Simon Foote sets sail for Hobart

Friday, July 8th 2005

Professor Simon Foote, the recently appointed Director of the Menzies Research Institute in Hobart, looks forward to a further deepening of the working relationship between WEHI and the Menzies. "We have collaborated very successfully in the past," says Professor Foote, "especially in research related to genes that influence Multiple Sclerosis. I'm sure that the future will see our institutes drawn even more closely together in areas of common interest."

Currently Co-Head of the Genetics and Bioinformatics Division at WEHI and a former Assistant Director of the Australian Genome Research Facility (AGRF), Simon's new appointment takes him further into the field of epidemiology, the study of the genetic causes of disease, and population health research.

Besides being a geneticist, Simon trained as a medical practitioner before choosing to focus upon research, much of which has been concerned with the issue of drug resistance in malaria parasites.

Among his other honours, he is a past winner of WEHI's prestigious annual Burnet Prize, awarded to the young scientist whose recent work has significantly advanced medical science.

Simon spent five years in research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Whitehead Institute, where he worked on generating maps of human chromosomes that were later used in sequencing the human genome.

Reflecting on Professor Foote’s achievements and his new appointment, WEHI’s Director, Professor Suzanne Cory, said, “Simon has been a huge asset to WEHI and his appointment as Director of the Menzies Research Institute is a worthy testament to his scientific reputation and leadership qualities. Like Simon, I too hope that his appointment will signal a further strengthening of our institutes’ collaboration for the benefit of the wider community.”

For further information, please contact:

Mr. Brad Allan

WEHI Communications Manager
Phone: (03) 9345 2345
Mobile: 0403 036 116
Email: allan@wehi.edu.au