Photo of Dr Herbert Jelinek Dr Herbert Jelinek

BSc(Hons, Human Genetics) / GradDip(Neurosci), PhD(Medicine), GradCertTeach&Learn

Dr Jelinek graduated from UNSW with honours in human genetics and completed a PhD in pattern recognition and analysis in neuroanatomy at Sydney University. Before joining CSU Dr Jelinek taught in Biology and Pharmacology at Sydney University and Anatomy and Physiology at the Australian College of Natural Therapies. His expertise is mainly in chronic disease screening with emphasis on diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Roles
  • Chair of School Higher Degree Research Committee
  • Coordinator Diabetes Screening Complications Research Initiative (DiScRi)
  • Member School Teaching and Learning Committee
  • Member Faculty Higher Degree Research Committee
  • Member University Biosafety Committee

 

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Teaching

I was a member of the working party that established the Bachelor of Physiotherapy and the Bachelor of Speech Pathology at CSU. I designed the content and delivery as well as assessment of the initial biomedical science subjects. Currently I am subject coordinator for two subjects, which are continuously revised to meet the requirements of a changing health system and health care delivery.

Subject Delivery
  • BMS350 Health and Chronic Disease
  • BMS255 Neuroscience for Health Practitioners
Innovations in Teaching

Teaching to five professional groups requires good interprofessional teaching design to promote student engagement and ownership of material within their respective disciplines. I have approached this in workshops designed to discuss case studies from an interprofessional perspective as well as examples in lectures illustrating interdisciplinary understanding as important in holistic, patient centred health care. I have also organised debates on current health care topics that address the role of different professions. Technology has provided an excellent opportunity to extend classroom presentations by including video clips, active audience responses through mobile phone use as well as computer-based learning and assessment.

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Research

My area of research is investigating diabetes complications. I apply computer science methods for analysis of biosignals such as ECGs to classify heart disease and the benefits of exercise on health as well as investigating opportunities for automated analysis of photographs of the inner eye for diabetic-related changes. Since diabetes is a metabolic/endocrine disorder studying of the changes in biomarkers including genetic, inflammatory and antioxidant markers has provided insight into how the disease progresses and identification of preclinical changes.

FoR Codes

  • 1103 Clinical Science
  • 1117 Health Promotion
  • 1109 Neurosciences
  • 8010 Artificial Intelligence

Key terms: Diabetes & cardiovascular disease screening; Genetics; Clinical chemistry; Endocrinology, Health promotion, Pattern recognition; Image analysis

Background: I coordinate a diabetes complication research initiative, which screens members of the public for diabetes complications including eye, heart, kidney, peripheral vascular disease and cognition. The data obtained is analysed using sophisticated statistics and datamining techniques. Clinical science is an essential part of my research effort, which includes the clinical chemistry analysis as well as genetic techniques, psychiatry, podiatry, communication and rehabilitation. Neuroscience comes into this research as I am interested in the neural control of the heart and changes to the peripheral nervous system in diabetes.

Current Research Projects
  • Dr Hayder Al-Aubaidy; Prof. Brett Hambly (Sydney University); Assoc Prof Craig McLachlan (UNSW)   
    Biochemical changes and genetic predisposition in diabetes complications.
  • Prof Franz Stachowiak; Dr Andrew Kemp (Sydney University); Dr Mika Tarvainen (University of East Finland)   
    Role of the autonomic nervous system in cognitive impairment, communication, diabetes and depression in risk of heart disease.
  • Dr Geoff Currie; Prof Hosen Kiat (Macquarie University); Assoc Prof Andrew Stranieri (Ballarat University)   
    Role of autonomic nervous system regulation in heart failure and effect of cardiac rehabilitation
  • Prof Miko Tullpo (Verve, Finland); Dr Antti Kiviniemi (Verve, Finland); Dr Timo Mäkikallio (University of Oulu, Finland); Prof Heikki Huikuri Mäkikallio (University of Oulu, Finland); Dr Ahsan Khandoker (University of Melbourne); Dr Chandan Karmakar (University of Melbourne);   
    Analysis of ECG traces in cardiac autonomic neuropathy and clinical changes associated with exercise and heart disease
  • Dr Anderson Rocha (University of Campinas, Brazil); Dr Alan Luckie (Albury Eye Clinic); Dr Michael Cree (University of Waikato, New Zealand); Dr David Worsley (Hamilton Eye Clinic, New Zealand)   
    Automated analysis of diabetic retinopathy
  • Dr Michael Buckland (Sydney University); Prof Dinesh Kumar (RMIT); Assoc Prof Craig McLachlan (UNSW); Dr Helmut Ahammer (Medical University Graz, Austria); Dr Thomas Wild (Medical University Vienna). Dr Michael Prinz (Medical University Vienna); Dr NebojsaMilosevic (University of Belgrade Serbia); Prof Dusan Ristanovic (University of Belgrade, Serbia); Dr David Cornforth (University of Newcastle)   
    Automated image analysis of brain tumours, neurons and blood vessel branching patterns
Current Research Higher Degree Students
  • Shamima Lasker    PhD   
    Microfibre disarray in diabetes development; a rabbit model
  • Eugene Butkowski    PhD   
    Biomarker interactions in diabetes progression
  • Brett Biles    PhD   
    Effect of exercise and health education in a cohort of Aboriginal men with diabetes
  • Abhijit Paul    MSc   
    Automated ECG analysis using datamining
  • Brooke Cantley    MSc   
    Reference measures for cardiac autonomic neuropathy in a New Zealand cohort
  • Trisha Nishat-e- Sharmin    PhD   
    Health knowledge in a Bangladeshi community

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Professional & Community Engagement

Currently I am mainly coordinating the annual diabetes complications screening at CSU, which is open to member of the public. Previously I was also involved in the Low Vision Clinic in Albury.

Roles
  • Member Research Australia Working Group
  • Coordinator of Diabetes Screening research Initiative, CSU

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