We aim to improve the prediction of diabetes onset and it's complications.

Andrzej is a Senior Research Fellow interested in the role of oxidative stress and advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in the development and progression of diabetes complications.

He is a general practitioner, has obtained his medical degree from Wroclaw Medical University, Poland in 1993 and completed his PhD in 1997. After finishing Fulbright Scholarship at the University of South Carolina he spent few years working there at the Department of Chemistry in Biochemistry. In 2003 he moved to the Department of Medicine University of Melbourne and since 2012 he is working at the Clinical Trials Centre of the University of Sydney. He is holding honorary appointments at the Department of Medicine University of Melbourne, The Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne and The Heart Research Institute in Newtown NSW. In 2015 he graduated from the University of Sydney with a Master Of Clinical Trials Research.

Andrzej primary field of expertise is biomarkers analysis by various methods (gas chromatography and mass spectrometry using chemical and electron ionisation with various derivatisation techniques, usage of HPLC, spectrophotometry and spectrofluorometry techniques in quantification of proteins/peptides and fluorophores).peptides and fluorophores.

Dr Brazionis is a multidisciplinary researcher and clinical optometrist with a passion for preventive medicine. Consequently, many of Dr Brazionis’ recent ophthalmic publications involve implementation of eye disease screening programs for Australians with diabetes, such as telehealth screening programs in several remote/regional Indigenous Health Services (NT/Victoria), which included the training of 19 Indigenous Health workers in vision and retinopathy screening. This work has led to national and international collaborations, additional grant applications, including the award (as a CI) of a CRE in Diabetic Retinopathy.

Other resultant collaborations are with visiting post-doctoral fellows from the UK, visiting medical students and clinicians in the NHMRC/JDRF Australian-funded multi-centre international clinical trial of fenofibrate in Type 1 diabetes (FAME-1 Eye) and the UK national screening programme for diabetic eye disease.

Her retinal calibre work in youth with Type 1 diabetes demonstrated the early impact of traditional risk factors on vascular health. As a consultant for the Centre for Eye Research Australia she wrote the penultimate draft of the successful application for the new Medicare items for diabetic retinopathy screening in non-ophthalmic settings, funded from 1/11/2016. Her supervision of one PhD student led to the implementation of automated retinal grading in tertiary referral diabetes clinics.

As a public health and clinical research nutritionist, Dr Brazionis has conducted clinical trials that demonstrated selective dietary interventions could effectively lower HbA1c and retinopathy risk in Type 2 diabetes, lower blood pressure in secondary CVD prevention and improve mental health in severe depression. As a researcher in life-course epidemiology in a UK birth cohort, the impact of early life diet on blood pressure and IQ in childhood was identified. In 2017 she had two invited lectures/visits to the UK.

Born in regional north Queensland, I grew up in Cairns and the surrounding area. Completing a Bachelor of Science with honours in Neuroscience at the University of Queensland in 2011. I began working at the Kolling Institute at Royal North Shore hospital as a research assistant. During this time I worked with patient samples, cell lines and learnt the techniques involved in culturing induced pluripotent stem cells. Transferring this stem cell experience and exposure to clinical science I began a PhD in Medical Science; differentiating stem cells into insulin producing cells as a treatment for Type 1 Diabetes. Currently working on telomeres as a biomarker and predictor of diabetic complication progression.

In my free time I compete in powerlifting in the Australian powerlifting union. My favorite holiday destinations usually involve snow and mountains with a passion for hard to reach places.

A committed, knowledgeable and capable early career researcher. I am enjoy being involved in larger projects to grow my repertoire of published work. Highly experienced in fundamental and translational research. I am currently working on and enjoy clinically relevant projects with an aim to improve patient outcomes. A confident presenter and teacher, with experience presenting my work on a domestic and international stage.

Sharon Atkinson-Briggs, is a Yorta Yorta woman from Shepparton, Victoria. She is a registered nurse/credentialled diabetes educator and a PhD candidate in the Department of Medicine at the University of Melbourne. She is a certified retinal imager with experience in non-mydriatic camera imaging in rural, remote and very remote Indigenous settings. Her diverse work experience, community involvement and leadership in her community over decades has provided her with lived knowledge of Aboriginal culture, kinship practices, beliefs and the Aboriginal way of life. Being proactive and working across many sectors within both Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities in roles ranging from Indigenous health research, project management, community development, health promotion and most recently in her roles as a registered nurse/diabetes educator and PhD candidate has provided her with a unique knowledge base, skill set and opportunity to contribute in many domains. Sharon has a passion for creating a positive healthcare experience that is holistic, culturally inclusive and appropriate to the needs of Indigenous people. She is committed to working towards closing the Indigenous health gap by providing healthcare service delivery that focuses on incorporating health promotion and disease prevention interventions in primary care and specialist diabetes clinics. Her research focuses on diabetes, particularly culturally-appropriate models of diabetes education and eye care.

Nicola Quinn is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Diabetes and Vascular Medicine team at the Clinical Trials Centre (CTC) in the University of Sydney.

Nicola’s current research focusses on the use of different ophthalmic imaging modalities to capture images of the retina and the cornea to detect changes in people with diabetes. Different analysis programmes used include vessel analysis software to detect changes in the retinal vasculature (tortuosity, branching angles and coefficients and vessel diameters), fundus photography, detecting pathology on the retina associated with diabetes and corneal confocal microscopy to assess changes in the corneal nerve fibres in people with diabetes and people without.

Nicola received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biomedical Science and her PhD degree from Queen’s University Belfast. Prior to joining the CTC, Nicola was a research fellow in Queen’s University Belfast.

Chris is a Health Informatics manager and software developer with 18 years experience supporting the use of technology in health care service delivery and medical research.

Previous work has included the development of components of international registries, embedding of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in hypertension clinics and creating data linkages between clinical and hospital electronic record systems.

Chris has been involved in collaborating with the Jenkins lab on diabetes tele-education, Indigenous and cardiovascular research projects since 2010 and is committed to improving the utility and practical usability of clinical information systems for both research and clinical care.

Hilary is a software developer with 11 years experience in medical research. Hilary currently works for the Clinical Trials Centre (CTC) at the University of Sydney but has previously worked for The University of Melbourne, providing advanced technical research support and consultation to their optical microscopy, flow cytometry, DNA and imaging platforms within the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences.

Hilary is a developer with an interest in science and information systems, as well as the emerging field of e-health software development. Hilary employs an Agile programming methodology and enjoys building full-stack web applications, utilising such tools as MongoDB, Koa, Vue.js and Node.js (MKVN) with a particular focus on the end-user experience.

In her spare time Hilary enjoys cooking, cycling and hiking in her home country of New Zealand.

Marina is the Administrative Assistant to Prof. Alicia Jenkins. Marina maintains Alicia’s busy schedule and travel arrangements as well as providing logistical support for all conference participation.