Research update: Marie Bashir Institute

The Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity (MBI) was first conceptualised by the then Dean of Medicine, Professor Bruce Robinson AM, while he was travelling through Indonesia in 2009.

“Witnessing a bird flu outbreak firsthand, he realised that collaboration would be required from many disciplines to control the rapid spread of infectious diseases like influenza,” explains Professor Tania Sorrell AM, MBI Co-Director and Professor of Clinical Infectious Diseases at the University of Sydney. 

On his return to Australia, Professor Robinson coordinated a meeting of 30+ staff from various faculties to establish an infectious disease and biosecurity network led by Professor Sorrell. The network would later be known as the Marie Bashir Institute, named after the Hon. Professor Dame Marie Bashir AD CVO, former Governor of New South Wales, Chancellor of the University, and a psychiatrist committed to helping the marginalised.

MBI’s objectives and vision have remained consistent since the network’s establishment. “Our goal is to reduce the health and socioeconomic consequences of emerging infectious diseases, particularly in the Asia- Pacific region,” says Professor Sorrell. 

“We hope to achieve this through research, education, capacity-building and advocacy work with government and professional societies, and through communication with the public. Essentially we want to answer questions surrounding the control and containment of infections and antimicrobial resistance.”

MBI is a virtual institute operating across three main campuses – Camperdown, Westmead and Camden. The internal framework was developed around research themes (or nodes) involving at least three disciplines or schools, to promote multidisciplinary collaborations. 

The institute has now grown to 160 members, many of whom are established research leaders who have obtained grants to pursue projects with international collaborators all over the world.

“We’ve been extraordinarily successful,” says Professor Sorrell. “Our return on investment is one of the highest at the University – we attract more than $10 million in multidisciplinary competitive research funding as well as other major funds, each year. We’ve facilitated the recruitment of some high-level academics to the University. We have also previously offered the Master of Health Security degree, and have run a number of workshops in partnership with the World Health Organization relating to emerging diseases.” 

Professor Sorrell is internationally renowned for her research on cryptococcus and other fungal infections. She has made major contributions towards our understanding of fungal diseases and continues to take part in much of the key research that happens at the Marie Bashir Institute.