As a clinician, Dr Samantha Chan combines medical expertise with the ability to explain the immune system in a way patients understand.

But when she embarked on PhD research at WEHI, Dr Chan discovered she needed to learn a whole new language. Dr Chan describes doing her PhD as a daily exercise in humility – like learning a whole new vocabulary.

“As a clinician-researcher, it often felt like I was speaking two complex languages, and not always fluently!”

Now, as the Clinical Lead of Immunology at the Snow Centre for Immune Health – a joint initiative between WEHI and the Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH), supported by the Snow Medical Research Foundation – Dr Chan is taking her research and clinical work to a whole new level.

Curiosity and the desire to make a difference for her patients drew Dr Chan, a Clinical Immunologist at the RMH,to undertake her PhD at WEHI, exploring gene therapy for primary immunodeficiencies. These are inherited genetic disorders where the immune system is missing or doesn’t function correctly, resulting in an increased susceptibility to infections.

Through her research, she learnt to use novel gene editing techniques to better understand how infections can influence the immune system.

“It was incredibly rewarding to study cells from patients I’ve cared for and see how they behave at a molecular level.”

In her clinic at the RMH, she sees a broad spectrum of patients ranging from those with allergies to those with complex immunodeficiencies.

“Despite the challenges I see in the clinic, being at WEHI reminds me that discoveries are possible,” she says.

“Research offered the chance to make meaningful contributions I can eventually pass on to patients.”

“Patients ask, ‘Why did this happen to me? Will it happen to my child?’ Right now, we don’t have those answers. But together, we’re working towards them.”

Her vision for the Snow Centre is bold: personalised diagnosis, faster answers for patients, and bringing clinicians and researchers together to think about the big-picture problems.

“Patients ask, ‘Why did this happen to me? Will it happen to my child?’ Right now, we don’t have those answers. But together, we’re working towards them.”

The ultimate goal is to achieve personalised diagnosis and prediction. This will mean patients won’t need to go through a diagnostic odyssey of testing multiple medications, enduring unintended side effects, in the search for the best treatment.

Dr Chan believes the partnership between the RMH and WEHI through the Snow Centre is key to unlocking personalised immune health.

The path from discovery to clinical impact is long and complex, requiring patience and resilience. “Luckily, my patients understand that the work may not benefit them directly, but it could help future generations – this inspires me to keep going.”

Dr Chan is grateful to her mentor, Professor Jo Douglass, the Executive Director of Research at the RMH, for inspiring her to pursue a PhD. “It’s thanks to her encouragement that I had the courage and support to do my PhD.”

Juggling research and clinical work can be challenging, but it has so many benefits. Dr Chan says the most rewarding part of the journey isn’t just the science – it’s the relationships.

“I’m really proud of the connections I’ve built across both institutions. Together, we are aiming to achieve something great that will have lasting benefits for patients.”

The Snow Centre has fully funded PhD scholarships available to support early-career researchers in both clinical and basic science disciplines.

Join us to play a part in helping to find better ways to diagnose and treat patients with immune health conditions.