Misty Jenkins

Dr. Misty R. Jenkins is an Australian scientist known for her research into lymphocytes and cancer treatment.

Jenkins leads an Immunology Laboratory at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research where she currently researches brain cancer and aims to establish a world-leading immunotherapy lab specialising in researching the possibilities of new treatments for both adult and paediatric brain cancer.[1]

Education and career

Jenkins is a Gunditjmara woman and grew up near Ballarat, Victoria. She holds a Bachelor of Science with Honours and a PhD in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of Melbourne.[2][3]

She has worked at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne[3] and currently works at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research.[4] Her research focuses on lymphocytes, a type of white blood cells which can protect against viruses and cancer.[2] Her research has been published in the Journal of Immunology, Journal of Experimental Medicine, and by the National Academy of Sciences.[5]

She was the first Indigenous Australian to attend the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge as a postdoctoral research fellow,[6] attending Cambridge after being awarded the NHRMC CJ Martin Fellowship.[2] She became involved with the Aurora Project, a project which supports education opportunities for Indigenous Australians, working with the program to provide scholarships for other Indigenous students to attend Oxford or Cambridge.[3]

Awards

Jenkins was awarded the L’Oreal for Women in Science Fellowship in 2013.[3] She was named in the Westpac and Australian Financial Review 100 Women of Influence Awards in 2016, and awarded the STEM Professional Career Achievement Award at the CSIRO Indigenous STEM Awards in 2017.[2]

In 2019, Jenkins was awarded an NHMRC Investigator Grant worth AUD $1.4 million to continue her research into the treatment of brain cancer. This area of research receives a small amount of funding from the total federal Australian government cancer research funding, and the current survival rate for people diagnosed with brain cancer is 20 percent.[1]

In March 2020, Jenkins was inducted into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women in recognition of her advocacy for gender equity, Aboriginal health and education.[7]

References
  1. Cluff, Caleb (2019-09-27). "Grant to further research into brain cancer by Dr Misty Jenkins". The Courier. Retrieved 2020-02-27.
  2. CSIRO. "2017 Winners and Finalists". www.csiro.au. Retrieved 2019-07-17.
  3. "When killing saves lives: our immune system at work | Stories of Australian Science". stories.scienceinpublic.com.au. Retrieved 2019-07-17.
  4. Research, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical (2018-08-08). "Misty Jenkins-Resources". Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research. Retrieved 2019-07-17.
  5. Research, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical (2016-05-06). "Misty Jenkins-Publications". Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research. Retrieved 2019-07-17.
  6. "Immunologist Misty Jenkins | A role model for all | Particle". 16 July 2018. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
  7. "Dr Misty Jenkins". www.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
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