
Dr Michael Bourke
Lecturer
School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy
Looking ahead to an exceptional student experience
Looking ahead to an exceptional student experience
Dr Michael Bourke talks about his passion for seeing students learn and reach their full potential.
Career Summary
Biography
I completed my PhD at the University of Sydney, Australia in 2014. During my time in the Systems Neuroscience Laboratory of Dr Atomu Sawatari I investigated roles for the novel family of type II transmembrane glycoproteins, the teneurins, in the development of the limbic and visual systems of mice. This work showed that the teneurins are expressed in topographically related gradients throughout the hippocampal formation and related cortical regions, such as the entorhinal cortex, and subcortical regions, such as the mammillary bodies and anterior nuclei of the thalamus, as well as throughout topographically interconnected regions of the visual system. Using knockout models, I demonstrated that these proteins are required for the normal developmental interconnectivity of these regions and that targeted deletion of these genes results in visuospatial learning and memory deficits in vivo.
Following my PhD I undertook a post-doctoral fellowship with the Queensland Research Centre for Peripheral Vascular Disease (QRC-PVD) and the Vascular Biology Unit (VBU) at James Cook University, led by Professor Jonathan Golledge. During this post-doctoral research I established a clinical trial research centre on the Central Coast of New South Wales, in collaboration with Gosford Vascular Services. I am investigating novel medical therapies to slow the progression of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) and have established a peripheral vascular biobank to understand the genetic nuances of vascular diseases, including aortic aneurysm, carotid atherosclerosis and lower limb occlusive disease. One outcome from this ongoing research collaboration was the discovery that the diabetes drug metformin is associated with slower growth rates of aortic aneurysms as well as a with a reduced incidence of surgical repair and rupture related mortality in patients with AAA.
In 2020 I was awarded a lectureship in the School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy at The University of Newcastle. Here I am expanding my clinical research across the Central Coast Local Health District and the Hunter New England Local Health District to investigate novel treatments for vascular diseases. Together with the QRC-PVD, and The Georges Institute for Global Health in Sydney, I was awarded a $4.9 million NHMRC grant to initiate the world's largest ever prospective clinical trial on AAA in a hope to discover the world's first ever medical treatment for this disorder that kills over 2000 Australians anually. I am working in collaboration with Professor Nicholas Goodwin, Director of the Central Coast Research Institute, to develop novel integrative approaches to understand and manage vascular disease. I am also in collaboration with Professor Manohar Garg, leader of the Clinical and Experimental Nutrition theme at the Priority Research Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition (PRCPAN) at the University of Newcastle, to investigate potential roles of fatty acids in the pathogenesis of aneurysms.
I am an experienced lecturer in the fields of anatomy and cardiovascular pathophysiology and have taught into multiple medical programs at Australian universities for over a decade. My teaching was acknowledged by an award for teaching excellence from the University of Sydney and I am leading the establishment of biomedical science teaching into the newly created Central Coast Clinical School based at Gosford Hospital.
In conjunction with multiple Health Districts across New South Wales, I am leading and delivering a pilot of applied anatomical training for junior surgeons and radiologists to improve the anatomical knowledge in this area and to develop partnerships between the university and our industry and health partners.
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy, University of Sydney
- Bachelor of Medical Science (Honours), University of Sydney
Keywords
- Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA)
- Angiogenesis
- Carotid endarterectomy
- Clinical trials
- Endothelium
- Pericyte
- Peripheral vascular disease (PVD)
- Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF)
- Vascular smooth muscle
Languages
- English (Mother)
- Spanish (Working)
Professional Experience
UON Appointment
Title | Organisation / Department |
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Lecturer | University of Newcastle School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy Australia |
Lecturer | University of Newcastle School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy Australia |
Professional appointment
Dates | Title | Organisation / Department |
---|---|---|
1/1/2014 - 1/1/2018 | Postdoctoral fellow | James Cook University School of Public Health Medicine and Rehabilitation Sciences Australia |
1/1/2018 - 1/1/2022 | Clinical Research Associate | Gosford Vascular Services Australia |
Teaching
Code | Course | Role | Duration |
---|---|---|---|
PDTY2103 |
Advanced Lower Limb Anatomy Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Newcastle |
Lecturer | 1/1/2021 - 31/12/2021 |
MEDI1101a |
Medicine year 1 Faculty of Health and Medicine, The University of Newcastle |
Lecture | 1/1/2021 - 31/12/2021 |
HUBS2505 |
Human Pathophysiology Faculty of Health and Medicine, The University of Newcastle |
Lecturer | 1/1/2021 - 31/12/2021 |
MEDI1101b |
Medicine year 1 Faculty of Health and Medicine, The University of Newcastle |
Lecturer | 1/1/2021 - 31/12/2021 |
Publications
For publications that are currently unpublished or in-press, details are shown in italics.
