Emeritus Professor Greg Tannock and Associate Professor Paul Gorry will head the team hosting the Viral Infections course from 18 July.

It’s the first time Burnet staff have been involved in the prestigious course, which is made up of mostly international students as part of the RMIT University Graduate Diploma/Master of Biotechnology.

This course is special to Melbourne and differs significantly from other virology courses offered in Sydney and Adelaide, because of its target population and the ‘hands-on’ one-week practical component in the laboratory.

Burnet will deliver all 22 lectures, while RMIT University will be responsible for delivery of the 5 day practical course at its purpose-built teaching laboratory at Bundoora.

Lecturers have been sourced from the Centres for Virology, Immunology and International Health and from the Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory (VIDRL), the CSIRO Australian Animal Health Laboratory and The Alfred.

The course will enhance the Burnet collaboration with RMIT University and strengthen the reputation of Burnet as a centre of excellence in virological research and teaching.