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Significant funding for career development

21 November 2014

Significant funding for career development

Research into pancreatic diabetes was boosted with the award of a prestigious Sir Charles Hercus Health Research Fellowship to the University of Auckland’s Dr Max Petrov this week.

Dr Petrov is a researcher and senior lecturer in the department of Surgery at the University.

The four-year $500,000 Fellowship was awarded by the Health Research Council of New Zealand (HRC) as part of its 2015 Career Development Awards programme.

The Council awarded more than $1.2 million to University of Auckland research projects in this category.

Dr Petrov’s research will provide new insights into pancreatogenic diabetes – a secondary form of diabetes that is believed to account for at least 10 percent of diabetes in the western population.

He will carry out prospective clinical studies to investigate changes in the hormones that regulate blood glucose in people who have been newly diagnosed with diabetes following hospitalisation for acute inflammation of the pancreas.

The HRC has awarded a total of $6.25 million in Career Development Awards for its 2015 annual funding round, including $2.2 million for Māori health research and $1.3 million for Pacific health research.

The University of Auckland also received funding for four Research Training Fellowships for 2015 as part of the HRC’s commitment to supporting front-line clinicians.

One of the recipients of this Fellowship was Dr Melanie Lauti who will carry out a study to improve patient outcomes after bariatric surgery for obesity and its related illnesses.

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“As bariatric surgery is a relatively new speciality, the outcomes after surgery are not as good as they could be,” says Dr Lauti. “Counties Manukau District Health Board have the largest cohort of bariatric patients in New Zealand and have shown good weight loss after surgery, but a tendency for weight regain after one year.”

“This study aims to improve outcomes for patients after bariatric surgery by creating an evidence-based care pathway,” she says. “The randomised trial will answer whether a carefully designed care pathway that’s acceptable to patients and providers, and sustainable within the public health system, can reduce weight regain following bariatric surgery.”

The following are the University of Auckland projects funded by the HRC as part of its Career Development Awards programme for 2015:

Dr Maxim Petrov, (Surgery)
Sir Charles Hercus Health Research Fellowship
New insights into pancreatogenic diabetes
48 months, $500,000

Dr Alistair Escott, (Surgery)
Clinical Research Training Fellowship
Towards the treatment of toxic thoracic lymph in critical illness
36 months, $250,000

Dr Ryan Gao, (Surgery)
Clinical Research Training Fellowship
In vitro and in vivo evaluation of bone graft substitutes for bone healing
24 months, $167,000

Dr John Hsiang, (Medicine)
Clinical Research Training Fellowship
Hepatitis B, diabetes and outcomes
24 months, $167,000

Dr Melanie Lauti, (Surgery)
Clinical Research Training Fellowship
Better outcomes after bariatric surgery: The BOBS study
24 months, $167,000

ENDS

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