Announcing the new Colonial Foundation Diagnostic Centre leaders

The groundbreaking centre, jointly led by WEHI and the Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH), was made possible by a generous $21 million donation from the Colonial Foundation.

After an extensive international search, WEHI Laboratory Head Associate Professor Edwin Hawkins has been named Centre Head and Chief Scientific Officer. Joining him is Dr. Michael Christie, a clinician scientist at WEHI and Deputy Director of Pathology at the RMH, who will serve as Deputy Centre Head and Chief Medical Officer.

The centre aims to discover new disease biomarkers, empowering doctors with enhanced tools for diagnosing and treating inflammatory diseases.

Drawing from their expertise in spatial biology and clinical practice, the leadership team will drive the centre’s mission to improve personalised care for the millions of Australians living with inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, which impact 1 in 10 Australians.

Professor Shelley Dolan, Chief Executive at RMH, said she was delighted by the appointment.

“Associate Professor Hawkins and Dr Christie are highly talented individuals who together, will ensure the centre is in the best position to deliver important outcomes that could transform the lives of millions of Australians – from both a clinical and scientific standpoint,” Prof Dolan said.

Professor Ken Smith, Director of WEHI, added: “These outstanding leaders bring complementary research and clinical skills that will accelerate progress towards the centre’s discovery research and its clinical deliverables.”

The CFDC builds on the achievements of the Colonial Foundation Healthy Ageing Centre (CFHAC) which WEHI, the RMH and the Colonial Foundation established in 2019. The CFHAC developed a groundbreaking proteomics dataset and identified a potential blood test for early-stage dementia.