| Groundbreaking research that is improving screening and diagnoses for liver cancer has earned Associate Professor Jessica Howell the Inaugural Tony Burgess Medal awarded by the VCCC Alliance.
The St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne gastroenterologist will be awarded a $5,000 prize and deliver the plenary address on the eve of the VCCC Alliance Postdoctoral Symposium on 8 September. The address has been established in honour of Prof Tony Burgess’s significant contribution to the establishment of the VCCC building and the VCCC Alliance.
A/Prof Howell, who also holds Senior Research Fellow positions with both the University of Melbourne and the Burnet Institute, heads a multidisciplinary research program that led to the invention of two world-first, rapid point-of-care tests for liver inflammation and cirrhosis.
“Jessica’s multidisciplinary research is an excellent example of integrated, translatable innovation,” Professor Grant McArthur said. “It’s exactly the type of approach that we want to encourage and support – discoveries that make it from lab to clinic, improving prevention, treatment and care of anyone at risk of developing, or has, cancer.”
A/Prof Howell said: “Liver cancer has a very low survival rate and disproportionately affects marginalised people. As a hepatologist, every week I see the impact of liver cancer on the lives of my patients and their families. This drives me to search for new ways to improve equitable outcomes for people with liver cancer.”
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