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Where are they now? - Issue 2

Where are they now? - Issue 2

 

The 'Jahrgang' of 2019 has been presented with their scholarships, and as the 12 Victorian recipients prepare to embark on their experience, we continue to take a look at what has become of some of our many hundreds of Aussie GASSies from the past 52 years. Today we catch up with Professor Elizabeth Hartland. Liz is the Director and CEO of Hudson Institute of Medical Research, and the Head of the Department of Molecular and Translational Science at the Monash University Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences.

 

In the photo on the left, Liz is at winter camp near Regensburg in 1985. She is pictured behind group leader Angus Cameron. On the right is Karen McKertich, now a urological surgeon.

Year of exchange: 1985

 

School: Nunawading High School

 

Sponsor: Hanseatic

 

City of exchange in Germany: Spangenberg in Hessen

 

A memory from your exchange:

The bells of the church across the road chiming all night long! And snow!

 

Studies after the exchange:

B. Sc (Hons) - Microbiology, B.A - German, PhD Microbiology, all at University of Melbourne.

 

Career path since then:

Post-doctoral work at Imperial College London

Lecturer/Senior Lecturer appointments, Monash University

Associate Professor/Professor appointments, University of Melbourne.

 

What are you doing now?

Researching bacterial infectious diseases and also Director and CEO, Hudson Institute of Medical Research and Head, Department of Molecular and Translational Science, Monash University Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences.

 

How the SAGSE exchange experience influenced your life's journey:

I have many science colleagues in Germany and frequently travel there. Also my daughter is moving to Dresden next year to take up a place at the Palucca Hochschule für Tanz, one of Germany's amazing ballet academies.

 

Further comments:

I always feel at home in Germany because of my SAGSE exchange experience, and this has now influenced my daughter's life journey too.