Professor Jennifer Stow Archives

Today is International Day of Women and Girls in Science, a day to recognise the inspirational women who are achieving incredible feats, many of which we already benefit from. From our world-class Medical Research Advisory Committee (MRAC) we would like to recognise the following women who have dedicated their careers to advancing cancer research.

Professor Michelle Haber AM, BSc (Psych) (Hons), PhD, Hon DSc UNSW: Professor Haber was appointed to the MRAC in 2012. She is the Executive Director of the Children’s Cancer Institute Australia in Sydney. Additionally she is the Conjoint Professor at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of NSW.

Professor Jennifer Stow, BSc (Hons), PhD: Professor Stow was appointed to the MRAC in 2009. She is an NHMRC Principal Research Fellow and the Deputy Director for Research and Group Leader at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience located in the University of Queensland.

Associate Professor Connie Trimble, MD: Professor Trimble was appointed to the MRAC in 2014 and is one of the first international members of our committee. Professor Trimble is the Associate Professor of Gynecology, Obstetrics and Oncology at John Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, USA. She is also a Diplomat of the American Board of Pathology and the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology as well as a Fellow of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Professor Emma Whitelaw: Professor Whitelaw was appointed to the MRAC in 2012. She is an NHMRC Australia Fellow as well as the Director of the La Trobe Institute of Molecular Sciences.

Each of these women have done amazing work with the ACRF and is an inspiration to young women looking for mentors in leading roles. We’re extremely proud to work with these women on a regular basis and thank them all very much for their dedication to cancer research in Australia.

At a recent board meeting of the Australian Cancer Research Foundation (ACRF) both Professor Jennifer L. Stow and Professor Georgia Chenevix-Trench were confirmed as new members of the organization’s Medical Research Advisory Committee (MRAC).

Both said they were “honoured’’ by the announcement and agreed there was not a high proportion of women in the top echelons of the scientific medical community.

“Professor Stow and I have both received great support over the years from the ACRF.” Professor Chenevix-Trench said. We know of each other from our work in Queensland but we will not have worked so closely together before. There are some very impressive scientists on the MRAC. It is great there are actually two of us involved on the committee and not just the regulation one woman’’ she added.

Since being formed by the late Sir Peter Abeles in 1987 the ACRF has provided more than $55 million in grants to Australian cancer research institutes. Last year the Foundation received 15 applications for more than $50 million to fund outstanding projects. Both women said they had decided to join the team at the ACRF because they had “seen first hand the great work” of the organization.

Continue reading “Queensland takes the lead on cancer research”