Five minutes with Fellowship recipient Dr John Welch

1. What inspired you to become a doctor?

I originally started out doing a science degree which focused on molecular biology. The further I progressed in my degree, the more I realised how much I enjoyed the medical applications to my studies. While I still gain a lot of satisfaction from the ‘nitty gritty' of science, being a doctor enables me to combine my first love of science with an ongoing interaction with people from all walks of life. This is very gratifying to me, both professionally and personally.

2. Why have you chosen to focus your research on child health?

I have worked in a number of challenging and interesting areas of medicine but I find working with children and young people the most rewarding. A healthy childhood provides the foundation for a healthy life, and so I see research in this area as extremely important, both now and for the future.

3. What appeals to you about the Children's Research Centre?

Prior to studying medicine I was fortunate enough to work at the National Institute of Health in the United States. The working environment there was strongly focused on combining clinical work with research, and through this they achieved amazing results. I have found this same kind of ethic within the Children's Research Centre, which resonates strongly with the way I would like to practice medicine.

4. What are the themes and aims of your research project?

Type 1 diabetes is a disease which affects 20 in 100,000 Australian children and the incidence of this disease is only increasing in the developed world. My project is designed to look at one of the cells in the immune system (the regulatory T-cells) which are a bit like the policemen of the immune system. I am going to examine just how many T-cells there are in people with type 1 diabetes, and whether they or not they are doing their job properly.

5. What do you hope to gain from your Fellowship?

The Fellowship will enable me to combine my research with clinical work while I complete my training in paediatric endocrinology. I hope that through my Fellowship, I will be able to expand current knowledge about immune system dysregulation and how this leads to type 1 diabetes. In doing so, I hope to come closer to finding a better way of managing the disease.

6. What are your career ambitions for the future?

Once I have completed my Fellowship at the Children's Research Centre and concluded my training in paediatric endocrinology, I plan to head overseas to gain international experience in the field. I then hope to return to Adelaide and work in a research and clinical setting to further knowledge in the area of type 1 diabetes.