Jemima Beissbarth is an extraordinary researcher who celebrated 20 years of service at Menzies in 2020 and is now undertaking her PhD.
Before starting at Menzies Jemima worked as a mining chemist, testing water and soil samples, quantifying metals, and balancing water chemistry at a power station and was undertaking her Bachelor of Science/Bachelor of Teaching.
Jemima said it was a Menzies ad in the newspaper that a friend saw and cut out for her that began her journey at Menzies.
Jemima began her career at Menzies as a lab research assistant in 2000 and has now become an essential part of the ear health research program. Her research interests include the bacterial causes of otitis media (middle ear infections) in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in the NT and the impact of pneumococcal vaccines and antibiotic use on bacterial carriage and antimicrobial resistance of respiratory pathogens.
Jemima has also been fundamental in getting the first Indigenous traineeships running alongside Associate Professor Heidi Smith-Vaughan, and trained the first trainees in the lab. Some trainees still stay in close contact with her and refer to her as their ‘lab mum’.
She lists Professor Amanda Leach AM, Associate Professor Heidi Smith-Vaughan and Professor Peter Morris as mentors and sources of inspiration during her time at Menzies.
“They have been very supportive over the years, allowing me opportunity and flexibility in working conditions after maternity leave and beyond, and when my kids were old enough and I wanted to return to full-time work they encouraged me to step up into more senior roles,” Jemima said.
Jemima grew up in Darwin, having moved there with her family in 1981, she says the outdoors and the fantastic dry seasons are what keeps her in the Top End of the Northern Territory. In the future Jemima hopes to continue her work at Menzies further contributing to evidence-based research interventions for otitis media.