9 June 2009
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| Adrian Cameron |
A Monash University PhD student and epidemiologist, whose research into metabolic syndrome has helped doctors determine the best way of predicting the development of Type 2 diabetes, has received a high commendation in the 2009 Premier's Award for Medical Research.
Through his work, Adrian Cameron, a PhD candidate in the Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, working at the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, is helping shape the way obesity is tackled in Australia.
Metabolic syndrome is a collection of disorders that occur together and increase a person's risk of developing type 2 diabetes, stroke or heart disease.
Mr Cameron received $8000 and a certificate for his work from the Premier of Victoria at a ceremony at Government House earlier this month.
Mr Cameron said urgent action was needed to help people control their waistlines.
"The consequences of obesity are serious, and can include the metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and premature death." he said.
"Obesity is a major risk factor; as a society, we need to prevent it developing in children and young people to avoid the heart attacks and diabetes that can occur if they don't control their weight."
Using data from the landmark Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study (AusDiab), Mr Cameron's research has provided key national information on the level of obesity in Australia and its health consequences.
In 2004/05 the AusDiab study showed that every day in Australia, 275 adults developed diabetes. The study also showed the average increase in waist circumference in Australians over five years was 2.1 centimetres.
His work has answered important questions on the role of abdominal obesity in metabolic syndrome, and how it can be used to predict the development of diabetes -- a question of relevance to both clinicians and researchers.
His findings have been published in 22 top-ranked international journals and he has been invited to speak at major international conferences and expert committee meetings on obesity and the metabolic syndrome.
In 2007 he received the prestigious Metabolic Syndrome Institute Award and was the top ranked Victorian recipient of a Heart Foundation Post Graduate Scholarship in 2005.
In 2005 he was an Australian Youth Ambassador for Development, teaching biostatistics at the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research in Dhaka, Bangladesh. He is a member of the Australasian Epidemiological Association.
For more information or to arrange an interview with Adrian Cameron, contact Samantha Blair, Media and Communications + 61 3 9903 4841. | 
