Dr Azmeraw Amare wins 2022 Discovery Early Career Researcher Award

Congratulations to Dr Azmeraw Amare on being awarded a 2022 Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) from the Australian Research Council.

Dr Amare is a clinical epidemiologist with expertise across the disciplines of genetic epidemiology, public health and healthy ageing. The DECRA scheme provides focused research support for early career researchers.

Dr Amare will be investigating the genetic basis of human intrinsic capacity. Intrinsic capacity is a new concept introduced by experts at the World Health Organisation to promote healthy ageing. It is defined as the composite of an individual’s physical and mental capacities, based on measures of five criteria; cognitive, sensory, locomotor, vitality and psychological. It is a genetically predetermined trait but is influenced by a range of environmental stimuli. Applying a cutting-edge genetic methodology on big biobank datasets, this project aims to examine the role of genetics and the environment to explain the variability of intrinsic capacity between individuals. Understanding the biological basis of intrinsic capacity has major implications for scientific research in healthy ageing and mental wellbeing.

We look forward to seeing what Dr Amare’s research reveals in the future.