Bulletin 21.04.08

1. Message from President
2. ASPR Committee Contacts
3. ASPR Matters
4. Conferences and Related
5. Scholarships
6. Positions Available

________________________________________

1. Message From President

There are a number of things preoccupying the Executive at present. The first pertains to issues that flow from ASPR taking over responsibility for the Newcastle conference, e.g.,  insurance  and ‘legal’ responsibilities. The second is the reworking of the current ASPR organisation and conference manuals. The third and final issue is the renegotiation of prize money. Trevor Norman and I will be doing this over the next 2-3 weeks.
All the best
Henry Jackson  

2. ASPR Committee Contacts

Henry Jackson (President)                    henryjj@unimelb.edu.au
Trevor Norman (Secretary)                  trevorrn@unimelb.edu.au
Andrew Mackinnon (Treasurer)            Andrew.Mackinnon@anu.edu.au

ACT:  Dr Peter Butterworth                  Peter.Butterworth@anu.edu.au
NSW: Dr Helen Stain                           Helen.Stain@newcastle.edu.au
NZ:    Dr Caroline Bell                          caroline.bell@chmeds.ac.nz
QLD: Dr Geoff Waghorn                      geoff_waghorn@qcmhr.uq.edu.au
SA:    Prof Cherrie Galletly                   cherrie@drgalletly.com
VIC:   Prof Graham Burrows                gdb@unimelb.edu.au
WA:  Giulietta Valuri                             giulietta.valuri@uwa.edu.au
TAS:  NIL
Clair Kelly (coopted)                            ckel@unimelb.edu.au
Brian Dean (coopted)                           bdean_mhri@iprimus.com.au  
Elizabeth Scarr (coopted)                     elscarr@unimelb.edu.au
Eoin Killackey (coopted)                      eoin@unimelb.edu.au
Amanda Baker (2008 Conference Organiser)  amanda.baker@newcastle.edu.au

3. ASPR Matters

4. Conferences And Related

ASPR CONFERENCE
2- 5 December 2008
Newcastle, NSW, Australia

 The annual ASPR conference is being held in Newcastle, NSW, Australia from the 2 – 5 December planning is underway to bring you an exciting, varied and innovative program.

IMPORTANT DATES:

Early April:          Call for Abstracts Open, Registration open

7 August :             Close of Abstract Submission

13 August:            Early Bird Deadline for Registration Closes

For more information, log onto the conference website at:  www.willorganise.com.au/aspr2008
Or contact the conference secretariat for more information (details below).

ASPR Conference Secretariat
PO Box 180
Morisset NSW 2264
Tel:  02 4973 6573
Fax:  02 4973 6609
Email:  aspr2008@willorganise.com.au

10th Biennial Australasian Schizophrenia Conference
Recovery in Schizophrenia - The Great Open Road,
October 23-24 2008, Lorne

The Australasian Schizophrenia Conference promises an enlightening programme of international and local speakers presenting the latest research in a variety of areas including cognition, neurodevelopment, neuroscience, psychosocial treatments, drug therapies and epidemiology.

Abstracts from all fields of schizophrenia research are welcome.  Fellow professionals in all health streams, consumers and carers are welcome and encouraged to attend this important and exciting conference to foster further international collaboration and reform. We look forward to you joining us in the picturesque Victorian coastal town of Lorne for a conference which promises to open the road towards recovery in schizophrenia.

KEY DATES

• Registration Open                               30 April 2008
• Early Bird Registration Close             20 August 2008
• Call for Abstracts Open                      30 April 2008
• Call for Abstracts Close                      30 June 2008

Venue          Mantra Erskine Beach Resort, Lorne Victoria
Date             22 to 23 Oct 2008
Email            info@asc08.com
Website       www.iepa2008.com/RelatedMeetings.html
Tel:               (03) 9682 0500

6th International Conference on Early Psychosis
Early Intervention – The Next Wave
October 23-24 2008, Melbourne

In 2008 national and international speakers will come together to:

• Highlight the latest progress in research and clinical care in early psychosis
• Focus on linkages across diagnostic groups in early intervention
• Consider the relationships between different stages of illness
• Promote further international collaboration and reform

Under the leadership of Professor Patrick McGorry, a scientific programme is being developed by leading mental health experts from around the world to ensure the content is stimulating, groundbreaking and highly educational.

