Careers Making a difference Associate Professor Chris Karapetis has just cycled through Cambodia, raising funds for cancer research. It’s part of his determination to make a difference HRIS Karapetis was drawn we can offer is palliation, but I find to oncology at the end of his that I’m still making a difference. Cinternship when he realised Sometimes I bump into the families the impact he could have on cancer 10 or 15 years later and they still patients’ lives. remember me.” “As a student I’d liked everything, Apart from his clinical work, A/Prof so when I finished my internship Karapetis is a dedicated researcher, I decided to do some things I felt I focused on predictive biomarkers, hadn’t done enough of,” Associate determining who will benefit the Professor Karapetis tells the MJA. most from targeted treatments. “So in the first year of my The role of research is one he residency I did a few months of emphasises with students. general practice, a few months of “Doing research makes you obstetrics and gynaecology, and question, it encourages you to a few months of paediatrics. That improve,” he says. A/Prof. Chris Karapetis helped me realise that it was cancer was certainly arduous, but we had I was really interested in. “You can see that things can be a lot of fun as well. better, and pushes you through to “I was fascinated by the biology of “We went in not really knowing find that something better.” cancer, but I was also aware of the what to expect, and the roads impact that it had on the general Last month A/Prof Karapetis put were either bumpy, or muddy and community. Cancer is now killing away his scrubs, put his bike on slippery. more people than cardiovascular a plane and joined a group of “The first day’s ride was probably disease, sadly. strangers on a quest to raise funds the hardest, but the surroundings and awareness for gastrointestinal “On the wards I see a degree of were visually stunning. (GI) cancer. illness that made me realise that “We would stop every 15 to these patients were very sick, either The Cambodia Gutsy Challenge was 20 kilometres, usually in a village. from the disease itself or from the a year in the planning, organised by The people were so excited to see treatment. the GI Cancer Institute. us, they would line the street. There were so many happy children.” “At the end of each day I feel like I’ve done something The ride took the group to some of good, made a big difference. That’s very satisfying” Cambodia’s most famous sights, including the ruins of Angkor Wat, “I could see that everything I said Starting at Krong Siem Reap at the the massive stone temple built to them, or did for them really northern end of Tonle Sap, A/Prof during the Khmer Empire, but it mattered. Karapetis and his group — which was the Choeung Ek Genocidal also included sports broadcaster Centre, site of the “killing fields” “I didn’t get that same sense of Tiffany Cherry — cycled 360 kms of Pol Pot’s deadly Khmer Rouge impact in general practice,” A/Prof over 6 days, finishing in Phnom regime, that had the most impact. Karapetis says. Penh. Along the way they raised They were also given a tour of “At the end of each day I feel like I’ve over $51 000 for GI cancer research. the infamous S-21 prison where 205 (10) MJA done something good, made a big “Cambodia is a beautiful country,” almost 18 000 people were tortured difference. That’s very satisfying.” A/Prof Karapetis tells the MJA. “I’d before being killed and dumped in While acknowledging that go back there in a heartbeat, and the killing fields. Only 17 people medical oncology has a high take my family.” survived to walk out of the prison. • emotional impact on himself and A keen cyclist, A/Prof Karapetis “I’ll never forget the man who 2016 21 November his colleagues at the Flinders admits that a cold Melbourne guided us through the prison,” Medical Centre in Adelaide, A/Prof winter meant that he didn’t get in A/Prof Karapetis says. “They don’t Karapetis says that satisfaction and quite as much training as perhaps hold anything back and it was sense of purpose makes the low he should have before such a trek. quite gruesome. Unforgettable, points worthwhile. “Hopefully, this will encourage me which is the point.” “I see people when they’ve already to keep it up and keep improving been diagnosed, even when their my fitness,” he says. “I wanted a Cate Swannell disease is very advanced and all physical challenge, and the ride doi: 10.5694/mja16.2111C1 C1 Careers Around the universities and research institutes Former University 68 high-quality science journals … and The Deputy Head of of Queensland (UQ) provides a close to real-time proxy for high- Burnet Institute’s Centre Parkinson’s researcher quality research output at the institutional, for Biomedical Research, Caroline Barwood has national and regional level”. UQ was the Associate