Early/ Mid Career Research Collective
About
The aims, goals and future directions of the Collective are determined by members. CRE WHiRL senior researchers provide mentorship and support. The Collective has grown to a network of over 50 members globally and provides opportunities for capacity building and participation in regular events such as leadership workshops.
The Collective also facilitates successful research collaboration among its members. The next major event is a face to face event which will include poster presentations and award, a mentoring session and other fun activities, coinciding with the CRE WHiRL annual meeting in 2023. If you are interested to join this fantastic Collective, please contact Dr Chau Thien Tay (Jillian).
Mentors
Associate Professor Jacqueline Boyle
Assoc Prof Boyle's:
Research profile - Monash University
Publications list on Google Scholar
Chairs
Chau Thien Tay (Jillian)
- Role: Chair
- Position: Research Fellow
- Organisation: Monash Centre for Health Research and Implementation, Monash University, VIC
Dr Chau Thien (Jillian) Tay is an endocrinologist and clinical academic. After obtaining her medical degree at the University of Tasmania, she completed her RACP Basic and Advanced Physician Training in Endocrinology rotating through Flinders Medical Centre, Lyell McEwin Hospital and Monash Health. Jillian attained her PhD from Monash University in 2021 and has since continued to pursue her research interest in polycystic ovary syndrome.
Jillian has received several prestigious awards including the Outstanding Abstract Awards from the Endocrine Society Annual Meeting in 2020, the AHRA Women's Health Research and Translation Network Early and Mid-Career Researcher Funded Award in 2021, and the Roger Bartop Research Establishment Fellowship from RACP in 2022.
She also holds several leadership roles including the Chair of the international Androgen Excess and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Society (AEPCOS) Early Career Special Interest Group, Chair of the national Centre of Research Excellence in Women's Health in Reproductive Life (CRE WHiRL) Early to Mid-Career Researcher Collective, Co-editor of the AEPCOS newsletter and a member of the CRE WHiRL's Training and Mentoring Committee.
Valentina Rodriguez Paris
- Role: Co-Chair
- Position: Research Fellow
- Organisation: School of Women’s and Children’s Health, University of New South Wales, NSW
Dr. Valentina Rodriguez Paris is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the School of Medical Sciences, at UNSW Sydney. She received a Master’s in Clinical Embryology from Monash University in 2015 and was awarded her PhD in July 2020 from UNSW Sydney.
Dr. Rodriguez Paris PhD research focused on the development of novel non-invasive treatments for PCOS through dietary interventions and her first post-doctoral research position focused on pharmacological interventions for PCOS as well as the role of androgens in the development of PCOS.
In February 2022, Dr Rodriguez Paris started her second postdoctoral position where she will investigate roles for intracellular calcium signalling in adult stem cell biology, with a particular focus on the mammary gland and mammalian reproduction.
Aya Mousa
- Role: Co-Chair
- Position: Research Fellow
- Organisation: Monash Centre for Health Research and Implementation, Monash University, VIC
Dr Aya Mousa is an NHMRC biomedical research fellow and the Head of Diabetes, Metabolic and Reproductive Health research at the Monash Centre for Health Research and Implementation (MCHRI), Monash University.
She has published extensively in the areas of metabolism, diabetes, pregnancy and nutrition, and possesses a unique skillset spanning across the research continuum from mechanistic and epidemiological research to clinical and public health research and translation. Her work has been recognised with multiple awards including the Henry Krum Prize for Clinical Sciences, the Monash Health First Prize Endocrinology Clinical Research Award, and being nominated for the Victorian Premier's Award for Health and Medical Research.
Dr Mousa’s team focuses on women’s cardiometabolic health and the cross-talk between metabolic and reproductive disorders, including testing novel interventions and uncovering key mechanisms using a combination of physiological, epidemiological and clinical research approaches to deliver high-quality research outcomes with real-world impact.
Secretaries
Alba Moreno Asso
- Role: Secretary
- Position: Research Fellow
- Organisation: Institute for Health and Sport, Victoria University, VIC
Dr Alba Moreno Asso is a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Health and Sport (IHES) at Victoria University, and a member of the Australian Institute of Musculoskeletal Science (AIMSS). She obtained her PhD in Biomedicine from the University of Barcelona, Spain.
Her current research focuses on the molecular mechanisms regulating insulin resistance in women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, and the associated epigenetic and transcriptomic signatures. She's also exploring the clinical and molecular adaptations to exercise training in these women as part of a multi-site clinical trial funded by NHMRC Project Grant (2019-2022).
Alba also maintains domestic and international collaborations with research leaders from several universities and research institutions including The University of Adelaide, ACU, Monash University and the University of Copenhagen.
Helena Neven
- Role: Secretary
- Position: PhD student
- Organisation: Monash Centre for Health Research and Implementation, Monash University, VIC
Helena Neven is a medical doctor, trained at Erasmus University, the Netherlands. After working in Obstetrics and Gynaecology for two years she commenced her PhD at Monash University, Melbourne.
Her research focuses on Reproductive and Metabolic Health in women with insulin-resistant related conditions: PCOS, diabetes and obesity. She looks forward to working together with all CRE WHiRL EMCR members to learn, collaborate and share knowledge and experience.
Vibhuti Rao
- Role: Social media liason
- Position: PhD student
- Organisation: NICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, NSW
Vibhuti Rao is a qualified Ayurvedic medicine (Traditional Indian Medicine) doctor, public health professional and a trained yoga therapist working in the health field for the last 15 years.
She has two masters’ degrees, in Yoga therapy from India and Public Health from UNSW, Australia. Her previous published projects include; 12 weeks of yoga in PCOS amongst Indian women and Indian migrant women's experiences of motherhood and postnatal support in Australia.
Her PhD is focused on presenting a standard AY lifestyle program and assess its feasibility, acceptability, and safety in ethnic Indian women with PCOS who are overweight/obese.
Events
- Member meeting 2022- 1 March, 5 July, 1st November 2022
- MTP 2022 - 5th April, August, December (dates to be confirmed with speakers' availability
- Annual meeting - Monday 11 September and Tuesday 12 September 2023