Dr Virginie Lam.

Adding to an already stellar list of early career achievements, Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute (CHIRI) Post-Doctoral Research Fellow Dr Virginie Lam has outdone herself again, this time by securing a sought-after National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Early Career Fellowship.

Virginie will receive an NHMRC Peter Doherty Australian Biomedical Fellowship of $327,192 over the next four years for her research project titled ‘Postprandial lipoprotein metabolism, cerebral capillaries and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) risk’.

In line with CHIRI’s research focus on diseases that commonly occur in older age, Virginie’s project is looking for potential causes of AD originating beyond the brain, and the effect of peripheral factors such as dietary intake of particular fats on the development of the disease.

“Attracting funding support for research is highly competitive these days and I feel very privileged to be a recipient of an NHMRC Fellowship,” Virginie said.

“The funding will give me the opportunity to continue to work in a multi-disciplinary team under the mentorship of my CHIRI colleagues, Professor John Mamo and Associate Professor Ryu Takechi, over the next four years, to take what is a paradigm-shifting research project to its full capacity.”

The Australian Government recently announced $192 million in NHMRC funding for new medical research projects aimed at finding solutions to a wide range of health challenges affecting Australian patients.

The purpose of NHMRC Early Career Fellowships is to provide opportunities for Australian researchers to undertake research that is both of major importance in its field and of benefit to Australian health.

“Over 50 million people are living with dementia worldwide. That number is expected to triple in the next few decades and there is currently no known cure,” Virginie said.

“It’s my hope our research project will identify some major modifiable risk factors of Alzheimer’s Disease and reduce the global and growing burden of the disease.”

Virginie’s application for NHMRC funding was assessed not only on individual performance but also on her impact on the broader scientific community through contributions including student supervision, participation in conferences, publishing of research papers; recognition of her work, volunteering and her ability to translate her research to the community.

Her advice to other early career researchers? “Keep asking the bigger questions and don’t be afraid to explore the unexplored,” Virginie said. “Pursuing collaborations with like-minded people is a great way to further your research and broaden your knowledge.”

Great advice Virginie. Congratulations on another well-deserved achievement.

More information, including a link to a full list of NHMRC-funded projects for 2018, is at https://buff.ly/2Puk38S.