Monash Neuroscience and Mental Health Network Newsletter
Welcome to Newsletter #5 from the Monash Neuroscience and Mental Health
Network. If you have any additions for the newsletter please ensure they are emailed
to kylie.thoroughgood@med.monash.edu.au by 5pm each Friday.
Seminars and Events
LaTrobe University Seminar
Dr Susan Leekam – Director of the Child Development Research Unit at Durham
University will be presenting
Thursday 20th December at 4pm
“Social Attention in Autism”
Seminar Hall
Michael J Osborne Centre – Institute for Advanced Study (Melways Map 573, F1)
Autism is a complex developmental disorder that affects around 1% of the
population. In recent years, research has changed our thinking about the
identification and management of this childhood disorder, with greater emphasis now
given to the view that autism is not a single disorder but a spectrum of impairments
that develop across time. One developmentally early marker of autism is a lack of
attention sharing with other people as shown through impairments in gaze following
and pointing. In the seminar Dr Leekman will discuss the evidence for early low-level
attentional orienting difficulties in autism and argue that these dofficulties may have
profound impact on the development of symbolic abilities, language acquisition and
higher-level information processing. Although more able older children and adults
may apparently overcome their social attention difficulties with age, evidence from
eye tracking studies show that subtle differences in the visual processing of social
information may still remain.
For more information contact Julia Anderson (9479 3461 /
j.anderson@latrobe.edu.au)
Conferences
2nd Annual International Brian Conference
The 2nd Annual International Brain Conference is taking place Friday 25th January Sunday 27th January 2008 in Orlando, Florida.
For more information: http://www.research.ucf.edu/flyers/brainsavethedate.html
Australian Neuroscience Society
The Australian Neuroscience Society’s 28th Annual Meeting will be held Sunday 27th
– Wednesday 30th January 2008 at the Hotel Grand Chancellor, Hobart, Tasmania.
Plenary speakers are Carla Shatz, Phil Robinson, Mac Christie and Gary Egan.
For more information, including a copy of the conference brochure go to:
http://www.sallyjayconferences.com.au/ans2008
3rd International Congress on Women’s Mental Health
The 3rd International Congress on Women’s Mental Health will be held Sunday 16th
March – Wednesday 20th March 2008 at the Melbourne Convention Centre,
Melbourne. Online registration is now available with early bird closing Friday 14th
December 2007.
For more information visit: www.iawmhcongress2008.com.au
Reconnexion 3rd Biennial Conference on Anxiety and Depression
The Reconnexion 3rd Biennial Conference on Anxiety and Depression “diverse
pathways to effective treatment” will be held Thursday 3rd and Friday 4th April 2008 at
the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre, Melbourne.
The conference will focus on best practice treatment options for people experiencing
anxiety disorders or depression. A wide range of speakers will provide information,
research and practical strategies for working with people with anxiety and
depression.
For more information visit: www.reconnexion.org.au/main/news.htm
Australian Society for the Study of Brain Impairment
The 31st Annual Brian Impairment Conference “Brain Impairment and Ageing” will be
held Thursday 1st May – Saturday 3rd May 2008 at Hilton the Park, Melbourne.
For more information visit: http://www.assbi.com/
The Truth About Violence Against Women Conference 2008
The Truth About Violence Against Women Conference will be held Wednesday 4th
June – Friday 6th June at the Citigate Hotel, The Haymarket – Sydney.
For more information visit:
www.womenanddepression.herwill.net/modules/wfchannel/
Baker Heart Research Institute Heart and Mind Conference “Psychogenic
cardiovascular disease”
The Baker Heart Research Institute Heart and Mind Conference will be held
Wednesday 3rd September – Friday 5th September, 2008 at the Monash University
Prato Centre, Italy.
The conference will have as its centrepoint the link between psychological medicine
and cardiovascular disease, aiming to delineate the relationship between stress,
psychiatric illnesses and the development and course of heart disease and
hypertension. It will showcase the crucial epidemiology, the mediating neural and
other mechanisms, and the social and psychological measures applicable to
prevention and treatment. There will be invited addresses by international leaders in
the field. The target audience will be general practitioners, cardiologists,
psychiatrists, psychologists, epidemiologists and social scientists.
For more information visit: http://www.heartandmind.prato2008.com/
Other Events and Areas of Interest
Australian Postgraduate Neuropathology Course
The Australian Postgraduate Neuropathology course is taking place Thursday 17th
January – Saturday 19th January, 2008 at the University of Sydney.
