31 Aug 2022
Researchers from the Doherty Institute, Monash University and University of Melbourne win prestigious science award
A team of researchers from the Doherty Institute, Monash University and University of Melbourne won the Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre Eureka Prize for Infectious Diseases Research for their work on exploring new routes of transmission of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), trialling novel interventions to tackle infections, and optimising antimicrobial therapy for STIs.
Considered as Australia’s leading science awards, the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes honour excellence across the areas of research and innovation, leadership, science engagement and school science.
University of Melbourne Professor Deborah Williamson, Director of the Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory (VIDRL) at The Royal Melbourne Hospital at the Doherty Institute; University of Melbourne Professor Jane Hocking, from the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences; Monash University’s Associate Professor Eric Chow and Professors Christopher Fairley, Catriona Bradshaw and Marcus Chen, are recognised globally as among the top-ranked most active researchers in the field of STIs and this award acknowledges their tremendous work in the field.
The team’s research has changed Australian and international chlamydia and Mycoplasma genitalium treatment guidelines; pioneered the implementation of resistance-guided therapy for Mycoplasma genitalium; produced ground-breaking, world-first studies integrating genomic and epidemiologic data to help understand the epidemiology of STIs; and made new discoveries, establishing saliva as playing a key role in the transmission of gonorrhoea leading to an innovative mouthwash intervention to reduce transmission.
Professor Deborah Williamson is an international leader in pathogen genomics and an expert in the development and application of novel diagnostic testing methods. Through her role at the Doherty Institute, she and her research team are conducting innovative work using genomics looking at better ways to diagnose, trace and treat STIs.
“I feel incredibly fortunate to work with some of Australia’s leading clinician-scientists and researchers in infectious diseases,” Professor Williamson says.
“It is an honour for our enduring collaboration to be recognised with such a prestigious award, and demonstrates the importance of strong, multidisciplinary research to tackle major public health problems.”
Click here for the list of all the winners of the 2022 Eureka Prizes: https://australian.museum/get-involved/eureka-prizes/