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Discover the stories behind Australia’s leading health and medical research in our InFocus articles.
Through compelling stories, we highlight the achievements of researchers driving innovation and improving health outcomes. InFocus celebrates excellence and impact across diverse fields of science and medicine.
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Speaking of Science: From clinical practice to research: changing how we care for people with cardiovascular disease and frailty
Australia’s population is rapidly ageing and as the population ages, so does the prevalence of multiple chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease. This leads to a growth in the number of frail older adults in acute care settings.
Speaking of Science: From early detection to impact: improving outcomes of children with leukaemia
Beginning in the 1990s, researchers at the Children’s Cancer Institute received a succession of NHMRC grants to support research focused on childhood cancers.
Meet Professor Fabienne Mackay: Driving innovation in immunology, research translation and commercialisation
Immune related diseases affect millions of people worldwide, driving an urgent need for research that can be translated into better treatments and health outcomes.
Meet Professor Yvette Roe: Championing First Nations health research and community-led change
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples continue to experience significant health inequities, making culturally informed, community led research more important than ever.
Meet Professor Anushka Patel: Advancing cardiovascular health through research, leadership and expert advice
Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide, affecting hundreds of millions of people each year.
Shaping the future of Indigenous genomics
Wiradjuri man, Adam Heterick, has built his career as Australia’s first Indigenous bioinformatician at the intersection of genomics, data science and community-led health research.
Knowledge impact case study: Protecting smiles, transforming oral health
Poor oral health affects billions of people worldwide and is one of the most common chronic health conditions, impacting wellbeing, quality of life and overall health. Research that prevents disease before it starts has the potential to improve outcomes for individuals while reducing pressure on health systems.
Knowledge impact case study: Shaping policy, saving lives – the impact of research on drug use and addiction
Drug use and dependence contribute significantly to illness, injury and premature death worldwide, creating major challenges for individuals, families and health systems.
Speaking of Science: From bench to birth: Building a test and treat program to prevent early preterm birth
NHMRC’s history in developing dietary advice during pregnancy, lactation and early infant feeding dates to the 1980s where early recommendations were made to those providing direct care to pregnant and lactating women to meet the nutrient requirements for both the mother and their baby.
Transforming support for Aboriginal children across generations
Associate Professor BJ Newton is a proud Wiradjuri woman and one of Australia’s leading researchers in child protection policy and outcomes for Aboriginal children. She leads the ‘Bring Them Home, Keep Them Home’ research program – the first international study examining restoration rates, outcomes and lived experiences of Aboriginal children in out of home care. Associate Professor Newton is the recipient of the NHMRC Sandra Eades Investigator Grant Award for her research into understanding systems abuse and Aboriginal resistance in child protection contexts.
Knowledge impact case study: The enzymes protecting our cells
‘What happens when the body's natural controls on cell growth break down?’
Addressing the public health challenge of mould exposure
Professor Rebecca Bentley is a public health researcher at the University of Melbourne, Healthy Housing Research Lead at the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, and Director of the Centre of Excellence in Healthy Housing. Her research examines how housing affordability, security and suitability shape population health and health inequalities, with a focus on reducing the health burden associated with poor housing conditions. Professor Bentley is the recipient of the NHMRC Fiona Stanley Synergy Grant Award for her research into addressing the public health challenge of mould in homes.
Knowledge impact case study: Growing kidneys in the lab
‘The big question I’ve been trying to answer for almost 35 years is, how you recreate a kidney.’ – Professor Melissa Little
The power of discovery science
Professor Arthur Christopoulos is the Professor of Analytical Pharmacology and Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at Monash University. He is a world leader in drug discovery of G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), particularly through multidisciplinary studies of allosteric modulation and biased agonism as novel biological paradigms to treat a broad range of diseases. Professor Christopoulos is the recipient of the NHMRC Peter Doherty Investigator Grant Award (Leadership) for his research into allosteric modulation of muscarinic receptors for the treatment of neurocognitive deficits.
Speaking of Science: 50 Years of Deadly: Aboriginal science, genomic sovereignty and what precision medicine must do for our mob
For 50 deadly years, NAIDOC Week has been a platform to celebrate the steady, unapologetic and proud voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. NAIDOC Week provides an opportunity to reflect on the stories, marches, languages, art and leadership grounded in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history.
Speaking of Science: Bowel cancer prevention: from discovery and innovation to impact on survival in Australia
Bowel cancer is Australia’s second most common cause of cancer related death in Australia.
