UWA Alumni Changemaker – Dr Brendan Kennedy
Head, BRITElab, Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research
Senior Research Fellow, School of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering
UWA and me
I am a researcher in the School of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering and the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research where I lead BRITElab – the Bio-imaging Research and Innovation for Translational Engineering Laboratory. My research is in the field of biomedical engineering and I am developing new surgical devices using optical imaging to create high resolution images of tumour. Our goal is to allow surgeons to more effectively remove tumour during surgery. I spend a lot of time in Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and Fiona Stanley Hospital, where I work with a team of engineers and medical researchers, in close collaboration with surgeons and pathologists.
In addition, I teach in the School and, with others, am actively developing a Masters level program in Biomedical Engineering. In 2018, this course will be offered, for the first time, as a new specialisation to students entering the Masters of Professional Engineering. It’s incredibly exciting to be part of this emerging area at UWA.
Engineering improved health outcomes
My passion is to use my skills in engineering to develop solutions for surgeons that will allow them to perform better surgery, directly impacting and improving people’s lives. This is something I never imagined I would do when I started studying engineering. I am grateful every day for this opportunity and for the support I receive in my research from the UWA community. I am also passionate about training students, particularly in biomedical engineering, so that they have similar opportunities to apply their engineering skills to improve health outcomes and to learn to work in multidisciplinary teams. This is so rewarding!
Accurate surgery on a microscopic level
During breast surgery, surgeons are often guided by their sense of touch and eyesight when removing tumour. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always allow surgeons to detect all tumour. In around 25% of cases, a second surgery is needed because tumour was missed. There is a need to develop more accurate tools that will allow surgeons to effectively remove the entire tumour during the first surgery. This will have a huge impact on the lives of thousands of Australians.
I feel there is an obligation on biomedical engineers to improve the situation. We aim to contribute by developing an imaging device that allows surgeons to visualise microscopic traces of tumour during surgery. If successful, surgeons will know, with confidence, that all tumour has been removed and patients can take comfort in knowing they have received highly effective treatment.
UWA's collective effort and creative leadership
What excites me most about UWA is the collective effort to contribute to a better society across the spectrum of research and teaching and in wide-ranging disciplines from medical research to music. I’m excited to be a part of this community!
The vision to become the best we can be as a University is inspiring, and fundamental to that is creating innovative ways to perform research and teaching. For example, through the vision of Professor John Dell, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences and Prof Peter Leedman, Director, Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, the initiative Biomedical Engineering @ Perkins was created last year, resulting in 30 biomedical engineering researchers and students being based in the Perkins Centre on the Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital campus. By working side-by-side with medical researchers and clinicians, we are much more likely to develop solutions that will translate to clinical practice. This type of creative leadership underpins what makes UWA great!