KEY DATES

• Abstract Submissions Close       25 April 2008
• Notification to Abstract Authors   16 June 2008
• Early Bird Registration Open       January 2008
• Early Bird Registrations Close    11 July 2008

 Venue          Melbourne Convention Centre (Crn of Spencer St and Flinders St)
Date             20 to 22 October 2008
Email            info@iepa2008.com
Website       www.iepa2008.com
Tel:               (03) 9682 0500

One day workshop ~ 19 May 2008
Montessori Based Activities for People with Dementia
Speaker: Dr Cameron Camp
International speaker from the Myers Research Centre, USA

The Diversional Therapy Association of New South Wales is proud to host this exciting new workshop in Australia with Dr Cameron Camp from the USA.

Montessori-Based Dementia Programming® (MBDP) is an innovative method of working with older adults living with cognitive and/or physical impairments based on the Montessori method and philosophy. MBDP has been researched for over ten years by Dr. Cameron Camp and the staff of Myers Research Institute, and
has been shown to increase levels of engagement and participation
in activities of persons with dementia.

Participants in this course will learn the basic principles of MBDP, along with how to adapt this programming to fit the needs of their clients and organisation. An introduction to the Montessori approach will be provided and the practical applications explored.

Venue: Wesley Conference Centre, 220 Pitt St Sydney

Times: 8.30am registration; 9am start; 4pm close

Registration Form ~ Please return to: DTA NSW PO Box 83 North Ryde NSW 1670

Name: ___________________________________________________________ .. Receipt required in this name
Organisation: _____________________________________________________ .. Receipt required in this name
Postal Address: ________________________________________________ State: ________ Postcode: ________
Phone: (_____) _________________________ Email: _______________________________
I require (please tick): (All prices inclusive of GST)

..DTA member $150.00 one day workshop (# __________________)
.. Non member $175.00 one day workshop
The workshop fee includes attendance at the workshop, handout, morning/afternoon tea and lunch

.. I wish to pay via direct deposit to The Diversional Therapy Association of NSW
BSB: 062 281 Account No. 10244170
(Please include your FAMILY NAME followed by your INITIALS in the deposit details)
.. A cheque/money order is attached and made payable to Diversional Therapy Association of NSW
.. Please charge my credit card to the amount of: $ __________

4th AH & MR Congress
16-21st November 2008
Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre

Please visit the meeting website: www.ahmrcongress.org.au

The second Annual National Dementia Research Forum
will be held at the Wesley Conference Centre in Sydney 18-19 September 2008.   This year, we have been able to engage four international speakers and the program will include a  variety of sessions:  plenaries, workshops, poster sessions, a hypothetical, a breakfast with the experts and a working lunch for emerging researchers.

A program, registration form and call for poster abstracts is available from our website ttp://www.dementia.unsw.edu.au/DCRCweb.nsf/page/Forum.

If you'd like to know, what last year's delegates said about the Forum, please have a look at our October 2007 DCRC Newsletter at http://www.dementia.unsw.edu.au/DCRCweb.nsf/resources/News2006/$file/Newsletter+-+Dementia+CRC+-+Issue+4.pdf

Please note that the call for abstracts will close 13 June and early bird registrations close 16 June.

The 8th Annual Scientific Meeting of the International College of Geriatric Psychoneuropharmacology will be held at UNSW Scientia on 3rd to 6th September 2008.

This landmark meeting serves to foster cross-fertilisation of scientific knowledge among clinical and preclinical scientists from different related disciplines. The theme for the 2008 meeting is “Protecting and Repairing the Ageing Brain”. The program will include healthy brain ageing and the full range of neuropsychiatric disorders in the elderly, including dementias, MCI, late onset schizophrenia, mood and anxiety disorders of late life, sleep disorders, Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders, stroke and cerebrovascular disease.

