Professor Pamela Russell made a fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences
Prof Russell’s current research focus is on discovering new methods for targeted imaging of prostate specific-membrane antigen (PSMA) expressed on prostate cancers, and developing theranostic agents, which can be used for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET). She is also part of a team performing PSMA-PET and functional MR imaging on patients with early prostate cancer.
“We congratulate Prof Russell on this outstanding achievement,” said Executive Director of the APCRC-Q, Prof Colleen Nelson, “Hers is an impressive career, peppered with well-deserved accolades in recognition of the numerous significant contributions she has made to the field.”
“It is a great honour to receive this award,” said Prof Russell. “I am very proud and pleased to be a part of the Academy and further its aims to promote academic medicine and translational health and medical sciences in Australia, and contribute to the development of future generations of health and medical researchers.”
Current research projects in which Prof Russell is involved include research into new biomarkers in vesicles, known as exosomes, which may predict the response of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) to chemotherapy.
Prof Russell is a co-recipient, with Prof Nelson, of an NHMRC Development grant to study diagnosis imaging and therapy of prostate cancer. In addition to funding from the NHMRC, Prof Russell is part of the Movember Global Action Plan program, and a member of the APCRC-Q’s Movember Revolutionary Team Award, led by Prof Nelson. She also serves on the Movember Global Action Plan scientific and research advisory committees.
A co-founder of the Genitourinary Oncology Group Australasia, Professor Russell also contributed to the establishment of the PCFA of which she was an inaugural director and now holds life membership. Prof Russell was honoured by the PCFA for her tireless work in prostate cancer by being named the PCFA Cancer Researcher of the Year in 2010.
In 2009, she was made a life member of the Australasian Gene Therapy Society, and received the prize for outstanding research alumnus of Sydney's Kolling Institute of Medical Research in 2006.
In 2003, her research on bladder and prostate cancer saw her awarded membership of the Order of Australia.
She was Professor of Medicine, University of New South Wales (UNSW), and director of the Oncology Research Centre at the UNSW School of Medicine at Prince of Wales Hospital from 1992 to 2008.
She has been awarded more than $37 million in research grants and has published more than 200 peer-reviewed journal articles, as well as several reviews and book chapters.
