteran’s Hospital and in more recent times the development of the ANZAC Research Institute, providing important research and development for services to better help and understand all the difficulties faced by veterans. It also tells the story of how this institute has had a global impact on many other health service industries.”
Read More
It is our pleasure to announce the appointment of Professor Victoria Cogger as Director, ANZAC Research Institute.
Professor Cogger has an international reputation for her scientific work on the ageing liver and targeted drug delivery with a background in physiology, pharmacology and histology, and has received continuous funding since receiving her PhD in 2003. Her competitive research grant income of $11.75 million since 2003 attests to her ability to establish and sustain productive national and international research partnerships that receive support from a range of grant sources. Her research outputs include over 125 research publications and three patent applications.
Professor Cogger will step into this position from her role as the Faculty of Medicine and Health’s Associate Dean, Research Education (ADRE), which she has held since July 2018. Under Professor Cogger’s leadership, Research Education in the Faculty has grown into a cohesive and transformative unit that contributes to the faculty’s upward research trajectory. This role gave her an extensive understanding of the broad medicine and health research landscape and the training needs of our next generation of researchers. During her tenure as ADRE, Professor Cogger continued to lead a successful research team at the ANZAC Institute.
Throughout her time as ADRE, Professor Cogger has developed and strengthened her relationships with many key stakeholders within the Faculty of Medicine and Health, the University, Sydney Local Health District and beyond. Her positive approach to partnership will help ensure the ANZAC Institute integrates well with its existing partners and new collaborators.
The ANZAC Institute is a biomedical research institute operated in memory of our war veterans and their families; its research is largely aimed at the long-term goal of prolonging enjoyable, independent living for the ageing population. The Institute was established in 1995 and is an entity of Sydney Local Health District (SLHD), operating as a research partnership with the University. It is located on the campus of Concord Repatriation General Hospital (CRGH), a primary referral hospital within SLHD and a teaching hospital of the Faculty of Medicine and Health. As one of the nine clinical schools of Sydney Medical School, Concord Clinical School is a major contributor to the University’s reputation and achievements in medicine and the biosciences.
The Institute aims to co-ordinate the highest quality innovative research in the basic sciences with clinical and population health. Each research group has strong linkages with the clinicians, health professionals, researchers and academics co-located at Concord Hospital and across the campus. The ANZAC Research Institute supports 120 scientific staff and approximately 70 postgraduate students working in key disciplines of modern biomedical research. It receives up to $7 million of grant funding annually and produces over 130 peer reviewed publications each year.
Professor Cogger is passionate about biomedical research and is excited to lead the ANZAC Institute into the future. Please join us in congratulating and warmly welcoming her into the new role.
Regards
Robyn and Teresa
Professor Robyn Ward AM FAHMS
Executive Dean and Pro Vice-Chancellor (Medicine and Health)
Dr Teresa Anderson AM
Chief Executive, Sydney Local Health District
These awards were given as part of Sydney Local Health District’s annual Innovation and Research Symposium in May 2022:
L-R: Dr Joanneke Maitz, Burns Group, Dr Anthony Cutrupi, Northcott Neuroscience and Dr Joe Dusseldorp, Burns Group
Dr Joanneke Maitz receives “The Annual Health Research Infrastructure Award 2022” from Sydney Research
From Dr Joanneke Maitz: “The Annual Health Research Infrastructure Award 2022 was awarded for a project that Anthony and I are working on: Rejuvenating patients own skin cells for the treatment of burn injuries. Anthony and I are developing rejuvenated autologous skin cells using partial reprogramming techniques. We are combing the techniques we use in burn injury to isolate autologous human dermal fibroblasts together with a technique derived from pluripotent stem cell reprogramming, bridging the Burns Research Group with the Northcott Neuroscience Group to advance the clinical treatment of burn injuries. The award will allow us to purchase a transfection system to enhance our transfection efficiency. ”
L-R: Dr Joanneke Maitz, Burns Group, Dr Anthony Cutrupi, Northcott Neuroscience Group
Dr Anthony Cutrupi from the Northcott Neuroscience Laboratory presenting “Backwards in Time: A Way Forward for Wound Healing” at The Big Idea.
More information: https://slhd.health.nsw.gov.au/sydneyconnect/news/2022-stories/sydney-research-awards-and-scholarships
Dr Joe Dusseldorp wins “The Big Idea” from Sydney Local Health District
Dr Joe Dusseldorp, from ARI’s Burns Group has won The Big Idea from Sydney Local Health District for his anti-spasticity micro-implant which aims to help patients living with muscle spasticity, like cerebral palsy, to regain muscle tone and control. Dr Dusseldorp won $45 000 in pre-seed funding to continue his research.
Dr Joe Dusseldorp, Burns Group winning “The Big Idea”
More information: https://www.slhd.nsw.gov.au/sydneyconnect/story-The-Big-Idea-winner.html
Read More
Each year, at 11am on the 11th of November, Australians observe one minute’s silence in memory of those who have died or suffered in all wars and armed conflicts.
Known as Armistice Day, or Remembrance Day, the day is commemorated across the country in different ways.
This year like in 2020, many will participate in virtual services and memorials or find their own ways to remember and honour of the service rendered by so many.
Here are some services that you can participate in virtually:
The NSW Remembrance Day Service:
The Australian War Memorial Remembrance Day Service:
Read More
We congratulate our own Dr. Vivien Chen – Laboratory Leader for the ANZAC Research Institute’s Platelet, Thrombosis and Cancer Research Laboratory, Associate Professor at the University of Sydney and Specialist at Concord Hospital – for the life-saving work she has done to quickly establish diagnostic and treatment protocols for Covid vaccine-induced thrombotic thrombocytopenia (TTS). Swift voluntary action has led to amazing results and hundreds of Australian lives saved.
Dr. Chen pivoted her research to develop one of the diagnostic tests for TTS/VITT which was ready for use as the first suspected patients presented. Her ongoing research into improved diagnostics and novel therapeutics for TTS aim to deliver improved outcomes in TTS and other related clotting disorders. We would love your support for Dr. Chen’s work in managing the effects of thrombosis resulting from Covid vaccines and other imperative research projects.
Your support of Dr. Chen and her team is possible by easily donating directly here:
More information about Dr. Chen’s work:
Recent Media Articles about Dr. Chen’s work:
Guardian Australia – “‘Just in time’: how Australian doctors drastically reduced deaths from vaccine-linked blood clots”
Guardian Australia Podcast – “How Australian doctors reduced vaccine-linked blood clot deaths”
Sydney Morning Herald – “Here’s what we know about AstraZeneca and that rare blood clotting disorder”
Link to Book a Vaccination:
Dr. Chen’s work has helped even more people be vaccinated for COVID-19. All vaccines help prevent serious illness from COVID-19; and in particular they help prevent hospitalisation and death. Vaccination assists in protecting both individuals and also the wider community by reducing the spread of COVID-19.
Read More