logo white

Meet the Biobank team

The Biobank Menu

Behind every sample is a team committed to making a difference.

Dr Rosilene Ribeiro

Dr Rosilene Ribeiro

Head of Research Operations and Governance

Rosie is a Public Health Dietitian with a PhD in Nutritional Epidemiology and over 15 years of experience in clinical research, ethics, and governance. She joined ADDRI in 2024 as the Manager of Ethics and Research Governance, a role vital to ensuring the institute’s research activities meet the highest ethical standards and align with ADDRI’s mission to advance public health. In this role, Rosie manages ethics applications, site approvals for the ADDRI biobank, and provides governance support for clinical trials and research projects. She works closely with research governance offices, fosters collaboration with sites across NSW and Australia, and ensures compliance with Good Clinical Practice standards, helping maintain the integrity of ADDRI’s research portfolio.
Before joining ADDRI, Rosie held leadership positions at the Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney, where she gained extensive expertise in lifestyle interventions and clinical trials. She has mentored emerging researchers, promoted interdisciplinary collaboration, and played a critical role in several clinical trials and cohort studies which have yield publications in top peer reviewed journals.
linkedin

Publications

publications icon Faecal metaproteomics analysis reveals a high cardiovascular risk profile across healthy individuals and heart failure patients
publications icon The association of dietary antioxidants and the inflammatory potential of the diet with poor physical function and disability in older Australian men: the Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project
publications icon Vegetarian Dietary Patterns and Cardiometabolic Risk in People With or at High Risk of Cardiovascular Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
publications icon Impact of dietary carbohydrate type and protein-carbohydrate interaction on metabolic health
publications icon Aging, lifestyle and dementia
publications icon Nutritional strategies to optimise cognitive function in the aging brain
publications icon The Geometric Framework and Nutrition in Older Age [dissertation]
publications icon Adequacy of nutritional intake among older men living in Sydney, Australia: findings from the Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project (CHAMP)
publications icon Functional profiling of gut microbial and immune responses toward different types of dietary fiber: a step toward personalized dietary interventions
publications icon How Changes in the Nutritional Landscape Shape Gut Immunometabolism
publications icon Diet quality in an ethnically diverse population of older men in Australia
publications icon Mortality Paradox of Older Italian-Born Men in Australia: The Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project
publications icon Diet-driven microbial ecology underpins associations between cancer immunotherapy outcomes and the gut microbiome
publications icon Relative Validity of a Diet History Questionnaire Against a Four-Day Weighed Food Record among Older Men in Australia: The Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project (CHAMP)
publications icon Of Older Mice and Men: Branched-Chain Amino Acids and Body Composition
publications icon The nutrition for healthy living study: A randomised clinical trial assessing the effect of protein sources on healthy ageing
publications icon Rapid benefits in older age from transition to whole food diet regardless of protein source or fat to carbohydrate ratio: Arandomised control trial
publications icon Diet quality and its implications on the cardio-metabolic, physical and general health of older men: the Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project (CHAMP)
publications icon Essential Hypertension Is Associated With Changes in Gut Microbial Metabolic Pathways: A Multisite Analysis of Ambulatory Blood Pressure
publications icon Haem Iron Intake Is Associated with Increased Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events, All-Cause Mortality, Congestive Cardiac Failure, and Coronary Revascularisation in Older Men: The Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project
publications icon Changes in Dietary Total and Nonheme Iron Intake Is Associated With Incident Frailty in Older Men: The Concord Health and Aging in Men Project
publications icon Associations between protein to non-protein ratio and intakes of other dietary components in a cohort aged 65-75 years: the Nutrition for Healthy Living Study
publications icon The short- and long-term effects of dietary patterns on cardiometabolic health in adults aged 65 years or older: a systematic review
publications icon Empirically derived dietary patterns are associated with major adverse cardiovascular events, all-cause mortality, and congestive cardiac failure in older men: The Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project
publications icon Cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between empirically derived dietary patterns and frailty among older men: The Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project
publications icon Nutritional, environmental and economic impacts of ultra-processed food consumption in Australia
publications icon Branched chain amino acids, aging and age-related health
publications icon Branched Chain Amino Acids, Cardiometabolic Risk Factors and Outcomes in Older Men: The Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project
publications icon Maternal macronutrient intake effects on offspring macronutrient targets and metabolism
publications icon A randomized clinical trial to investigate the effect of dietary protein sources on periodontal health
publications icon Association Between the Gut Microbiome and Their Metabolites With Human Blood Pressure Variability
publications icon The association between antioxidant intake, dietary pattern and depressive symptoms in older Australian men: the Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project
publications icon Prospective Associations Between Dietary Antioxidant Intake and Frailty in Older Australian Men: The Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project
publications icon Associations between nutrient intakes and dietary patterns with different sarcopenia definitions in older Australian men: the concord health and ageing in men project
publications icon Dietary and supplemental antioxidant intake and risk of major adverse cardiovascular events in older men: The concord health and ageing in men project
publications icon Changes in micronutrient intake and factors associated with this change among older Australian men: the Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project
publications icon Associations between dietary intake of total protein and sources of protein (plant vs. animal) and risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality in older Australian men: The Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project
publications icon Gut-derived acetate promotes B10 cells with antiinflammatory effects
publications icon Plant-Based Dietary Patterns, Body Composition, Muscle Strength and Function in Middle and Older Age: A Systematic Review
publications icon Adherence to Mediterranean diet and its associations with circulating cytokines, musculoskeletal health and incident falls in community-dwelling older men: The Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project
publications icon Proinflammatory Diet Increases Circulating Inflammatory Biomarkers and Falls Risk in Community-Dwelling Older Men
publications icon The Gut Microbiome of Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction
Dr Virginia James

