It is my pleasure to announce that Dr Deborah Burnett has accepted our invitation to be the Association’s Patron. Dr Burnett has a distinguished career in research at both the UNSW and the Garvin Institute, where she has been the recipient of numerous awards.

Patron
Dr Burnett, Scientia Senior Lecturer at UNSW, was a 2025 finalist in the Marie Krogh Young Women in Science Prize for her transformative contributions to immunology and vaccine innovation. Her research challenged long-held assumptions about self-reactive B-cells, revealing they can strengthen immunity – a breakthrough now shaping global vaccine design. Deborah has led programs informing public health policy, published in Science and Immunity, and established national vaccine platforms endorsed by NSW Health. Recognised in 2023 with the NSW Premier’s Prize and 2025 Young Tall Poppy Award, she combines cutting-edge science with leadership to accelerate safe, effective vaccines and champion equity in STEM. She was also inducted into The Marie Krogh Prize Alumni in November, 2025.

We are indeed honoured to have Dr Deborah Burnett as the Association’s Patron.

Website
As I write, we are in the process of finalizing our new website. Ilona has done an excellent job assisting with the design and ensuring the project's completion. It has been a long time coming. I believe you will find the new website to be more user-friendly and informative.

Annual General Meeting
As we approach 2026, a timely reminder that the Association’s Annual General Meeting will be held Saturday, 7th February at 10 am via Zoom. Nominations for Committee positions close 16th January and can be emailed to our Secretary, Lisa. detailing your background and the experience you would contribute to the position.

Nominations will be accepted on the day if a position has no nominee by the closing date. Nominees and attendees must be financial members of the Association. Membership renewals are due 1st January.

Coffee Catch-Up
February will also see the restart of our Virtual Coffee Catch-ups, beginning Saturday 14th. Links to both the AGM and Coffee Catch-Up links can be found in Christmas issue.

On behalf of the Committee, I would like to wish all of our members a very Merry Christmas and Happy and prosperous 2026!

Cheers, Ken.