RESEARCH, MENTORSHIP AND THE PHD EXPERIENCE Supervisor and candidate reflect on confidence, independence and recognition
With
Associate Professor Kara Vine-Perrow,
Deputy Director Community Partnerships and Impact,
Molecular Horizons Research Institute UOW &
Group Leader, Targeted Cancer Therapeutics Research Laboratory
University of Wollongong
Dr Elahe Minaei,
Associate Research Fellow
University of Wollongong
SEGMENT
Filmed in Wollongong, NSW | September 2026
Pancreatic cancer remains one of the deadliest cancers, with survival rates below 10 per cent and treatments often as harsh as the disease itself.
Finding better ways to treat one of the deadliest cancers has become the focus of a University of Wollongong research team, where the relationship between a PhD supervisor and candidate has also played an important role in shaping the next generation of researchers.
Associate Professor Kara Vine-Perrow, Deputy Director of Community Partnerships and Impact at the Molecular Horizons Institute and Group Leader of the Targeted Cancer Therapeutics Lab at UOW, leads research into improving the delivery of drugs directly to diseased tissue. Her team is particularly focused on diseases with high unmet medical needs, including inoperable pancreatic cancer.
Whilst being a PhD candidate, Dr Minaei and her team developed biodegradable micro-implants that deliver chemotherapy and immunotherapy directly into tumours, targeting treatment at the source. This innovation reduces toxic side effects, activates the immune system, and makes powerful therapies safer and more effective.
Her preclinical studies show promising results, with industry partners calling the approach a “game changer” and clinicians hopeful it could finally make immunotherapy effective for pancreatic cancer.
For Dr Elahe Minaei, a recent PhD graduate and Associate Research Fellow in Vine-Perrow’s laboratory, the pancreatic cancer and immunotherapy project aligned closely with her background and research interests. Her previous experience in immunology and cancer cell and molecular biology helped shape her decision to undertake her PhD with Vine-Perrow.
The pair discussed their experience in a PhD Supervisor and PhD Candidate interview with Australian Health Journal, highlighting the importance of mentorship alongside scientific research.
“I think it’s very important that you know your supervisor,” Minaei said, emphasising the role of a supervisor in supporting both personal and professional growth.
Vine-Perrow said the progression of a PhD candidate towards independence was among the most rewarding aspects of supervision, particularly as the relationship ultimately develops into one between colleagues.
Source: Adapted from Shaping Australia Awards (Universities Australia) website and University of Wollongong media release (February 2026)
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Brain cancer Professor mentors Tasmanian researchers
Rosemary Harrup trained in Victoria and Tasmania in Medical Oncology and Clinical Haematology, completing a dual Fellowship in 2001. She is the current Director of Cancer and Blood Services at the Royal Hobart Hospital (RHH), a role she has held since 2009.
Australian Health Journal spoke to Rosemary about her journey in medicine and specifically her work in Clinical Trials in Brain Cancer and the value she placed on her senior clinicians as mentors and how she now mentors others.
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The role of genomic screening in transforming public health
Dr Jane Tiller is a lawyer, genetic counsellor and public health researcher. She is Ethical, Legal & Social Adviser in Public Health Genomics at Monash University, and a National Health and Medical Research Council Investigator Grant holder. Jane is passionate about the use of genomics to prevent disease, and in delivering equitable access to preventive genetic information at the population level. She is co-lead of DNA Screen, a world-first study piloting the offer of preventive DNA screening to the Australian adult population. DNA Screen has tested over 10,000 young people for genetic high risk of medically actionable conditions such as cancer and heart disease, finding about 2% of participants had genetic high risk. Jane is leading efforts to secure Commonwealth Government funding to expand the DNA Screen program, with the eventual goal of the development of a public health population screening program for disease prevention based on high genetic risk.
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More health care volunteers needed for Street Side Medics
Identifying a gap in the healthcare of vulnerable people in New South Wales, Dr Daniel Nour founded Street Side Medics in August 2020, a not-for-profit, GP-led mobile medical service for people experiencing homelessness.
Dr. Daniel Nour is a cardiology advanced trainee at Royal North Shore Hospital and the founder of Street Side Medics, a mobile medical service dedicated to providing GP-led care to individuals experiencing homelessness. The initiative started from a customised van, which serves as a medical clinic, visiting food services and shelters across New South Wales and recently Victoria. Street Side Medics offers free medical care without requiring documentation, ID, or a Medicare card.
