Professor Rebecca S. Mason

Rebecca S Mason was invited to speak on "1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D3 and photoprotection in skin cells" at the Athens Dermatology Symposium "Modern Trends in Skin Pharmacology; Molecular and Clinical Aspects" held in Athens, Greece, June 8-11, 2000. A project concerning a novel phosphate transporter was chosen by SmithKline Beecham for the award of a PhD scholarship. The chief investigators were Rebecca S Mason, Bruce G Robinson (Medicine) and Anne E Nelson. Ms Michiko Mirams has commenced her PhD candidature on the scholarship, which was only one of two awarded in NSW. February 2000 saw the publication by Marcel Dekker Inc of a new book "Vitamin D in Dermatology" edited by K. Kragballe, University of Aarhus, Denmark. This book covers the physiology of vitamin D and skin cells as well as its therapeutic role in psoriasis and other skin diseases. Chapters were written by authors from many countries. Rebecca S Mason contributed the chapter on "Effect of vitamin D on melanocytes and its role in melanogenesis".