Welcome, early- and mid-career researchers and clinicians (EMCRs)! As a fast-growing group and the future leaders of the ANZSSFR, EMCRs are essential to the mission of the Society. As such, the EMCR Committee was formed in May 2019, to represent EMCRs in the field of sarcopenia and frailty research.
The EMCR Committee consists of a group of active early- and mid-career ANZSSFR members from both Australia and New-Zealand. Our overall mission is to engage and represent EMCRs within the ANZSSFR. We encourage EMCRs to get involved and express ourselves to the broader ANZSSFR in various activities.
Not yet a member of the ANZSSFR? Join today!
About us
Faculty and non academic ANZSSFR members who have completed their formal training (i.e. terminal degree, post PhD fellowship or post doctoral fellowship, medical residency, or other specialised training) within the past 12 years. (Advanced postdocs, allied health professionals and clinicians are also encouraged!).
The mission of the ANZSFFR EMCR Committee is two-fold:
The EMCR Committee aims to engage and represent EMCRs within the ANZSSFR;
The EMCR Committee aims to promote the professional development of EMCRs through education, outreach, mentorship, and facilitating networking among EMCRs and clinicians, students, and other professionals within the society.
The aims of the ANZSFFR EMCR Committee are to:
Establish a community of researchers and clinicians with interest in sarcopenia and frailty research.
Maintain a strong, active link between EMCR, the ANZSSFR and the community.
Host an annual event to celebrate research and translation amongst EMCR members.
EMCR Committee
Dr Jennifer Jones (chair)
Jennifer Jones BSc DPT PhD APAM MACP is a physiotherapist, educator and clinical researcher at The University of Melbourne and Austin Health. Dr Jones' clinical research interests are in using big data and digital supports to rapidly deliver effective interventions, including rehabilitation, to improve the recovery of people in hospital with frailty.
Roles & Affiliations: Lecturer, Physiotherapy Department, The University of Melbourne. Senior Physiotherapist, Physiotherapy Department, Austin Health.
dr david barry
David is a Research Fellow in Clinical Gerontology at the National Ageing Research Institute. He holds a background in human nutrition and biomedical science and has experience supporting investigator-led and industry-sponsored clinical trials. His doctoral research explored associations between the gut microbiome and physical performance in older adults. His research focuses on the intersections of nutrition, the gut microbiome, muscle health, and physical function in ageing populations. He is particularly interested in translational and multidisciplinary approaches that aim to improve clinical outcomes and support healthy ageing through evidence-based, integrative strategies. His broader interests include longevity medicine and age-related health conditions.
Role & Affiliation: Research Fellow, Clinical Gerontology Division, National Ageing Research Institute (NARI), Royal Melbourne Hospital.
dr steven phu
Steven is an Accredited Exercise Physiologist and Project Officer at the University of New South Wales and Neuroscience Research Australia. His research focuses on the use of exercise, including virtual reality and perturbation-based balance training to prevent falls in older people, and manage sarcopenia and frailty. Steven's PhD investigated the neuromuscular responses and adaptations to perturbation-based balance training in older people.
Affiliations
1. Falls, Balance and Injury Research Centre, Neuroscience Research Australia
2. School of Population Health, University of New South Wales
3. Department of Medicine - Western Health, University of Melbourne
a/prof ashwin subramanian
A/Prof Ashwin Subramaniam is a Senior ICU Consultant at Monash Health and Epworth, and Adjunct A/Prof at Monash University. His clinical and research interests include frailty, clinical deterioration, and ICU data analytics. He completed a PhD on quantifying the impact of frailty in the critically ill and has authored nearly 100 publications 5 textbook chapters. Ashwin is the Intensive Care Editor for Internal Medicine Journal, and Associate editor for Critical Care and Resuscitation and BMC Emergency Medicine Journals. He serves as a College of Intensive Care Medicine formal project assessor. He is supervising 2 PhD students. A passionate researcher, he brings strong translational and clinical experience to the ANZSSFR EMCR Committee.
dr angela wan
Dr Angela Wan is an implementation scientist and an Accredited Practising Dietitian at Monash University, committed to developing theory-based research programs to bridge evidence-practice gaps in sarcopenia, frailty, and malnutrition prevention and management in hospitals. She currently leads three implementation science theory- and hospital-based research programs to accelerate the uptake of clinical guidelines related to frailty and malnutrition prevention. She is also a strong advocate for clinician and consumer involvement in research. With her passion, she has established a community advisory group comprising individuals with multimorbidity and their caregivers across Australia to co-design research programs.
Role and Affiliation:
Process evaluation Research Fellow, Monash University, Australia; Honorary Research Fellow, St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne, Australia.
Dr Anoohya Gandham
Dr Gandham is a postdoctoral research fellow in the Bone Health and Fracture Research Program at the Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research at the Australian Catholic University (ACU). She also holds an honorary appointment with the Bone and Muscle Research Group, within the School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health, Monash University. She has completed her PhD through Monash University, Australia. Her PhD investigated body composition and musculoskeletal health in older adults with obesity and sarcopenia. Dr Gandham’s main research interests are related to muscle-bone relationships within the ageing population. She is interested in sarcopenia, obesity and sarcopenic obesity and its effects on the risk of falls, fractures, and disability among the elderly population.
Role and Affiliation: Postdoctoral research fellow at the Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research at the Australian Catholic University (ACU)
Dr Elsa Dent
Dr Elsa Dent is an Exercise Physiologist and Health Services researcher at Torrens University Australia. She is a former NHMRC Early Career research fellow for the project: ‘Understanding frailty: an epidemiological insight’. Dr Dent has previously led the development of international, evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for frailty and sarcopenia in older adults.
Role and Affiliation: Senior Research Fellow, Torrens University Australia, Adelaide; Adjunct Senior Research Fellow, School of Public Health, The University of Adelaide; Adjunct Fellow, The University of Queensland.
Dr Jeew Hettiarachchi
Dr Jeew Hettiarachchi is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow within the Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN) at Deakin University. She received her PhD from the University of Melbourne (Royal Melbourne Hospital) in 2023. Her doctoral research was on malnutrition and nutrition intervention in older adults. Her research interests are broadly on nutrition for healthy ageing with a particular focus on the outcomes including improved body composition, and physical and cognitive functions, enabling longer independent living. She also holds an honorary research appointment at the Department of Medicine and Aged Care, Royal Melbourne Hospital
Contact us
If you have any ideas for the EMCR Committee or if you would like to get involved, please send us an email. We would love to hear from you!
Contact details: EMCR.ANZSSFR@gmail.com