The course will consist of lectures on trauma to the central nervous system (CNS),
diseases of nerve and muscle, neurodegenerative diseases, CNS tumours and
current research in neuropathology. The course also involves slide sessions, brain
dissections and CPCs. The cost of the course is $990 and numbers are limited to 36.
For more information go to:
http://www.pathology.usyd.edu.au/Neuropathology_Courses/Neuropath_Index.html
Australian Course in Advanced Neuroscience – Applications close TODAY!!
The Australian Course in Advanced Neuroscience (ACAN) is Australia’s answer to
the legendary neuroscience training programs held in Woods Hole and Cold Springs
Harbor in the United States. Leading Australian and overseas scientists work with
small groups of young neuroscientists to provide rigorous training in the theory and
practice of cellular neuroscience.
ACAN 2008 will be held from Sunday 20th April – Saturday 10th May at North
Stradbroke Island in Queensland.
Applications close Monday 10th December.
To apply, you must:
- be a PhD student in your second year or above by April 2008, or
- be a Postdoctoral Fellow, preferably no more than 5 years after completing
your PhD
- preferably be a full time resident of Australia or New Zealand, but a small
number of applicants from other countries may be accepted.
For more information, including the course program and application requirements,
please go to: http://acan.jcs.anu.edu.au/
Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Mapping Project – Please return
forms by Wednesday!!
The Monash Neuroscience and Mental Health Network is undertaking a project to
identify what research is being undertaken across Monash University in the areas of
Neuroscience and Mental Health. The aim is to collate this information and make it
accessible to all personnel throughout the University by way of a website. Information
is sought from all personnel working in these fields, and this can be done by
completing the attached form and sending it back to Kylie Thoroughgood by
Wednesday 12th December. Email to kylie.thoroughgood@med.monash.edu.au.
Fax to 9594 5662 or Mail to Monash Neuroscience and Mental Health Network, Block
E Level 5, Monash Medical Centre, 246 Clayton Road, Clayton 3168.
Funding Opportunities
Monash Neuroscience and Mental Health Network Scholarships to attend
Australian Course in Advanced Neuroscience
The Monash Neuroscience and Mental Health Network is offering two scholarships to
the value of $2000 each to Monash PhD students or Postdoctoral Fellows who are
accepted to attend the 2008 ACAN course. The total cost of the 3 week course is
$3000 (which includes accommodation, meals, tuition and laboratory work).
Application details can be found at this site: http://acan.jcs.anu.edu.au/reg.html.
Only 12 positions are available! Successful applicants should contact Kylie
Thoroughgood from The Network as soon as they are notified of their acceptance by
ACAN.
Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) Research Grants and Development
Grants
MDA supports research aimed at developing treatments for the muscular dystrophies
and related diseases of the neuromuscular system. These are the muscular
dystrophies (among which are Duchenne and Becker); motor neuron diseases
(including ALS and SMA); the peripheral nerve disorders (CMT and Friedreich's
ataxia); inflammatory myopathies; disorders of the neuromuscular junction; metabolic
diseases of muscle as well as other myopathies.
Research Grants
To be eligible to apply for an MDA research grant, an applicant must:
1. Hold a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Doctor of
Science (D.Sc.) or equivalent degree (i.e. D.O.);
2. Be a professional or faculty member (Professor, Associate Professor or
Assistant Professor) at an appropriate educational, medical or research
institution;
3. Be qualified to conduct and mentor a program of original research within their
own laboratory;
4. Assume both administrative and financial responsibility for the grant; and
5. Have access to institutional resources necessary to conduct the proposed
research project.
Funding levels for these grants are unlimited.
Development Grants
MDA will consider an application for a research grant from a candidate who may be a
member of a research team in the laboratory of an independent investigator
(Principal Investigator) under whose guidance the applicant will be given flexibility to
conduct a neuromuscular disease research project.
To be eligible for a Development Grant, an applicant must:
1. Hold a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Doctor of
Science (D.Sc.) or equivalent degree (i.e. D.O.);
2. Be a member of a research team at an appropriate institution;
3. Be qualified to conduct a program of original research under the supervision
of a Principal Investigator;
4. Have an acceptable research plan for a specific disease in MDA's program;
5. Have access to institutional resources necessary to conduct the proposed
research project; and
6. Have eighteen (18) months of post-doctoral research laboratory training at the
time of application.
Funding is a maximum of $45,000 per year.
Deadline for Request for Grant Application is December 15th. For more information:
http://www.mdausa.org/research/guidelines.html#researchGrant
Joining The Network Mailing List
Do you know someone who would benefit from being on the Monash Neuroscience
and Mental Health Network mailing list? Contact Kylie Thoroughgood on 9594 5625
or email kylie.thoroughgood@med.monash.edu.au.