Clinician Scientist

Dr. Swaminathan is a clinician scientist with wide experience in the clinical, research and teaching spheres. He is a Senior Staff Specialist and Head of the Department of Immunology and Allergy at Westmead and Blacktown Hospitals. His clinical interests span a range of immunological conditions including, allergic disorders and secondary immune deficiencies. His PhD was completed under the guidance of Professor Anthony Kelleher (Director, Kirby Institute, UNSW), where he explored the role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the pathogenicity of HIV-1 infection. He found a novel link between the expression of a family of highly expressed miRNAs (the let-7 family) and a broadly anti-inflammatory cytokine, IL-10, that was published in the Journal of Immunology and has been cited >100 times since 2012. He was a Post-doctoral Fellow at the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research under the guidance of Dr H. Clifford Lane, Deputy Director of NIAID and Dr. Tomozumi Imamichi.