University of Adelaide researchers win Fulbright scholarships

Tuesday, 27 February 2018

Two of the University of Adelaide’s brightest young researchers have today been awarded Fulbright Scholarships to continue their research in the US.

Early career researchers Dr Sean Martin and Dr Giri Krishnan will, respectively, head west to New England Research Institutes (Boston) in 2018 and The Rosenthal Laboratory at Stanford University (Palo Alto, California) in 2019.

Dr Martin is a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Early Career Research Fellow, based in the University of Adelaide’s Freemason Foundation Centre for Men’s Heath. His current research interests centre on how urological symptoms relate to other chronic diseases.

Dr Martin says: “Most think that urological symptoms are an inevitable consequence of ageing. Our earlier work identified a range of health-related factors outside of the bladder that can lead to these conditions, and help improve their treatment. My research in the US will extend this work to examine things like neighbourhood influences, healthcare access and cultural groups on the presentation and treatment of these troubling symptoms.”

The New England Research Institutes is world-renowned for their work in health disparities. This project will also involve collaboration with researchers from Harvard and Massachusetts General Hospital.

Dr Krishnan is an ear, nose and throat, head and neck surgical trainee. He completed his medical degree at the University of Adelaide in 2013 and a Master of Clinical Science (Joanna Briggs Institute, 2017). He is currently undertaking a PhD at the University of Adelaide, as part of a surgeon-scientist training program, investigating the application of novel nanoparticles to advance diagnosis and treatment of patients with head and neck cancer.

“At the Rosenthal Laboratory I will be using advanced magnetic nanotracers to detect the spread of microscopic cancer from tumours in the mouth to lymph nodes in the neck,” says Dr Krishnan.

“Oral cancer is common in developing nations and low socio-economic areas where there are high rates of smoking and alcohol use. It contributes a significant public health burden because of its aggressive nature and its associated poor patient survival outcomes.”

Dr Martin and Dr Krishnan will attend the 2018 Fulbright gala presentation dinner at Parliament House in Canberra on 27 February.

The Fulbright Program is the flagship foreign exchange scholarship program of the US, aimed at increasing binational collaboration, cultural understanding, and the exchange of ideas.

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