News Story

The Faculty graduation ceremony, held on 10 December, honoured the significant academic achievements of many staff and students during 2004. Six research students from the School of Medical Sciences successfully completed their theses to win doctorates, four specialising in Pathology and two in Physiology and Pharmacology. Following a successful year in which he has won research grants and acclaim for his work in the area of Transcription and Gene Targeting, Professor Levon Khachigian from the Centre for Vascular Research was awarded a Doctor of Science (DSc).

Dr Gary Velan from the Department of Pathology was presented with a Vice-Chancellor's Award for Teaching Excellence for his educational leadership and pioneering contributions to the use of information technology in teaching.

The successful PhD Candidates and award recipients are:

Doctor of Philosophy PhD

Pathology
Carolyn Cuello, BScBEd UNSW
Thesis: The role of chemokines and matrix metalloproteinases in the pathogenesis of inflammatory eye diesease.

Amel Katrib, MB BS UNSW
Thesis: Mechanisms of joint destruction in rheumatoid arthritis.

Ahmed Farid Rahimi, BSc UNSW
Thesis: Regulation of inflammation - associated S100 proteins in fibroblasts and their expression in atherosclerosis.

Changjie Song, BMed Bengbu Med. Coll., MMed Hubei Med Univ.
Thesis: Regulation of coagulation in vascular disease.

Physiology and Pharmacology
Miguel Angel Iglesias, BBiolSc MS de Alcala
Thesis: Mechanisms of amelioration of lipid-induced insulin resistance: role of AMP-activated protein kinase.

Satyajit Rohan Jayasinghe, MB BS Syd., MSpMed UNSW
Thesis: Perspectives of post myocardial infarction cardiac rehabilitation.

Doctor of Science by Published Work DSc
Levon Michael Khachigian BSc (Hons), PhD UNSW

Vice-Chancellor's Award for Teaching Excellence
These awards were established in 1989 to encourage, recognise and reward excellence in teaching by members of staff.

Dr Gary Velan, MBBS, DipHEd PhD, UNSW, Department of Pathology, School of Medical Sciences for extraordinary enthusiasm and commitment to teaching activities. His enthusiastic and passionate about his subject and exhibits an enormous depth of knowledge and understanding, serving as a role model for his students. Encouraging critical thinking and an evidence based approach to the study of pathology, he has exhibited educational leadership and made pioneering contributions to the use of information technology in teaching, developing cmputer-assisted self-learning modules and online formative assessments. An outstanding teacher, he was selected as a finalist for the 2003 NSW Minister for Education and Australian College of Educators Quality Teaching Award.