Friedreich's ataxia is an autosomal-recessive genetic disease that causes difficulty walking, a loss of sensation in the arms and legs, and impaired speech that worsens over time. Symptoms generally start between 5 and 20 years of age. Many develop hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and require a mobility aid such as a cane, walker, or wheelchair in their teens. As the disease progresses, some affected people lose their sight and hearing. Other complications may include scoliosis and diabetes mellitus.
Spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA) is a progressive, degenerative, genetic disease with multiple types, each of which could be considered a neurological condition in its own right. An estimated 150,000 people in the United States have a diagnosis of spinocerebellar ataxia at any given time. SCA is hereditary, progressive, degenerative, and often fatal. There is no known effective treatment or cure. SCA can affect anyone of any age. The disease is caused by either a recessive or dominant gene. In many cases people are not aware that they carry a relevant gene until they have children who begin to show signs of having the disorder.
Ruth Frances Bishop was an Australian virologist, who was a leading member of the team that discovered the human rotavirus.
Panayiotis "Panos" Ioannou was an internationally known cell biologist and neuroscientist who pioneered in research on Thalassemia. He was born in Kalograia, in the Kyrenia District of Cyprus on 26 January 1951. He died on 18 April 2005 in Melbourne, Australia at the age of 54. In 1966 after the death of his younger brother from Hodgkin's disease he and his family moved to London, United Kingdom.
Amanda Jane Fosang is a biomedical researcher who has pioneered arthritis research in Australia.
Ruth Milne Hall, OAM, FAA, FAAM is an Australian microbiologist whose research on mobile genetic elements in bacteria has provided deep insight into the transfer and evolution of antibiotic resistance in bacteria.
Mary Pauline Galea is an Australian physiotherapist and neuroscientist at University of Melbourne. She resides in Melbourne, Australia. Galea is a professorial fellow at the University of Melbourne's Department of Medicine at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and a Senior Principal Fellow in the Florey Institute of Neurosciences and Mental Health. She was foundation professor of clinical physiotherapy and director of the Rehabilitation Sciences Research Centre at the University of Melbourne and Austin Health. She is internationally recognised for her work in spinal cord injury and rehabilitative interventions.
Diana Temple AM (1925–2006) was an Australian pharmacologist and Associate Professor who pioneered respiratory research in Australia. She was recognised for her work on respiratory pharmacology, the role of women in science and in promoting popular science.
Melissa Helen Little is an Australian scientist and academic, currently Theme Director of Cell Biology, heading up the Kidney Regeneration laboratory at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute. She is also a Professor in the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, and Program Leader of Stem Cells Australia. In January 2022, she became CEO of the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Medicine reNEW, an international stem cell research center based at University of Copenhagen, and a collaboration between the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Australia, and Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands.
Robert Williamson is a retired British-Australian molecular biologist who specialised in the mapping, gene identification, and diagnosis of human genetic disorders.
Madhu Bhaskaran is an engineer and Professor at RMIT University. She co-leads the Functional Materials and Microsystems Research Group at RMIT University She won the APEC Aspire prize in 2018 for her development of "electronic skin".
Miriam Cnop is a Belgian researcher and physician specializing in diabetology. She is Professor of Medicine at Université Libre de Bruxelles and Clinical Director of Erasmus Hospital’s Endocrinology Department. Her work centered on type 2 diabetes, in particular mechanisms of lipotoxicity using human islets of Langerhans and human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived β Cells. She is an associate member of the Royal Academy of Medicine of Belgium. In 2013, her work was awarded the Oskar Minkowski prize from the European Association for the Study of Diabetes.
Katrina Jane Allen is an Australian politician and former medical researcher who was a member of the House of Representatives from 2019 until 2022. She is a member of the Liberal Party and represented the Division of Higgins in Victoria
Maria Makrides is an Australian professor at the University of Adelaide who works on improving women and babies nutritional health. In 2019 she was made a fellow of the Australian Academy of Science. She is a professor of human nutrition at the Adelaide Medical School, and a theme leader for the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) Women's and Children's Hospital.
Muireann Irish is a cognitive neuropsychologist at the Brain and Mind Centre at the University of Sydney. She has a history of winning numerous International and National awards, including an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship and L’Oreal-UNESCO For Women in Science Fellowship. She has won, on average, at least one significant National or International prize per year, since 2013.
Sue Barrell was Chief Scientist at the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM). In 2013 she was awarded a Fellow of the Academy of Technology and Engineering (FTSE). In 2018, Barrell was elected Vice President of Science and Technology Australia. Amongst other topics, she has worked on international science policy climate monitoring, research and policy, and ocean–earth observations. Barrell was the first female meteorologist to join the senior Executive team of the BoM. She was the first female elected to leadership of a WMO Technical Commission and was one of the early female forecasters.
Leonie Walsh is a fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences, and was the first Lead Scientist in Victoria, from 2013 to 2016, as well as the inaugural Women in STEMM Ambassador and the first women president of Australasian Industrial Research Group She was the representative for Victoria on the Forum of Australian Chief Scientists. Walsh received an honorary Doctorate (HonDUniv) due to her contributions in leadership to scientific enterprises, innovation and community leadership, from Swinburne University of Technology. Walsh was a judge in the Westpac 100 Women of Influence awards in 2016.
Elaine Saunders is an associate professor at the Swinburne University of Technology and executive director of Blamey Saunders, as well as an inventor, entrepreneur. She was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science Technology and Engineering in 2019. She is one of only nine women out of 160 to win the Clunies Ross award for entrepreneurship, and has won many other awards, as well as given numerous keynote addresses on the value of entrepreneurship and innovation in STEMM.
Jessica Geraldine Borger is an Australian T Cell immunologist, lecturer and graduate course coordinator at the Central Clinical School, Monash University. Her research has added to the understanding of the molecular mechanisms of T cell function. Additionally, Borger is a news and commentary editor for Immunology & Cell Biology and a guest associate editor for Frontiers in Immunology, and a reviewer for several academic journals. Jessica also advocates for gender equality in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in her position a member of the Gender Equity, Diversity and Inclusion committee of the Central Clinical School at Monash University.
Elena Jane Tucker is an Australian geneticist and medical genomics researcher and a 2016 Rising Talent in the L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Awards.
