Associate Professor Andrew Mallett’s research into genetically or inherited kidney disease

Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital nephrologist Associate Professor Andrew Mallett has a special interest in researching and looking after people with
genetically or inherited kidney disease (GKD).

“One in 80 to one in 100 adults will have GKD and we don’t understand it anywhere near well enough, so it follows that we cannot treat what we don’t understand,”

Assoc Prof Mallett said. “Our research is the discovery work to understand the underpinnings of GKD, so that we can hopefully, in 10 to 20 years, find cures.”

The Fellowship is critical in allowing Assoc Prof Mallett to pursue clinician researcher pathways.

“Traditionally in Australia, you’re one or the other, a researcher or a clinician,” he said.

“The motivation for me to apply for the Fellowship was seeing that there was another way to be and do both – conduct research and be a clinician.

“It allows me to balance my clinical and research load because I can take up more opportunities, work with more and new people, and learn new skills to bring
all skillsets together to make new discoveries and, ultimately, make a real difference.

“That’s what research is all about, learning new skills and applying them to find answers to questions, and sometimes we find questions that we never knew we
weren’t answering.”

Assoc Prof Mallett’s research into GKD is broad and the Fellowship allows him to leverage significant current and future clinical and research opportunities.