For further information please email: icgp2008@unsw.edu.au
Lauren Norton: 02 9382 2094
Website: www.icgp.org

**AUTHOR TOUR IN SEPTEMBER 2008

THE BRAIN THAT CHANGES ITSELF
stories of personal triumph from the frontiers of brain science

by DR NORMAN DOIDGE

An astonishing new scientific discovery called neuroplasticity is overthrowing the centuries-old notion that the adult human brain is fixed and unchanging.

Psychiatrist and researcher Norman Doidge, M.D., travelled around the United States to meet the brilliant scientists championing neuroplasticity, and the people whose lives they’ve transformed.

Dr Doidge has written an immensely moving, inspiring book that will permanently alter the way we look at our brains, human nature, and human potential.

Sally Rosevear
Events & Marketing Coordinator
Scribe Publications

595 Drummond St
(PO Box 523)
North Carlton
VIC 3054

ph: 03 9349 5955
fax: 03 9348 2752
email: marketing@scribepub.com.au
website: www.scribepublications.com.au

Psychogenic Cardiovascular Disease Conference
3-5 September 2008
Prato, Tuscany

The Baker Heart Research Institute inaugural “Heart and Mind” conference will be held in the delightful Tuscan town of Prato, Italy, from 3-5 September, 2008. The Baker Heart Research Institute is Australia’s highest profile and most productive cardiovascular research institute.

The conference will have as its centrepoint the link between psychological medicine and cardiovascular disease, delineating the relationship between stress, mental illness, and the development and course of heart disease and hypertension. It will showcase the crucial epidemiology, mediating neural and other mechanisms, and social and psychological measures applicable to prevention and treatment. There will be invited addresses by international leaders in the field. The target audience will be general practitioners, cardiologists, psychiatrists, psychologists, epidemiologists and social scientists.

For program details, registration and abstract submission visit www.heartandmind.prato2008.com

National Dementia Research Forum
18 – 19 September 2008
Sydney Masonic Centre
http://www.dementia.unsw.edu.au
dementiacrc@unsw.edu.au

5. Scholarships

The Australian Society for Medical Research
The ASMR Research Awards

The Australian Society for Medical Research invites applications for “The ASMR Research Awards”.

Each award ($5000 international or $2000 domestic) will support a postgraduate student member of the Society nearing completion of their studies or a recently graduated postdoctoral member to undertake a short period of research in a laboratory outside their home city.

The award specifically excludes support for conference attendance and travel for an extended period of postdoctoral studies.

Applicants for “The ASMR Research Awards” must have been members of the ASMR for at least 12 months immediately preceding the year in which the Award application is to be considered. Applicants must have conducted no more than 3 years active research post their highest degree (career interruptions will be considered). The Award must be taken up during the first 6 months of the following
year.

The recipients of the Award will be announced at the National Scientific Conference of the Society. A condition of receipt of the Award is that the recipients will be available to present their data at the National Scientific Conference of the Society in the year of the Award. Further, the recipients will provide an article about their research for inclusion in the November issue of the newsletter of the Society in the year of the Award. Any publications resulting from work supported by the Award should acknowledge the financial contribution of “The ASMR Research Award”.

For more information go to: http://www.asmr.org.au/Awards.html

Applications must be received by the closing date (5:00 pm, Tuesday September 30, 2008). Facsimiles will not be accepted.

An original application form and four copies should be sent to:
The Honorary Secretary, ASMR,
145 Macquarie Street, Sydney, NSW, 2000

The Australian Society for Medical Research ACN 000 599 235 -ABN 18 000 599 235
145 Macquarie Street. Sydney, 2000 Ph: (02) 9256 5450, Fax (02) 9252 0294

Email: asmr@world.net, Website: www.asmr.org.au
Enquiries should be addressed to :Snr Executive Officer: Catherine West

The 9th Amgen Medical Researcher Award

An annual feature of ASMR Medical Research Week is Amgen’s continuing support of Australian medical research through sponsorship of the Amgen Medical Researcher Award – the 9th time for national selection.  The award recognizes early career researchers with demonstrated independence, excellence, innovation and achievements in medical research, with evidence of translation from bench to potential for application, and with particular emphasis on research of the last 2 years. The winner will receive a plaque and up to $6,000 for travel / accommodation / registration expenses at an international meeting of their choice.

