Reducing children’s allergies

MCRI & VCGS staff awards

Each year, MCRI and VCGS recognise the important contributions our staff made to child and teen health. Those contributions that might not make global headlines, but have a huge impact for individuals, families, communities and populations. The MCRI and VCGS Staff Awardees are nominated by their peers in recognition of dedication, excellence and commitment to making a difference to children’s lives. From the nominees, the VCGS Employee of the Year was selected by VCGS leadership and the Research Excellence Award recipients in 2021 were selected by the MCRI Director.

Winners of the MCRI & VCGS Staff Awards for 2021: Above and Beyond in Research Award

For outstanding contribution made by a mid-level career researcher through research that enhanced the impact of their group or wider team. Ryan Toh New Vaccines, Infection and Immunity Nicole Messina Infectious Diseases, Infection and Immunity

Above and Beyond in Research Support Award

For outstanding support for research activities in 2021. Supporting research activities could include work done by, but not limited to, administration staff, laboratory staff, research nurses and staff in Research Support and Operations, CEBU, MCTC and CR. Megan Kaegi Research Assistant, Inflammatory Origins, Infection and Immunity

Above and Beyond in Service Excellence Award

Given to a VCGS employee who demonstrated depth of care to our patients and/or commitment to our high quality of service. This award is open to all areas of VCGS. Sarah Jamieson Specimen Reception Co-ordinator, VCGS Laboratory Services Stefanie Eggers Research Genomics Head, TGU Research Genomics, VCGS

Inspiring Others Award

Presented to an MCRI or VCGS employee who has demonstrated excellent leadership qualities. Ritika Saxena Research Assistant, Blood Development, Cell Biology Andrea Frigo Head of People and Culture, Growth and Innovation

Organisation Innovation Award

Given to an MCRI or VCGS staff member who has demonstrated innovation and creativity to improve our way of working. This category is open to all staff who facilitate interactions to generate creative workflow/organisation solutions. Miriam Fanjul Fernandez Medical Scientist, TGU Clinical Genomics, VCGS

Safety, Health and Wellbeing Award

Recognises an individual who has shown outstanding initiative to promote, enhance or protect the safety, health and wellness of our staff and students. Eleanor Neal Research Assistant, AsiaPacific Health, Infection and Immunity Erin Oldaker Quality Manager, VCGS Lab Management, VCGS

Rising Star Award

Presented to a student based on their exceptional participation in the Institute community, as well as research outcomes for the year. Jeremy Anderson PhD student, New Vaccines, Infection and Immunity Sean Wilson PhD student, Kidney Regeneration, Cell Biology Victoria Soriano PhD student, Population Allergy, Population Health

Mentor Award

Recognises an outstanding mentor, supervisor, manager or colleague who has supported and guided others in an exceptional way in 2021. Paul Licciardi Team Leader/Senior Research Fellow, New Vaccines, Infection and Immunity Marc Seal Group Leader/Senior Research Fellow, Developmental Imaging, Clinical Sciences

Pivot Award in Research

The pandemic has triggered changes in research funding, priorities, topics and practices, as well as a shift to remote work. This award recognises an individual or a team who have quickly adjusted their research to explore some of these pressing issues or be able to pursue their research subject despite the logistical hurdles. Conor McCafferty PhD student, Haematology, Clinical Sciences

Pivot Award in Organisation or Service Delivery

In a year that has brought new ways of working, this award recognises an individual or team who have taken on additional responsibilities/changed roles to create and implement processes that enable MCRI and VCGS to continue to safely deliver services and research. Gerardo Luis Dimaguila (Ikee) Health Informatics Officer, SAEFVIC

Leading or Contributing to Large Projects/Teams Award

Recognises and promotes project/program coordinators and managers playing a key role in the organisation and smooth running of large projects and/or teams of people. Alisha Gulenc Senior Project Officer, GenV

Research Associates Award for Professional Excellence

Recognises staff members below postdoctoral level, such as project and research assistants whose roles do not involve team leadership but contribute directly to research activity. Joan Gains Community Co-ordinator, Neurodisability and Rehabilitation, Clinical Sciences

VCGS Employee of the Year Award

Presented to a VCGS staff member who has gone ‘above and beyond’. Sarah Jamieson Specimen Reception Co-ordinator, VCGS Laboratory Services

Research Excellence Award

Presented to an outstanding senior researcher based on exceptional research outcomes for the year. Melissa Little Chief Scientist, Theme Director, Cell Biology

Taking mentoring seriously

Murdoch Children’s supports mentoring at all levels, informally and formally, creating the opportunity for all our people to learn, grow and develop in a way that supports their individual development needs.