Dr Virginia James

Biobank Officer and Laboratory Manager

The ADDRI Biobank provides a unique collection and vital resource of ethically approved high-quality biospecimens and accurate, reliable and standardised clinical data to pave the way for dust-related diseases research. As Biobank officer, Dr Virginia James administers the collection, processing and storage of consented donated tissue, blood and fluids and associated clinical data, maintaining stringent laboratory quality control strategies to ensure sample integrity.

Virginia brings extensive experience to the team with over 30 years in diagnostic pathology departments and research laboratories, most recently at the Westmead Institute for Medical Research (WIMR) as Biobank Officer and Advanced Histology Specialist. In 2023, she completed her PhD on the topic: Association of macrophage phenotypes with atherosclerotic plaque complex features

With a particular interest in histopathology and cytopathology techniques and image analysis, this statement by David Hume resonates with her: “No amount of observations of whites swans can allow the inference that all swans are white, but the observation of a single black swan is sufficient to refute that conclusion.”

linkedin

Publications

Juneau Middleton

Biobank Collections Officer

Juneau holds a First Class Honours in Applied Medical Science and a Master of Clinical Epidemiology from the University of Sydney. Prior to joining ADDRI, he conducted dermatological research at the Westmead Institute for Medical Research, where his work focused on the proteomic profiling of psoriasis using non-invasive sampling techniques. Drawing on this translational research experience, Juneau brings a strong appreciation for the connection between high-quality biospecimen management and meaningful clinical research outcomes, supporting ADDRI’s mission to advance understanding and treatment of asbestos and dust-related diseases.

Aimee Stenekes

Aimee Stenekes

Biobank Data Coordinator and Research Assistant

Aimee graduated from the University of Technology, Sydney in 2023 with an honour’s degree in Medical Science, which she completed externally at ADDRI. Her research focused on developing a novel 3D co-culture model of mesothelioma that more accurately mimics patient tumours compared to traditional in vitro models. This model holds potential as a valuable screening tool for preclinical mesothelioma therapeutic strategies. Since rejoining ADDRI, Aimee has been involved in biobank maintenance and will continue the work established in her honour’s.

Sign up to our newsletter

Sign up
Skip to content