College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing

Premature birth, severe asthma and sperm stress will be a key focus for innovative researchers from the University of Newcastle and Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI), who were successful in the latest round of National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Ideas Grants.

Six University of Newcastle researchers have been awarded more than $10.3m in National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Investigator grants* to tackle health problems such as pre-term labour, schizophrenia, endometrial and lung cancers, as well as asthma.

University of Newcastle researcher Professor Murray Cairns and his Precision Medicine team at HMRI have discovered a unique biomarker in the blood of people with schizophrenia.

A proud Wiradjuri man from Singleton on Wonnarua Country, Scott left school in year 10 to start working on a horse stud farm.

University of Newcastle teaching academic Nicole Hainsworth is graduating with her PhD focused on midwifery continuity of care.

In an awards ceremony held at NEX on Friday 8 December in front of an audience of donors, colleagues and community members, three researchers and a research team were honoured with the Hunter’s top research prize.

An Australian-first initiative to boost healthcare staff  and provide medical students with invaluable paid experience is now underway in Hunter New England Local Health District, thanks to a new partnership with the University of Newcastle and TAFE NSW.

University of Newcastle researchers have secured funding from the Australian Research Council for specialist imaging equipment that will reduce the number of animals required in research projects.

Using facial recognition to transform genetic diagnosis of children with intellectual disability and a community-led breastfeeding support program for Indigenous families are among five Hunter research projects awarded more than $9.3m in Australian government health and medical funding.

Twelve teams - all led by inspiring women - are harnessing the training, knowledge, resources and support provided by the team at I2N to turn their entrepreneurial ideas into success.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is supporting researchers with important exploration into new therapies for Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and ulcerative colitis, made possible by a $98,700 grant from Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation.

Two Ukrainian scientists will visit Newcastle to work with University of Newcastle research teams, thanks to successful funding applications in the inaugural Ukraine-Australia Research Fund from the Australian Academy of Science.