Cicada Spotlight: Dr Sonu Bhaskar
It's amazing to see how fast innovators nurture their innovation and vision to success. We’re proud to see innovators who have started and grown their innovations through commercialisation programs at Cicada and are now taking their products to a global market. Last year, Dr Sonu Bhaskar, completed our Specialisations course in Software as a Medical Device (Part of the NSW Health Commercialisation Training Program) and is now the founding director of the world's first Blood Clot BioBank in NSW and Global Neurological Lab. We spoke with him today to learn more about his story behind his passion in neuroscience and congratulate his recent incredible milestone of winning the Australian Global Talent Award 2022.
The 2022 Australian Global Talent Award is a new recognition of your broad career. Looking back, can you walk us through 3 pivotal moments in your career/life so far?
- One key moment in my career has been the European Academy of Neurology (EAN)'s Investigator Award that I received at the EAN Oslo conference in 2019. I was the recipient of two awards in the same year.
- Second, is the Rotary Vocational Excellence Award in 2020.
- Third, is the announcement of being the winner of the Australian Global Talent Award on September 7, 2022. As a migrant to Australia, who came here nearly 10 years ago, this is a huge honour to be recognised for the impact my work has made globally, spanning medical research to policy and community-wide impact. This is also a testament to great collaborators, mentors, students and the community who have been pivotal to this journey all along.
You are among the world’s top specialists in stroke and cerebrovascular disorders. What motivated you to start your research in the neurological field?
I have always been fascinated by neuroscience - the human brain is one of the most sophisticated and beautiful forms of art. I was deeply inspired by the work and life of Spanish Neurologist and Neuroscientist Dr Santiago Ramón y Cajal. Cajal was a legend, often called the father of modern neuroscience - for his neuron doctrine that transformed our understanding of the nervous system. Cajal shared the 1906 Nobel Prize in medicine with Golgi. Despite more than a century of research, and great advancements in all fields of medicine, there is so much we still don't know about the human brain and how it wires (or rewires). Cerebrovascular disorders in general, and stroke in particular, pose a huge burden to our community. Research in neuroscience is fundamental to bridging our knowledge gaps and reducing the burden.
In 2019, you founded the world's first Blood Clot Biobank in Sydney. What are your goals for this year?
For this year, and in coming years, we wish to continue to expand the blood clot bank program locally and globally.
Tell us more about the Global Health Neurology Lab you lead, and how other researchers can also be part of it.
Global Health Neurology Lab is a social enterprise dedicated to promoting health and preventing diseases. I lead a multidisciplinary international group dedicated to advancing brain, and global, health locally and globally to reduce social inequalities in health. Our mission is to transform healthcare through cutting-edge neuroscience, artificial intelligence, and design engineering. Our programs hinge around: (i) evidence-based clinical and policy recommendations, and (b) developing low-cost innovations to address pressing global health challenges and neurological impairments. We welcome interest from researchers from across the globe who wish to explore an opportunity at the intersections of health, data science, and social issues in a truly global, multicultural, and diverse group.You recently participated in one of the Specialisation courses of the NSW Health Commercialisation Program: Software as a Medical Device. How did it help you on your journey?
These programs are a great resource for health/medical entrepreneurs to understand the ecosystem in Australia and ways to navigate them. Besides, I loved the opportunity to connect with other entrepreneurs to know about their journey as well as to share my insights with others.
What are you currently reading, watching, or listening to that you would recommend to the community?
I am currently reading Hector Garcia's Ikigai and Meryl Comer's Slow Dancing with a Stranger. I also enjoy listening to the "Coffee Podcast".