In 2021, the Institute established the Beyond Mentoring Program, a structured program which provides an aligned mentor, a peer-learning group and a series of skillsbased workshops and coaching sessions. The program creates space for participants to reflect on their career and development journey, while providing them with skills and coaching to apply their insights to their workplace. For mentees, the benefits include strengths-based assessment, career and development goal setting, expanded networking opportunities and confidence building. The Beyond Mentoring Program recruited and matched more than 60 mentors and mentees in 2021 who will continue to participate in group coaching sessions, networking and skills-based workshops, and also enjoy a formal program close that recognises and celebrates their achievements over the program.

The Suzi Carp Scholarship

Dr Elena Tucker from the Murdoch Children’s Genetics Theme was awarded the 2021 Suzi Carp Postdoctoral Scholarship for her research into reproductive development. Dr Tucker uses genomic approaches to investigate the genetic basis of human ovarian disease, and has shown research excellence and strong leadership potential during her PhD and postdoc work at the Institute. The scholarship is an Early Career Researcher Award that is intended to support a Murdoch Children’s ECR who is displaying research excellence and leadership potential through the time late in their PhD studies to early in their first postdoctoral research position. The scholarship aims to support and help set the stage for a successful research career by contributing to the recipient’s research track record and increasing their competitiveness in attracting external funding.

Innovating for impact

With a focus on impact powered by research with children at the heart, the Institute established a new unit called Growth & Innovation in 2021. The focus is driving greater impact from MCRI’s work and identifying new pathways to growth that will help build long-term sustainability.

Chief Innovation Officer and Head of Growth Strategy, Dr James Dromey, said: “We work in the nexus between innovation, stakeholder engagement, funding and people and culture, aligning and enabling internal capabilities in these areas to create meaningful external impact.” The establishment of Growth & Innovation also recognises that to realise the potential impact and value of the Institute’s work to benefit children and families around the world requires a strategic focus and approach, working closely with partners, funders and other supporters.

AllergyPal — a friend in your phone

AllergyPal, our food allergy management companion app, is now ready to go global with the support of the AllergyPal company, spun out from the Institute in 2020. With over 50,000 Australian users, the app is now being adapted for launch in the US market. This means thousands more children and families will benefit from AllergyPal to better manage their food allergies in their everyday lives.

Sleep with Kip — teaching Australian children to sleep well

Backed by 20 years of our sleep research, the Sleep with Kip storybooks are a collection of six children’s books incorporating research-proven behavioural techniques to support 3-9 year olds (and their families) to sleep well. The books are due to hit libraries in 2022 and are already supporting children through an online reading platform. In another challenging year for welcoming new staff and students remotely, our People and Culture team again excelled in helping our new starters to feel at home, while working between their own homes and the organisation. Four hundred new people were welcomed across the Murdoch Children’s and Victorian Clinical Genetics Services, who were supported with an expanded Leadership Development program, now spanning: • Leadership fundamentals • Leadership in practice • Leadership excellence Our Institute in numbers: • MCRI paid staff – 1,332 • VCGS paid staff – 271 • All Students (MCRI & VCGS) – 232 • Honorary Staff and Contractors (MCRI & VCGS) – 1,022

Champions for gender equity

The Murdoch Children’s Research Institute has enrolled in a Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) program to better support and champion gender equity in the workplace. SAGE aims to improve gender equity in the Australian higher education and research sector, which particularly experiences a high loss rate of women wanting to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine. The program applies the Athena Swan Charter, which is based on 10 key principles such as addressing unequal gender representation, committing to tackling the gender pay gap and removing the obstacles faced by women. MCRI strives to not just be leaders in groundbreaking, world-class research, but also by setting the standard for an inclusive and dynamic workplace culture. The Institute will undergo an evaluation to receive SAGE accreditation, which will involve: • Forming an MCRI self-assessment team of volunteers from a range of backgrounds and roles • Collecting quantitative and qualitative data to understand any gaps and barriers to gender equity, diversity and inclusion • Developing and implementing a plan in accordance with SAGE guidelines • Collating the outcomes of the selfassessment and submitting for SAGE accreditation. MCRI will be given a Bronze Award if successful.

Gut health for life

We have all heard about the importance of maintaining a healthy gut. Prevatex is a spin-out company arising from research conducted with the Barwon Infants Study (BIS) – a joint cohort research study with Murdoch Children’s, Barwon Health and Deakin University. Researchers had found that high levels of Prevotella, an ancient type of bacteria, in pregnant mums’ digestive tracts was associated with reduced food allergy incidence in their babies. Prevatex has built on the studies of the BIS team by licensing intellectual property related to this discovery to develop and bring to market a Prevotella-based probiotic. The product aims to establish and maintain a healthy maternal microbiome during pregnancy, and hopefully minimise the risk of food allergy in their babies. Visit the Sleep with Kip website