Webinar: Overview of the National Health and Medical Research Strategy
The National Health and Medical Research Strategy 2026–2036, presented by the Chair of the National Strategy, Ms Rosemary Huxtable AO PSM, sets out a 10-year vision for strengthening Australia’s health and medical research system and improving outcomes for the community. A webinar was hosted on Friday 26 June to walk through the strategy.
Innovation in breast cancer immunology treatment and prevention
Professor Sherene Loi is a breast medical oncologist and clinician scientist at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, where she leads a research program integrating tumour immunology, genomics and clinical trials to improve breast cancer outcomes. Her internationally recognised work has defined how immune cells within breast tumours and normal breast tissue influence cancer risk, prognosis and treatment response. Professor Loi is the recipient of the NHMRC Elizabeth Blackburn Investigator Grant Award for leadership in Clinical Medicine and Science for her research into breast cancer immunology and prevention.
Eliminating cervical cancer in Australia
Professor Karen Canfell AC’s research has impacted cancer control policy across multiple cancers. Her team’s modelling and clinical trial findings on cervical screening in a Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccinated population were central to the 2017 transition of Australia's National Cervical Screening Program to primary HPV screening. Her work has supported the Australian and World Health Organization (WHO) strategies to accelerate the elimination of cervical cancer, and her team continues to support WHO global guidelines for cervical screening. Professor Canfell is the recipient of the NHMRC Elizabeth Blackburn Investigator Grant Award for Leadership in Health Services Research for her research into the effective implementation and scale up of the WHO strategy to eliminate cervical cancer in Australia, the Indo-Pacific and globally.
Combatting antimicrobial resistance through a synthetic biology approach
Dr Sue Chin Nang is a Senior Research Fellow and leads the bacteriophage (phage) therapy team in the Laboratory of Antimicrobial Systems Pharmacology at the Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University. Her research tackles the global threat of antimicrobial resistance by combining traditional antibiotics with nontraditional phage approaches. Dr Nang is the recipient of the NHMRC Frank Fenner Investigator Grant Award for her research into combatting antimicrobial resistance through a cell free synthetic biology approach.
Improving post kidney transplant outcomes
Dr Craig Coorey is a nephrologist at Westmead Hospital and a PhD candidate at the University of Sydney within the Centre for Kidney Research. His research focuses on improving outcomes in kidney transplantation, including donor recipient matching and the prediction and management of complications after transplant. Dr Coorey is the recipient of the NHMRC Gustav Nossal Postgraduate Scholarship Award for his research into improving post kidney transplant outcomes with a patient centred causal inference framework.
Speaking of Science: Being All In: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership, research sovereignty and systems change
National Reconciliation Week (27 May – 3 June) enables us to explore how we can contribute to achieving nationwide reconciliation. The 2026 them, All In, makes it clear that reconciliation is not a spectator sport and that all of us must step away from the sidelines and take action to make real impact.
Harnessing oral immune therapy for Kaposi sarcoma
Professor Mark Polizzotto is a clinician scientist who serves as Clinical Director of Cancer Services at Canberra Health Service, where he is a practising haematologist. He is also Head of the Clinical Hub for Interventional Research (CHOIR) at the Australian National University. Professor Polizzotto has dedicated his career to addressing the cancer burden and his work has led to the first new therapy for Kaposi sarcoma in over 20 years and has influenced treatment guidelines globally. He is the recipient of the 2024 NHMRC David Cooper Clinical Trials and Cohort Studies Award.
Changing the course of chronic lung disease
Professor Shyamali Dharmage, Head of the Allergy and Lung Health Unit and Deputy Director (Research) of the Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Population and Global Health at The University of Melbourne, is redefining chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as a preventable life course condition, shifting the focus from late diagnosis to early intervention. Professor Dharmage is the recipient of the NHMRC Elizabeth Blackburn Investigator Grant Award (leadership in public health) for her research into early detection and interventions to stop pre-COPD.
Improving birth outcomes for Australian families and around the world
Professor Sarah Robertson AO is a reproductive immunologist and longstanding leader in fertility and pregnancy research at the Adelaide University. Her internationally recognised work has transformed understanding of how immune signalling at conception influences embryo development, implantation, placental formation and pregnancy success. Her research program spans fundamental biology through to translational innovation, with a career distinguished by sustained global impact. Professor Robertson is the recipient of the NHMRC Elizabeth Blackburn Investigator Award for Leadership in Basic Science for her research into periconception mechanisms impacting fertility and pregnancy health.
