Wei Yeh

Bachelor of Medicine / Bachelor of Surgery, PhD

Supervisors – Professor Helmut Butzkueven, Dr Melissa Gresle, Associate Professor Vilija Jokubaitis, Associate Professor Rodney Lea and Associate Professor Anneke van der Walt

Wei Yeh decided to do a PhD degree based on his fascination with the immune system and how aberrant activity can lead to autoimmune disease. He started subspecialty neurology training in multiple sclerosis (MS) and neuroimmunology concurrently with his PhD. Before commencing his PhD, Wei completed his clinical training in neurology at the Royal Hobart Hospital and St Vincent’s Hospital (Melbourne).

For his PhD, he investigated MS, an autoimmune disease of the CNS, and how modifiable factors specifically of vitamin D and pregnancy interact with the immune system and disease activity, respectively. “My projects complimented my clinical interests in MS and autoimmunity, with the potential to further our knowledge of pathophysiologic mechanisms in MS specifically around vitamin D immunobiology, and to improve our understanding of treatment strategy in the context of pregnancy with directly translatable implications,” said Wei.

A highlight during his doctoral degree was presenting his findings from one of his studies as a platform presentation at the largest MS research conference. “The PhD journey was very much a marathon, as well as a bit of a rollercoaster with ups and downs. Overall, it was a rewarding experience across multiple facets, including gaining new skills, discovering novel insights, and learning from my wise supervisors and mentors.

I am not quite sure it was exactly what I imagined, but I did go into it with an open mind. Certainly, none of us imagined the COVID-19 pandemic and how it affected us in research and life!”

At present, Wei is practising as a neurologist in the Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology Clinic at Alfred Health. He is also continuing his research career as postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Neuroscience, currently. “I am looking forward to further developing my skills in the analysis of large clinical datasets and contributing to research in MS and other neuroimmunological conditions.”

Wei has also received an ECTRIMS Research Programme Fellowship to travel to the University of Oxford (UK) to learn all about their specialist services for patients with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (MOGAD), and support opportunities for his translational research career as a young researcher