WEHI

WEHI
Latin: Fiat Lux
MottoBrighter together
Founder(s)Harry Brookes Allen
Established1915; 109 years ago (1915)
MissionTranslational medical research
PresidentChristopher Thomas
DirectorKen Smith
FacultyUniversity of Melbourne
Adjunct facultyRoyal Melbourne Hospital
Staffapprox. 1,000 (incl. 166 students)
BudgetA$105 million (2015)
Formerly calledWalter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research
Location, , ,
Australia
Coordinates37°47′53″S 144°57′22″E / 37.798°S 144.956°E / -37.798; 144.956
Websitewww.wehi.edu.au
[1]

WEHI (English: /wˈh/), previously known as the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, and as the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, is Australia's oldest medical research institute.[2] Sir Frank Macfarlane Burnet, who won the Nobel Prize in 1960 for his work in immunology, was director from 1944 to 1965. Burnet developed the ideas of clonal selection and acquired immune tolerance. Later, Professor Donald Metcalf discovered and characterised colony-stimulating factors. As of 2015, the institute hosted more than 750 researchers who work to understand, prevent and treat diseases including blood, breast and ovarian cancers; inflammatory diseases (autoimmunity) such as rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes and coeliac disease; and infectious diseases such as malaria, HIV and hepatitis B and C.[3]

Located in Parkville, Melbourne, it is closely associated with The University of Melbourne and The Royal Melbourne Hospital. The institute also has a campus at La Trobe University. The director of WEHI, since April 2024, is Professor Ken Smith.

  1. ^ "Annual Report 2015". Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research. 2016. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "2014 Annual Report" (PDF). Walter and Eliza Hall Institute. 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2015.