Matt Gillespie is the new director of Melbourne's Prince Henry's Institute.

Federal Health Minister Tony Abbott recently announced the 19 members of the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) for the next three years, presenting the head of one of Australia's largest medical research institutes, Professor Michael Good, with an unexpected but very welcome new challenge. Fiona Wylie reports.

Australia's medical research community has welcomed news of major changes to the nation's sole research funding agency, the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).

Individuals and groups opposed to stem cell research have dominated submissions to the Lockhart Legislative Review of Australia's stem cell legislation.

Two Melbourne researchers, Dr Merlin Thomas and Dr Stephen Ting, have jointly won the 2005 Victorian Premier's Award for Medical Research.

The president of the Australian Society for Medical Research has made a call for action from researchers to campaign for more federal government funding for medical research.

The message from this year's Australian Society for Medical Research medallist, Julian Savulescu, was controversial but clear: we should use science to enhance humans.

Melissa Trudinger looks at the issues that are set to arise as debate begins again on stem cell research in Australia.

Advocates and opponents of stem cell research across Australia are gearing up for the reignition of the debate that polarised Australia's state and federal governments in 2002.

Prof Judith Whitworth - a specialist in hypertension, and current director of the John Curtin School of Medical Research - has been appointed for a three-year term as chair of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Advisory Committee on Health Research.

As the prospect of 'genetic passports' and DIY genetics tests grows more imminent, regulators need to get up to speed with scientific developments, this year's Australian Society for Medical Research medallist, Prof Mary Hendrix, has warned.