Speaking of Science: From discovery to impact: improving access to mental health care for children
Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent mental health conditions affecting children and adolescents globally. These disorders can appear as early as preschool age and often have significant negative impacts on a young person’s daily life.
Detecting skin cancer at the pixel level
Professor H. Peter Soyer is a world leader in preventative dermato-oncology and pioneered the use of dermoscopy in pigmented skin lesions for early skin cancer detection. He is the inaugural Chair in Dermatology and Director of the Dermatology Research Centre at the Frazer Institute within the University of Queensland. Here he leads a multinational team of dedicated researchers including Dr Katie Lee, who has been researching melanoma herself for over a decade. Under NHMRC Ideas Grant funding, Professor Soyer and Dr Lee, among other chief investigators, are tackling melanoma at the pixel level through deep image analysis. For this innovative research, Professor Soyer is the recipient of the NHMRC Marshall and Warren Ideas Grant Award.
Understanding cancer at a cellular level
Associate Professor Alisa Glukhova is a Laboratory Head in the Structural Biology Division at WEHI and at the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences. Her research focuses on the structural biology of cell-signaling pathways to improve our understanding of what causes diseases such as cancer. Associate Professor Glukhova is the recipient of the NHMRC Peter Doherty Investigator Grant Award (Emerging Leadership) and also the 2026 Commonwealth Health Minister’s Award for Excellence in Health and Medical Research.
Global health research excellence: recognising impact and innovation
Professor Bruce Neal is Executive Director of the George Institute for Global Health, Professor of Medicine at the University of New South Wales and Professor of Clinical Epidemiology at Imperial College London. He works in the field of cardiovascular disease with a track record in the conduct of large-scale clinical trials. His work has supported the discovery and implementation of both novel drug therapies and dietary interventions. Professor Neal is the inaugural recipient of the brand new NHMRC Michael Alpers Global Health Award, recognising his Investigator Grant research into achieving global health gains from potassium enriched salt.
Speaking of Science: Oral health in the land of milk and honey: Developing dairy based technologies to help reduce oral diseases
Oral diseases, such as tooth decay and erosion, are the most prevalent diseases of humankind, affecting nearly 3.5 billion people worldwide.
Advancing ICU recovery research with Professor Carol Hodgson
'The first time I stepped into the ICU, I fell in love with the environment. I loved the teamwork – the team are incredibly important to how we care for our patients. The ability to treat patients when they're at their most vulnerable is a real privilege.'
Speaking of Science: From concept to worldwide clinical use: developing an optimal surgical treatment for glaucoma
Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide, with an estimated 80 million people affected including more than 200,000 Australians.
Purpose-led research – advice from Professor Fiona Stanley AC
'It's really important that another question that you ask yourself is, is this research going to translate into something that will make a difference?'
Speaking of Science: Is obesity a disease or a risk factor? Changing paradigms with new definitions
The limitations of Body Mass Index (BMI) measurements are well documented in health and medical research and yet it remains the sole diagnostic tool for obesity.
Speaking of Science: Acting now against antimicrobial resistance
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites no longer respond to antimicrobial agents. As a result of this drug resistance, antibiotics and other antimicrobial agents become ineffective and infections become difficult or impossible to treat, increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death.
Speaking of Science: Genetics of depression: risk and response to treatment with Dr Brittany Mitchell
Depression is the most common psychiatric disorder and the largest contributor to global disability and yet one third of people diagnosed with depression are refractory to treatment.
Recognising excellence in improving clinical outcomes for cardiogenic shock
Dr Riley Batchelor is a fellow in interventional cardiology at The Royal Melbourne Hospital and The Alfred Hospital and is a PhD candidate at Monash University’s School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine. An early career clinician researcher, Dr Batchelor's research explores the management of cardiac emergencies, including acute coronary syndrome, cardiogenic shock, and extends to extracorporeal life support and advanced heart failure.
Recognising excellence in transforming evidence based, patient centred, sustainable healthcare
Professor Tammy Hoffmann is a Professor of Clinical Epidemiology, specialising in clinical epidemiology and health services research. Her research career has focused on enabling evidence based healthcare so that patients receive effective and patient centred care. This includes enhancing the generation, synthesis, and reporting of rigorous evidence, improving evidence useability and implementation, and promoting shared decision making between clinicals and patients.
