Three senior clinical research fellows have been appointed as part of an exciting initiative between the University of Sydney and NSLHD to drive activity and build crucial research capability.
The group includes audiologist Dr Jacob Pogson, cardiologist Dr Avedis Ekmejian, and physiotherapist Dr Sally Wootton.
Northern Sydney (Arabanoo) Precinct, Academic Director Professor James Elliott said the initiative builds a better research culture, while boosting collaboration and strengthening the alliance between NSLHD and the University of Sydney.
“By working together, we can build trust and deliver research that truly impacts patient care. We are so proud to support this program,” he said.
Dr Jacob Pogson is a neuro-otology clinician-scientist at Royal North Shore Hospital and the Kolling Institute, with over 15 years’ experience in vestibular neurosciences and audiology syndromes.
He said a multisensory system is naturally multidisciplinary, and the fellowship will allow him to work with neurogeneticists, neuroscientists, and bioinformaticians in the Kolling’s Meniere’s Disease Neuroscience Laboratory.
“It’s an exciting time for neuro-otology and especially in Meniere’s Disease, because genetic work over the past 15–20 years is revolutionising our understanding of genes and the immune system within the inner ear,” he said.
“This scientific work is starting to influence clinical management, but there is still so much that we don’t understand, which will be necessary to implement better diagnostic criteria and personalised medicine.
“This fellowship will provide me with invaluable protected time from full-time clinical duties for current projects, as well as medium to longer term scientific goals.”
Dr Avedis Ekmejian is an interventional cardiologist and clinician-scientist at Royal North Shore Hospital and the Kolling Institute. His research focuses on coronary disease, intravascular imaging, and computational modelling.
“I have always tried to improve the prognostic utility of the tools we use in cardiology, and this takes dedicated research, from the benchtop all the way to clinical trials,” he said.
“I believe it is becoming increasingly important to collaborate to strengthen the power of your research.
“This fellowship has come at a pivotal time for me, as I transition to the next stage of my research career. With the experience I have gained, I now feel ready to lead trials, supervise junior researchers, and make a real change in cardiology.
“This unique collaboration between NSLHD and the University of Sydney provides the mentorship opportunities, resources, and camaraderie to ensure you have the support you need to succeed.”
Dr Sally Wootton is a specialist physiotherapist who leads pulmonary rehabilitation programs across five sites. Her work focuses on digital rehabilitation models and pre-operative exercise programs for lung cancer patients.
She said it’s really hard to run successful research whilst in a clinical role as you’re always getting pulled in different directions.
“I’m currently involved in two clinical trials: implementing a digital model of care in clinical practice and implementing a pre-operative exercise training program for people waiting for lung surgery,” she said.
“The fellowship role will allow me to spend dedicated time on both projects to ensure successful completion, whilst also giving me time to plan the next steps and apply for larger grant opportunities to scale and spread our work.”
Funding for the roles has been jointly provided by the University of Sydney and NSLHD.
