Ophthalmology registrar Dr Jason Ha commenced his MACH-Track fellowship in 2022 at the University of Melbourne’s School of Biomedical Sciences, alongside the RANZCO Vocational Training Pathway at the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital.
In the clinics, Dr Ha has seen first-hand the surge in diabetic eye disease: “There is a great unmet need for therapies preventing vision loss before it occurs.”
At the University of Melbourne and Centre for Eye Research Australia (CERA), Dr Ha is collaborating with experts to investigate how the immune system interacts with the eye in diabetes.
“As MACH-Track Fellows, we get the privilege of working with different institutions and being part of a collaborative effort,” he says.
His goal is to create new treatments for diabetic eye disease to help preserve and restore vision.
“I’m passionate about taking cutting-edge, novel discoveries from the laboratory and finding clinical applications. And the technologies we’re using at the University of Melbourne and CERA are critical to advancing that.”
Dr Ha says the MACH-Track program is supporting cutting-edge research, which is cross-institutional and involves international collaborations.
“Long gone are the days when you had single researchers discovering insulin – now biomedical research is multidisciplinary and highly collaborative.
“And being able to foster that within the MACH-Track community is really great.
“There’s a great deal of interest throughout the MACH network about MACH-Track. The collective support has been fundamental to my ongoing professional development.”
Collaborating for real impact
Dr Ha says his fellowship is giving him the dedicated time he needs to investigate a promising immune therapy that prevents the damage that happens early in diabetic eye disease well before the effects of vision loss become apparent – utilising the powerful anti-inflammatory effects of regulatory T cells.
“By understanding how these cells interact with the retina, we can potentially treat retinal vascular diseases we often see in our clinics, such as diabetic retinopathy and hypertensive retinopathy.”
The opportunity to undertake various ‘mini-projects’ during the first year of the MACH-Track program allowed him to connect with key academics across different institutions—broadening his knowledge and networks in vision research.
This shaped the direction and scope of his PhD, enabling him to leverage the expertise of a cross-institutional supervisory team. That includes Head of the School of Biomedical Sciences Professor Jenny Wilkinson-Berka.
After drawing on her laboratory’s expertise in retinal vascular biology and immunology, Dr Ha knew he had found his primary PhD supervisor.
“I feel very lucky to have Professor Wilkinson-Berka’s support and guidance. She has fostered a great team of researchers and has greatly expanded my network of mentors and collaborators,” he says.
He is also working alongside PhD co-supervisor Professor Peter van Wijngaarden – current CERA Deputy Director and incoming Florey Institute Executive Director – who is using AI and hyperspectral imaging to find early signs of diabetic eye disease.
“Professor van Wijngaarden is providing critical insights into how we can translate any fundamental discoveries we make to help our patients in the clinic,” says Dr Ha.
Dr Ha’s connection to CERA has been ongoing since 2017, ever since pursuing a Monash University Bachelor of Medical Science (Honours) year to investigate the spectral changes caused by cataract surgery on retinal hyperspectral images.
“It was a pivotal moment that set me on the ophthalmology path and really got me interested in research,” he says.
Now an accredited registrar, Dr Ha is in his third year of ophthalmic training and has recently completed a six-month rotation at the Royal Children’s Hospital.
“MACH-Track is allowing me to keep one foot in the clinical world and the other in academic research – and progress on both fronts.”
Applications or our 2025 MACH-Track program have now closed. Be sure to subscribe to our MACH newsletters below to read all about our new cohort of future healthcare leaders when we make the announcement in November.