About the Department of Immunology

The Monash University Department of Immunology evolved from the Department of Pathology and Immunology, acknowledging immunology and immunopathology as its particular research and teaching strength. Since its establishment in 1963 the Department has maintained a strong research presence on the Alfred Hospital site and has developed into an internationally renowned centre with combined expertise in teaching, research and service delivery in immunology and immunopathology.

Undergraduate teaching programs include those in immunology, human pathology and cell biology for the Bachelor of Science degree in the Faculty of Science and, as electives, for the Bachelor of Biomedical Science degree in the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences. The Department also contributes to immunology components of core Biomedical Science units. For the Bachelor of Nutrition and Dietetics degree, an immunology module is taught jointly with the Alfred Hospital's Nutrition Department and for the Bachelor of Radiography and Medical Imaging degree, a pathology module is taught. Members of the Baker and Burnet Institutes actively contribute to the Department's undergraduate teaching programs. The Department also hosts a robust cohort of honours students for both Science and Biomedical Science degrees with many continuing on to post-graduate Masters and PhD studies in the Department and affiliated institutes at the Alfred Medical Research and Education Precinct (AMREP).

Research activities of the Department include the Allergy Research Laboratory headed by Professor Robyn O'Hehir and Associate Professor Jennifer Rolland, the Molecular Signaling Laboratory headed by Associate Professor Jun-Ping Liu, the Vascular Biology Laboratory lead by Department Head, Professor Michael Berndt, the Vaccine and Infectious Diseases Laboratory (Prof Magdalene Plebanski) the Diabetes Research Laboratory headed by Associate Professor Robyn Slattery and the Diabetes/Microvascular Complications Laboratory (Associate Professor Jenny Wilkinson-Berka). Further information on each of these groups can be obtained by clicking on the 'Research' link below.

Research in the Department of Immunology