The purpose of this Fellowship is to encourage and advance clinical research into inflammatory bowel disease in Australia.

The applicant must:

• be an Australian citizen or hold permanent Australian resident status;
• hold a higher research degree (e.g., PhD, MD);
• have shown an ability to successfully carry out clinical research; and
• Outline a research proposal that specifically applies to clinical aspects of patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Preference is given to proposals for work that complies with the priority areas of CCA as listed below.

• Diagnosis
• Prevention
• Better disease management and improved well being
• Epidemiology
• Complementary therapies 

THE CCA’s Young Investigator Award 2008/2009 has been awarded to Dr Peter De Cruz for his research project, Post-operative Crohn’s disease: cause and prevention.

Dr De Cruz said the $10,000 research grant would ``propel his project forward’’.

``To have received the support of Crohn’s and Colitis Australia reinforces the importance of this project to the majority of people with Crohn’s disease,’’ Dr De Cruz said. ``The intestine is precious, so that anything we can do to lessen the chance of active disease or further operations is worthwhile. We have to win the war against recurrent active Crohn’s disease and find out whether it is the bugs in our gut, the immune system, or a combination of the two that are responsible for recurrent Crohn’s disease after an operation.’’

Dr De Cruz completed his undergraduate studies in medicine at Monash University and graduated in 2001. He completed his internship at The Royal Melbourne Hospital in 2002 and undertook basic physician training at St Vincent’s Hospital from 2004 to 2006. He passed the written and clinical examinations in adult medicine in 2006. He then undertook advanced training in gastroenterology at The Alfred Hospital in 2007 and completed his final clinical year of training at St Vincent’s Hospital in 2008.

Dr De Cruz maintains an interest in medical education and research and currently occupies a position on the Royal College of Physicians’ (RACP) Gastroenterology Specialist Advisory Committee as Gastroenterology Advanced Trainee representative.  

In addition to the Young Investigator award, Dr De Cruz has been awarded an NH&MRC post-graduate medical scholarship for his research into post-operative Crohn’s disease.

De Cruz has also commenced research towards a doctorate in philosophy, through the Department of Medicine at the University of Melbourne, St Vincent’s Hospital, under the supervision of Professor Michael Kamm. He will be collaborating on this project with the research groups of Dr Carl Kirkwood (Murdoch Children’s Research Institute) and Dr Chris McSweeny (CSIRO).

Post-operative Crohn’s disease: cause and prevention

Eighty per cent of patients with Crohn’s disease need an operation at some time in their life. Unfortunately even if all the diseased intestine is removed, the disease nearly always recurs, and 70 per cent of those who have had an operation will require another one.

This project aims to determine whether regular bowel examination after surgery, together with drug treatment if the disease is recurring, will prevent severe disease, symptoms, and the need for another operation.

We also aim to investigate in the laboratory whether particular bowel bacteria or the immune system cause recurrent disease.

Projects benefit to the IBD community

This project aims to improve the management of patients after an operation, so that the burden of disease and the need for further surgery is decreased. The project also aims to identify factors that might cause recurrence of Crohn’s disease after an operation, so that eventually these causes can be targeted directly.