Professor been given a 2-year top-ranked Australian university, coming Heidi Drummer has suspended sentence in at 105 on the Institutions table which been recognised with after being found guilty was topped by the Chinese Academy of the Institute’s Frank of fraud by a Brisbane jury, according to Sciences, with Harvard University second. Fenner Award for Retraction Watch. She was found guilty Monash University came in at 110, ahead her landmark research into hepatitis C. of five of the seven charges laid against of the Australian National University (117), Associate Professor Drummer’s laboratory her. “Earlier this year, Bruce Murdoch, a University of Melbourne (151), University of NSW conducts studies into hepatitis C virus former colleague of Barwood’s at [UQ], (158), University of Sydney (167), University of (HCV) with a special focus on the pleaded guilty to 17 fraud-related charges, WA (288), University of Adelaide (375), Curtin development of a vaccine. To date, no and earned himself the same sentence. In University (428), Macquarie University (476), vaccine exists for HCV, which is estimated Barwood’s week-long trial, the court heard and the University of Wollongong (480). The to chronically infect 3% of the world’s that she was previously in an intimate USA topped the Countries table, ahead of population, causing 350 million deaths relationship with Murdoch. Both left the UQ China, Germany and the UK, with Australia each year. Delivering the 2016 Frank in 2013.” One fraud charge against Barwood 12th. Harvard topped the Academic table, Fenner Lecture, Associate Professor was related to obtaining a scholarship from with UQ (89), Monash (93), ANU (100), Drummer said a vaccine was desperately the Lions Medical Research Foundation. University of Melbourne (130), UNSW needed to work in concert with new direct Earlier in 2016, The Australian reported (136), University of Sydney (143), UWA acting antiviral drugs to achieve HCV that UQ had returned part of a $300 000 (241), Curtin (358), Macquarie (393), UOW elimination. The Frank Fenner Award grant to Barwood from the organisation. (396), University of Tasmania (450), and acknowledges significant contribution to The other charge was a result of including RMIT University (500). On the Life Sciences Burnet’s vision and mission in the areas of her name on two studies without table, UQ was again the top-ranked medical research and public health, and is justification. Barwood, 31, was found to Australian university at 65, with no others in named after the great Australian virologist, have tried to obtain up to $700 000 for the top 100, which was led by Harvard. the late Professor Frank Fenner AC. a 2009 study about Parkinson’s disease that never took place. Two of the three http://www.natureindex.com/annual- https://www.burnet.edu.au/news/741_ prestigious_2016_frank_fenner_award_for_heidi_ charges of attempted fraud included tables/2016 drummer trying to obtain funds by applying to early HIV/AIDS researcher career fellowships. The other was for Associate Professor Diabetes researcher dishonestly trying to earn a travel grant Melissa Churchill and Chief Scientific of $2000 to travel to a conference and has joined RMIT in Officer atBaker IDI present a paper. UQ vice-chancellor and a research-only Heart and Diabetes President Professor Peter Høj said in a professorial position Institute, Professor Mark statement that: “The University has been after 27 years at Cooper, has become complimented for its proactive and open the Burnet Institute, the first Australian to stance on this matter and I’m pleased that most recently as the Head of the HIV receive the prestigious proceedings have now reached an end. Neuropathogenesis Laboratory. During Claude Bernard award UQ has ongoing educational programs her career at Burnet, Associate Professor from the European Association for the to inform researchers of their obligations Churchill has been in various roles, as a Study of Diabetes. The award recognises under University policy and the Australian research assistant, PhD student, junior an individual’s innovative leadership Code for Responsible Conduct of Research fellow, senior fellow, lab co-head and finally and outstanding contributions to the to conduct their research with responsibility lab head. Her research interests have been advancement of knowledge in the field of and integrity, and I am confident that focused around HIV infection of the central diabetes mellitus and related metabolic the vast majority of our researchers take nervous system and its implications for the diseases. In addition to leading a research research integrity very seriously.” development of HIV-associated dementia, group at Baker IDI in the field of diabetic complications, Professor Cooper heads the http://retractionwatch.com/2016/10/25/ as well as latent CNS viral infection.