Journal article (10 outputs)
Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link | |||||
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2020 |
Golledge J, Rowbotham S, Velu R, Quigley F, Jenkins J, Bourke M, et al., 'Association of Serum Lipoprotein (a) With the Requirement for a Peripheral Artery Operation and the Incidence of Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events in People With Peripheral Artery Disease', JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION, 9 (2020)
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2019 |
Golledge J, Morris DR, Pinchbeck J, Rowbotham S, Jenkins J, Bourke M, et al., 'Editor's Choice - Metformin Prescription is Associated with a Reduction in the Combined Incidence of Surgical Repair and Rupture Related Mortality in Patients with Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm', EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF VASCULAR AND ENDOVASCULAR SURGERY, 57 94-101 (2019)
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2019 |
Manapurathe DT, Moxon JV, Krishna SM, Rowbotham S, Quigley F, Jenkins J, et al., 'Cohort Study Examining the Association Between Blood Pressure and Cardiovascular Events in Patients With Peripheral Artery Disease', JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION, 8 (2019)
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2016 |
Morris DR, Cunningham MA, Ahimastos AA, Kingwell BA, Pappas E, Bourke M, et al., 'Erratum to: 'TElmisartan in the management of abDominal aortic aneurYsm (TEDY): The study protocol for a randomized controlled trial' [Trials, (2016), 17:43]', Trials, 17 (2016)
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2015 |
Morris DR, Cunningham MA, Ahimastos AA, Kingwell BA, Pappas E, Bourke M, et al., 'TElmisartan in the management of abDominal aortic aneurYsm (TEDY): The study protocol for a randomized controlled trial', Trials, 16 (2015) © 2015 Morris et al. Background: Experimental studies suggest that angiotensin II plays a central role in the pathogenesis of abdominal aortic aneurysm. This trial aims to evaluat... [more] © 2015 Morris et al. Background: Experimental studies suggest that angiotensin II plays a central role in the pathogenesis of abdominal aortic aneurysm. This trial aims to evaluate the efficacy of the angiotensin receptor blocker telmisartan in limiting the progression of abdominal aortic aneurysm. Methods/Design: Telmisartan in the management of abdominal aortic aneurysm (TEDY) is a multicentre, parallel-design, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with an intention-to-treat analysis. We aim to randomly assign 300 participants with small abdominal aortic aneurysm to either 40 mg of telmisartan or identical placebo and follow patients over 2 years. The primary endpoint will be abdominal aortic aneurysm growth as measured by 1) maximum infra-renal aortic volume on computed tomographic angiography, 2) maximum orthogonal diameter on computed tomographic angiography, and 3) maximum diameter on ultrasound. Secondary endpoints include change in resting brachial blood pressure, abdominal aortic aneurysm biomarker profile and health-related quality of life. TEDY is an international collaboration conducted from major vascular centres in Australia, the United States and the Netherlands. Discussion: Currently, no medication has been convincingly demonstrated to limit abdominal aortic aneurysm progression. TEDY will examine the potential of a promising treatment strategy for patients with small abdominal aortic aneurysms. Trial registration: Australian and Leiden study centres: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12611000931976, registered on 30 August 2011; Stanford study centre: clinicaltrials.gov NCT01683084, registered on 5 September 2012.
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Show 7 more journal articles |
Dr Michael Bourke
Position
Lecturer
School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy
College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing
Contact Details
michael.d.bourke@newcastle.edu.au | |
Mobile | 0432045972 |