Pamela J. Russell AM FAHMS was an Australian academic researcher of immunology, bladder and prostate research.[1] Russell was awarded Membership of the Order of Australia (AM) for her research on prostate and bladder cancer in 2003.[2]
Biography
Russell was Emeritus Professor at the Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, based at the Translational Research Institute (Australia)[3] and adjunct professor, Centre for Advanced Imaging, University of Queensland.[4]
Education and training
Russell trained in immunology at Walter & Eliza Hall Institute, where she obtained an MSc with Sir Macfarlane Burnet. Subsequently, Prof. Russell completed a PhD with Sir Gustav Nossal, on studies of autoimmune diseases.[citation needed]
Russell's postdoctoral training was at the John Curtin School of Medical Research, Canberra, and then she moved to Sydney to take up a postdoctoral position at The Kolling Institute of Medical Research.[citation needed]
Russell joined the APCRC – Q in 2009.[5]
Research
Russell's early work in Immunology on Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) showed that the immunosuppressive drug, cyclophosphamide, could be successfully used to treat animals with this disease, leading to its use in patients with SLE. Early work WEHI showed that T cells could kill cancer cells.[6] Further studies of autoimmunity were performed by Russell's group at the Kolling Institute specifically SLE.[7] but also some related work in rheumatoid arthritis and in ankylosing spondylitis and its association with HLA-B27.[8][9]
Russell's focus of the work at the Kolling Institute was on autoimmunity, specifically Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE),[10] but also some related work in rheumatoid arthritis and in ankylosing spondylitis and its association with HLAB27.[11][12]
In 1984, Prof. Russell changed her research focus to cancer and, with Dr. Derek Raghavan, established the Urological Cancer Research Centre at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital/University of Sydney. Prof. Russell then directed the Oncology Research Centre (ORC), Prince of Wales Hospital from 1992 to 2010, as conjoint Professor of Medicine, University of New South Wales (UNSW).
Russell then moved to the Translational Research Institute and the Australian Prostate Cancer Research Centre in Queensland in 2012.[13][14]
Awards
- 2015Women in Technology Life Sciences Outstanding Achievement Award[15]
- 2015Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences[16]
- 2015University of Canberra Alumni Excellence Award Health Winner[17]
- 2010Inaugural Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia Prize and Lecture for Outstanding Excellence[4]
- 2010Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia's Researcher of the year
- 2009Life Member, Australasian Gene Therapy Society[14]
- 2009Alban Gee Prize for best poster presentation at USANZ
- 2007Member of the year, listed in Madison's Who's Who
- 2006Honorary Life Member, Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia
- 2006Awarded prize for outstanding alumni of Kolling Institute of Medical Research (75th Jubilee)
- 2005Listed in Marquis Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare, USA
- 2003-2005Listed in Who's Who, Australia
- 2003Platinum Nomination for the CSIRO Chairman's medal. Gene Therapy: A new approach for treating prostate cancer
- 2003AM for outstanding contributions to prostate and bladder cancer research
- 1962Dunlop Rubber prize for Biochemistry
- 1960Commonwealth Scholarship