Published on 24 October 2023

Dr Annabel Jones, Dr Christopher Preston and Dr Matthew Wei were announced as the recipients of the prestigious Arlene Wake Chronic Diseases Fellowships during Research Week’s closing event on Friday.

The three Western Health doctors were each awarded funding of $75,000 per year to assist them in developing research and innovations addressing chronic disease, a pressing health challenge across Melbourne’s west. 

Dr Wei’s project is a digital health solution that uses AI to predict colorectal cancer patient response to chemotherapy. This data is used to create tailored treatment plans, allowing Western Health staff and University of Melbourne researchers to provide individualised care. The funding from the fellowship will allow Dr Wei to integrate his research into surgery, which he hopes will translate into real-world outcomes and benefits for patients. 

Dr Jones will use funding to further her research into gestational diabetes. Western Health has one of the largest single site maternity hospitals in the country and sees the highest rates of gestational diabetes and endocrine disease in Australia. One in five women based in Melbourne’s west develop the condition. Dr Jones’s project aims to provide insight into treatment options and prevention for the Western Health community. 

Dr Preston’s research will trial the effectiveness of a tool called Future Health Today. Developed as a collaboration between Western Health and the University of Melbourne’s, Future Health Today – working to review patient records and identify patients who require further testing, diagnosis or management. It is hoped that this will help GPs to more effectively diagnose chronic disease. 

The fellowships were made possible by an anonymous donation and are named in honour of Dr Arlene Wake, who previously served as Western Health’s Chief Medical Officer and Executive Director of Partnerships. Dr Wake is a passionate supporter of Western Health and the people of the west, especially those impacted by some of Australia’s highest rates of chronic disease. 

Other research grants – sponsored by BankVic and Plenary Health – were also awarded as part of the Research Week ceremony. The BankVic Emergency Department Innovation Grant was awarded to Williamstown Hospital Emergency Department to improve effective communication in the busy emergency department environment. The BankVic Research Grants were awarded to Professor Phong Tran for a nurse-led project in CALD communities to improve informed consent for orthopaedic surgery and to Dina Pogrebnoy to imbed outcome measures into routine physiotherapy practice.  

The Plenary Health Innovation Grant was awarded to Frances Ampt, Lead Epidemiologist at the Western Public Health Unit to explore Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme data to understand sexual reproductive health treatment to inform service redesign aimed at reducing inequities in the western suburbs of Melbourne.

Last but not least, the following staff members were acknowledged for their excellent presentations, delivered during Research Week’s various sessions: 

  • Doris Cao, Kendall Francis Award Best Podium Presentation (sponsored by Medtronic)  
  • Emma Charlton, Critical Care and Anaesthetics Best Presentation (sponsored by Western Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Group) 
  • Laura Phung, Women’s and Children’s Best Podium Presentation (sponsored by Victoria University) 
  • Anie Edward, Nursing and Midwifery Best Podium Presentation (sponsored by Victoria University) 
  • Dr Aisha Khalid, Neville Yeomans Best Podium Presentation (sponsored by Victoria University) 
  • Kelly Fleury and Lucy Troup, joint winners Allied Health Best Podium Presentation (sponsored by Victoria University). 

Congratulations to all. 

Finally, during Research Week, we launched our new research publication. The publication highlights the way we translate research from the benchside to the bedside and beyond, whether it’s pioneering new ways to deliver care to our patients or finding innovative approaches to prevent and treat chronic diseases. 

Take a moment to hear about the inspiring work underway thanks to collaboration and commitment from our staff, universities, industry, research institutes, patients and supportive donor community.