We stand on the shoulders of giants
Yvette Roe is a proud Njikena Jawuru woman from the West Kimberley and Professor of Indigenous Health at Charles Darwin University. Yvette is also Director of the Molly Wardaguga Research Institute for First Nations Birth Rights. With a career spanning over 35 years in Indigenous health, Yvette has dedicated her life’s work to amplifying Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices in efforts to achieve their aspirations. Here is where she has seen the impact that research can have, driving her motivation to make more change for the generations moving forward.
Speaking of Science: Achieving better outcomes in women's sexual and reproductive health: The SPHERE CRE journey
Initiated by a NHMRC Project Grant in 2014, Professor Danielle Mazza’s (Monash University) journey towards creating the SPHERE Centre of Research Excellence (CRE) has gone from strength to strength in the years following. SPHERE’s mission, focused on fundamental reproductive rights, aims to drive better sexual and reproductive health outcomes for Australian women through primary care.
Recognising excellence in the global control of meningococcal disease and gonorrhoea
Professor Helen Marshall AM is the Professor of Vaccinology and an NHMRC Leadership Fellow at The University of Adelaide, and the Clinical Research Director at the Women’s and Children’s Health Network in South Australia. Professor Marshall’s research area focuses on preventing life threatening infections in children and young people through improving immunisation effectiveness, safety and impact. Her main focus throughout her extensive research career has been the prevention of meningococcal disease, leading national clinical trials to assess the safety and effectiveness of a meningococcal B vaccine.
Recognising excellence in improving the quality of survival after critical illness
Recipient of the 2024 NHMRC Elizabeth Blackburn Investigator Grant Award for Leadership in Clinical Medicine and Science, Professor Carol Hodgson, is a specialist intensive care physiotherapist and clinical trialist. With expertise in long term outcomes after critical illness, Professor Hodgson heads the Division of Clinical Trials and Cohort Studies in the School of Public Health and Preventative Medicine at Monash University, researching how we can improve the quality of survival after critical illness.
Speaking of Science: The Artificial Heart Frontiers Program: engineering the next generation of artificial hearts with Professor Shaun Gregory
Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics are deeply interconnected fields that often work together to solve real world problems and drive innovation. Integration of these different fields is crucial for addressing global health challenges and has also led to Professor Shaun Gregory’s success.
Making room around the table: bringing Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander leadership to research
National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day is a day all Australians are urged to celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and learn about the impact that culture, family and community plays in the life of every child.
Speaking of Science: New frontiers in brain cancer research with Professor Misty Jenkins AO and Professor Matt Dun
Around 2,000 Australians are diagnosed with brain cancer each year and survival rates remain low.
For researchers Professor Misty Jenkins AO (WEHI and The Brain Cancer Centre) and Professor Matt Dun (University of Newcastle and the Mark Hughes Foundation), they’re just scratching the surface on what's possible in brain cancer research as we collectively move towards finding a cure for this insidious disease.
Recognising high quality health and medical research
The Guunu-maana (Heal) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Program at The George Institute for Global Health drives meaningful, ethical research and advocacy to transform the health and wellbeing of Indigenous peoples and communities. Recipient of the 2025 NHMRC Research Quality Biennial Award, Guunu-maana is committed to research quality, being led by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing, being and doing to generate evidence that privileges Indigenous knowledges and research quality within the field.
Speaking of Science: Empowering consumers in health and medical research with Professor James St John and hosted by Ms Ainslie Cahill AM
How do researchers effectively involve consumers and the community in their research?
Trust your gut: how the microbiome impacts mental health
Commonly referred to as a ‘second brain’, the role of the gut extends beyond being a digestor of food and drink. In fact, research has demonstrated time and time again the profound partnership between the gut and the brain, and the range of actions elicited by the chemical factory that is our gut microbiome. The gut-brain-axis operates through several pathways and chemical signals that have an influence over our mood, stress levels and cognitive function. So, with the support of the 100 trillion microbes that live within the human digestive system, Australian researchers are discovering how we can improve mental health conditions through diet.
Food for thought: Exploring how diet can improve mental health
As nutritional and psychological sciences advance, the evidence grows that diet is not only vital for physical health but also plays a significant role in mental wellbeing. While the burgeoning field of Nutritional Psychiatry shows correlations between not only what we eat and how we feel and behave, there is still so much to explore.
Speaking of Science: Cultural safety and fostering connections to social and emotional wellbeing with Associate Professor Yvonne Clark
'We work a lot with families, babies, pregnancy and young people, and our goal is to see them flourish or to do research that can move them towards that trajectory of flourishing and not just always surviving.'