Congratulations to Dr Stanley Tay, this year's winner of the Austin Research Prize in Surgery & Anaesthesia for his research entitled “SAVE Study: Reduced volatile agent usage following introduction of Et-control system”.
Who we are
The University of Melbourne Department of Surgery based at the Austin combines clinical and biomedical research in the areas of cancer, transplantation, spinal biology and surgery. Our location and expertise provides the ideal opportunity to achieve our long term vision of translation of basic science discoveries into clinical practice.
Meet our students
Shir Lin Koh
Shir Lin completed Bachelor of Biomedical Science, majoring in Molecular Biology of the Cell in Health and Diseases. In her PhD course, she will be investigating 'The Effects of the Renin-Angiotensin System (RAS) Blockade in Liver Regeneration and Colorectal Cancer Liver Metastases' under the supervision of Prof Christopher Christophi, together with the Liver Regeneration and RAS project team. Her research is supported by The University of Melbourne as well as Australian Rotary Health higher degree scholarships. Her passion is to help address major health-related issues, especially in the area of cancer research, together with the others involved in health research. Shir Lin was involved in organizing the student symposium for the Australian Society for Medical Research 2011. Shir Lin also enjoys singing and was a vocalist with a Christian music band.
Shuwen Wen
Shuwen Wen completed a Bachelor of Biomedical Science, majoring in Immunology/Microbiology. She then completed a Bachelor of Science (Hons) at the Department of Surgery under the supervision of Professor Christopher Christophi and continued on with the group for her PhD. She is investigating the interaction between the renin-angiotensin system and macrophages in colorectal liver metastases. She is interested in tennis, photography and travelling. In 2011 she had the opportunity to travel to Miami for a conference and will also be visiting Dublin in 2012. Following her PhD, Shuwen would like to continue with medical research overseas where she can combine her love of science and travel.
Linh Nguyen
Linh Nguyen completed her Bachelor of Science, majoring in Pathology and Microbiology. She is investigating the 'effects of Vascular Disrupting Agent (VDA), OXi4503 on colorectal liver metastasis' under the supervision of Professor Christopher Christophi. She is interested in continuing with her project upon completion of her PhD to efficiently combine OXi4503 with other treatment modalities to achieve improved treatment outcomes. Linh also enjoys singing and dancing. In her spare time she attends Latin dancing classes at the Cuban Dance Academy.
David Westwood
David completed a Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree in Molecular Biology before studying Medicine at University College London. He has taken time-out of General Surgery training in New Zealand to undertake research investigating the role of gastrin in colorectal cancer development under the supervision of Prof Graham Baldwin
Jurstine Daruwalla
Jurstine Daruwalla completed her Honours project with the Department of Surgery in 2003 on “The effect of thalidomide on colorectal liver metastases” for which she was awarded H1 and received a Deans Honours List Award. She continued on to a PhD with us on “Selective drug therapy in colorectal cancer liver metastases” and her thesis has been nominated for the Vice Chancellors Prize an award. Jurstine completed the graduate medicine course at the University of Melbourne in 2010. She has enjoyed her intern year at the Alfred Hospital and she hopes to continue her interest in trauma surgery. Jurstine also is active in community service with her involvement in mentoring refugee migrants. She has visited and worked in trauma in South Africa, which along with climbing Mount Kilimanjaro has made a lasting impression.
Kevin Liu
Kevin Liu completed his Bachelor of Medicine in 2004. Since 2008, he is studying “Interaction between p21-activited kinase 1 and β-catenin” under the supervision of Prof Graham Baldwin, and the team. His project is aiming to give a better understanding of signaling pathways involved in colorectal caner and identify new therapeutic targets for clinic treatments. Kevin is a member of Australian Chinese Association for Biomedical Science. He is also a competitive badminton player and he enjoys hanging out with friends after a good game.