Criteria for selection:

•  Evidence of research excellence  -  publications, patents, clinical trial involvement;
• Ten years maximum since qualifying for a PhD or equivalent degree (with possible concession for career break interruptions);
•  Preparedness to communicate research achievements with the public and media;
•  Recognition by peers of his / her interest & achievements in translational research;
• Have spent the last two years working in an Australian medical research institute or department.

The application form is available at: http://www.asmr.org.au/Awards.html

Applications from researchers who consider that they fit these criteria should be lodged, as per the form, by Thursday April 24th 2008.  The award will be made at a media luncheon in Melbourne. (The presentation venue alternates with Sydney.)

Have you heard about Alzheimer's Australia Research's 2008 Dementia Grants Program?

 AAR is happy to be offering a wide range of research grants in 2008, including travel grants, grants focusing on dementia care, and grants for new researchers, and is encouraging quality applications from all around Australia:

 Research Grants

•        4 x AAR Dementia Research Grants for new researchers of $20,000
•        Hazel Hawke Research Grant in Dementia Care of $20,000

Travel Grants

•        Rosemary Foundation Travel Project Grant of $10,000
•        Rosemary Foundation Travel Stipend Grant of $5,000

 Postgraduate Scholarships

•        Hunter Postgraduate Research Scholarship into the Causes of Alzheimer’s  Disease ($23,000 per year for 3 years)

Postdoctoral Fellowships

•        AAR Post-doctoral Fellowship ($90,000 per year for 2 years)
•        4 x Viertel Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowships in Dementia ($45,000 per year for 2 years with payments matched by applicants’ institution)

Applications for Research and Travel Grants will close on 25 April 2008. Applications for the Postdoctoral Fellowships are now open and close on 28 April 2008.  Postgraduate Scholarship applications open in September 2008 and will close on 31 October 2008.

Application forms and further information can be found at http://www.alzheimers.org.au/content.cfm?topicid=250 .

If you have any questions please contact: 

Dinusha Fernando
Email: aar@alzheimers.org.au
Phone: (02) 6254 4233
Alzheimer’s Australia Research
PO Box 4019
Hawker ACT 2614

6. Position Vacant

**Research Officer/Fellow, School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales.

A full time Research Officer/Fellow position is required at UNSW (based at Cliffbrook Campus, Coogee, NSW) to provide leadership for the longitudinal Memory and Ageing study, along with other studies within the Brain and Ageing Program. The position would best suit a clinical neuropsychologist or someone with a doctorate in psychology with a research interest in brain ageing. It offers the opportunity for an academic career in brain ageing and multidisciplinary research within Brain sciences UNSW.  Level of appointment is negotiable.

For further details please email: Angie.russell@unsw.edu.au

**VICSERV Employment for People with Mental Illness

Psychiatric Disability Services of Victoria (VICSERV), the peak body for psychiatric rehabilitation and support services in Victoria, is conducting an employment campaign for people with mental illness. The VICSERV campaign focuses on the following issues:

• develop a national mental health employment strategy to adequately address employment issues for people with mental illness seeking work,
• review and overhaul the Job Capacity Assessment process, which currently acts as a disincentive and barrier to people with mental illness seeking work, and
• recognise the need for a system that is sufficiently flexible and supportive to meet the needs of people with mental health issues in accessing and retaining work.

Organisations can participate in this campaign by opting-in and ordering postcards from VICSERV, who will provide full-colour postcards (printed with the organisation’s logo) and a pdf kit (created with the organisations logo and contact details) outlining the issues and the actions to involve members/supporters. Individuals and organisations can also participate in the campaign by signing-up and receiving information including postcards and a kit.

Information on the campaign is available through the VICSERV website at http://www.vicserv.org.au/

This is a very worthwhile campaign being undertaken by VICSERV and MHCA members should contact or seek further information from VICSERV if they are interested in taking part.