Who we are

Studying public health at Flinders has shown me the importance of social determinants of health and health equity. My PhD is on the implementation of the ‘Closing the Gap’ strategy in early childhood. It is both exciting and challenging to learn from, and alongside, world leading public health academics and advocates.

I am leading research at Flinders focusing on the regulation of gene expression and microRNAs by oxygen and its implications for kidney disease.  We are also developing novel diagnostic tests for urological cancers and infections. I am also an active clinician specialising in kidney diseases and involved in teaching of medical students and junior doctors including the generation of several successful undergraduate and postgraduate medical textbooks.

My PhD is focussed on identifying molecular targets for cancer therapy.  As a medical doctor, I am particularly interested in bringing new treatments to patients in the clinical setting.  With clinical areas and science laboratories on the same site, Flinders was the natural place to choose.  Here, I have the opportunity to develop professionally as both surgeon and scientist, in the hope that this will be of considerable benefit to my patients in the future.

I am Director of the Southgate Institute for Health, Society and Equity, which researches the ways in which societies can become more healthy and equitable. My research focuses on how different sectors of society, including health services, urban planning, transport, criminal justice and trans-national corporation can undertake their core business while also promoting health and equity.

My clinical interests are in the areas of surgery for benign and malignant oesophageal disease, upper gastrointestinal surgery, advanced laparoscopic surgery and interventional endoscopy. I’ve been active in the development of laparoscopic and endoscopic surgery in Australia, pioneering the development and evaluation of laparoscopic surgery for gastro-oesophageal reflux, oesophageal motility disorders, and oesophageal cancer. My research activity focusses on early detection and prevention of oesophageal cancer, and the evaluation and refinement of techniques within prospective randomised clinical trials.

Over 1.7 million Australians live with diabetes and the incidence worldwide is predicted to reach ~600 million by 2035. My lab aims to develop new treatments of type 1 and type 2 diabetes. We are achieving this using expertise in protein structure/function to understand how insulin interacts with its receptors to induce biological responses. Through a comparative evolutionary biology approach we are investigating hormones, including insulin and GLP-1, that regulate blood glucose. Using this knowledge we are generating novel insulin and GLP-1 analogues for the treatment of diabetes. The lab also has a keen interest in exploring the links between metabolism and cancer. As there is evolutionary, structural and functional overlap between insulin and the IGF hormones and signalling pathways we are also developing understanding of the role that IGFs play in promoting cancer cell growth and survival, with the aim to develop specific inhibitors of tumour growth.