Dr Jenny Gunton, Garvan Institute of Medical Research
01 September 2011
Could Vitamin D have a role in diabetes?
Jenny Gunton began working on diabetes because it is the most common cause of adult blindness, end-stage kidney disease, amputations and heart disease but with good treatment complications can be prevented to some extent. During her PhD, when she was investigating metformin, an important drug used in diabetes therapy and was able to use the latest technology to study the differences in genetic activity between the insulin-producing pancreatic beta-cells in people who had diabetes and those who did not.
Jenny used her L’Oréal For Women In Science to investigate the link between Vitamin D and diabetes as her study had suggested that Vitamin D deficiency may play a role in the onset of diabetes.
Qualifications
2000-2003 PhD The University of Sydney, Australia
1995-2000 Admitted as a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of Physicians, Australia
1987-1992 Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery The University of Queensland, Australia
Career highlights
2005- Senior Research Officer, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, Australia
2005- Staff Specialist, Diabetes and Endocrinology, Westmead Hospital, Sydney, Australia
2005- Conjoint Senior Lecturer, University of Sydney and University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
2003-2005 Post-doctoral Fellowship, Kahn Laboratory, Joslin Diabetes Center & Harvard Medical School, University of Washington, U.S.
2000-2003 PhD student at the Kolling Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, Australia and staff specialist, Westmead Hospital, Sydney, Australia
1998-1999 Endocrinology registrar at Royal North Shore Hospital and Clinical Associate in Medicine at The University of Sydney, Australia
1998 Head of House Committee for the Resident Medical Officers’ Association
1997 Medical Registrar at Royal Brisbane Hospital and Associate Clinical Lecturer in Medicine at The University of Queensland, Australia
1995-1996 Medical Registrar at Royal North Shore Hospital, Australia
1993 Intern at Royal Brisbane Hospital, Australia
Honours, grants and awards
2007-2011 National Health and Medical Research Council / DART Career development award
2003-2007 National Health and Medical Research Council CJ Martin Post-doctoral Fellowship
2004 Royal Australasian College of Physicians Pfizer Research Fellowship
2003 Royal Australasian College of Physicians Servier Fellowship
2003 Senior Young Investigator Award from the Endocrine Society of Australia
2000-2003 NHMRC Postgraduate Medical Scholarship
1999 Young Investigator of the Year Award from the Australasian Diabetes In Pregnancy Society
