Burnet Institute Principal Research Fellow and Co-Head of the Global Women's and Newborn's Health Group, Associate Professor Joshua Vogel, has been acknowledged for his leadership and excellence in research with two prestigious awards at the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Research Excellence Awards Dinner in Canberra.
Associate Professor Vogel was presented with the 2020 NHMRC Peter Doherty Investigator Grant Award (Emerging Leadership), and the 2021 Commonwealth Health Minister's Award for Excellence in Health and Medical Research, valued at $50,000.
The awards are given annually to the top-ranked recipient of NHMRC Investigator Grants in the Emerging Leadership category following peer review of applications.
Associate Professor Vogel's Investigator Grant will support his team's research work to improve health outcomes of preterm newborns in low- and middle-income countries.
The research aims to determine whether medicines such as steroid injections to develop the baby's lungs, and tocolytics - drugs to slow down or stop labour - can improve survival rates of preterm babies.
Preterm births affect 15 million babies each year and are the leading cause of death globally in children aged under five.
"There's never been a more important time to focus on how to improve health for pregnant women and newborns," Associate Professor Vogel said.
"While the world has been dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, it's come at the cost of essential health services for many women and newborns worldwide.
"My NHMRC-supported research program is focused on how we can improve survival for women and newborns experiencing preterm birth, particularly in low-resource settings where health services are often very scarce."
Associate Professor Vogel paid tribute to the support he's received from Burnet Institute Director and CEO, Professor Brendan Crabb, and Co-Head of the Global Women's and Newborn's Health Group, Professor Caroline Homer.
"Burnet is conducting cutting-edge research in global and public health, and I'm grateful to be working in such an exciting environment," Associate Professor Vogel said.
"I would also like to acknowledge and thank Professor Anne Kelso and the NHMRC.
"This is a very important program in developing Australia's emerging and early career researchers and I'm deeply grateful."
