Mater researchers recognised at Women in Technology awards

Monday 02 September 2019

Mater researcher Professor Vicki Clifton and Mater Centre for Neuroscience’s Dr Lisa Gillinder have been recognised for their achievements at the 22nd annual Women in Technology (WiT) Awards, held in Brisbane.

Professor Clifton, who was awarded the WiT Life Sciences Outstanding Achievement Award, has committed her life to improving the health of pregnant women and their babies. She has a particular interest in the effect of maternal asthma on the growth of the fetus, the function of the placenta and the health of the child as they grow. Her findings have attributed to her attainment of various high-profile appointments.

Professor Clifton is a strong mentor for young women in science and amongst her many achievements, she was the first female to be appointed President of the Endocrine Society of Australia and the first female to be competitively appointed as Editor of the international journal, Placenta. Her commitment to gender equality has resulted in her being the Chair of Mater Research Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee and a member of Faculty of Medicine Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committees.

Dr Lisa Gillinder has a joint clinical appointment as an Epileptologist at Mater Centre for Neursciences, and Neurologist/Epileptologist at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane. She was awarded the WiT Life Sciences Rising Star Award. A trailblazer, Dr Gillinder is recognised as the first person to undertake a surgical epilepsy fellowship in Queensland and the first person to be trained in stereo electroencephalograph (SEEG) in Australia. Lisa is now one of only four epileptologists in Australia qualified and practising in SEEG and the only female. She was also the first to describe an association between neuronal autoantibodies and perisylvian epilepsy.

Dr Lisa Gillinder receiving her award

A credit to Mater, WiT Co-President (Life Sciences) Dr Claudia Giurgiuman congratulated Dr Clifton and Dr Gillinder, noting it had been a particularly big year for the WiT Awards.

“This has been a record-breaking year for the WiT Awards, receiving over 150 applications across 12 categories and attracting 700 people to the presentations. There are some remarkable stories and ground-breaking achievements and the calibre of women nominated for awards is outstanding,” she said.

WiT Co-President (ICT) Joanna Field said WiT was a leading organisation for women in all branches of STEM in Queensland and filled an important niche in the professional resources and support available to women.

“WiT is Australia’s first organisation to bring women from all disciplines of science and technology together in a single, inclusive community,” she said.

“The awards are really important because they recognise, showcase and applaud those women who are making their mark and provide the encouragement and inspiration for others to follow.”

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