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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.

• InFocus
• Wednesday

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.

• InFocus
• 29 September 2025

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.

• InFocus
• 17 September 2025

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.

• InFocus
• 12 September 2025

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.

• InFocus
• 1 September 2025

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.

• InFocus
• 28 August 2025

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.

• InFocus
• 4 August 2025

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.

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• News
• 13 July 2025

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.

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• News
• 22 June 2025

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.

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• News
• 16 June 2025

Recognising outstanding contributions to Australian health and medical research

Professor Emily Banks AM, recipient of the 2025 NHMRC Outstanding Contribution Award, is a public health physician and epidemiologist working towards improving health and healthcare, at an individual and population level. With interests spanning chronic disease, tobacco control, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health and healthy ageing, Professor Banks’s extensive research into population health is changing public behaviours, guiding healthcare professionals and having a significant impact in the community.

• InFocus
• 31 May 2025

Decoding the revolution of AI powered healthcare

Signaling the arrival of the digital revolution, artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are increasingly appearing within Australia’s health system. From diagnostics to clinical practice, digitisation of healthcare is promising to enhance delivery by supporting workforce capability, enabling better patient engagement and promoting health literacy and self-management of health conditions. Yet while our appetite for AI and its potential in being a safe, ethical, equitable and effective tool has improved with time, a lot remains unknown.

• InFocus
• 28 May 2025

Recognising excellence in developing a world-first Indigenous wellbeing index

Ngiyampaa/Wongaibon social epidemiologist and recipient of the 2023 NHMRC David Cooper Clinical Trials and Cohort Studies Award, Professor Raymond Lovett has focused his career on improving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health. As an Associate Director of Yardhura Walani (Australian National University) and Director of Mayi Kuwayu: The national study of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander wellbeing, Professor Lovett’s research has influenced policy at state and national levels, as well as empowered communities at the local level. He is now aiming to take this to the global stage through the development of a world-first Indigenous wellbeing index.

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• News
• 20 May 2025

Recognising Excellence in advancing the evidence base in cardiac arrest and resuscitation

Recipient of the 2024 NHMRC Peter Doherty Investigator Grant Award (Emerging Leadership), Dr Ziad Nehme is a paramedic-scientist with expertise in prehospital emergency care and resuscitation research. With a focus on early response to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients, Dr Nehme is targeting improvements in early recognition and activation of emergency services, accelerating treatments through community-based care, and enhancing the evidence-base in resuscitation.

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• News
• 17 May 2025

Recognising the power of community engagement in health and medical research

Recipient of the 2025 NHMRC Consumer Involvement Award, Professor James St John is a translational neuroscientist specialising in the creation and delivery of therapies to repair injuries and diseases of the nervous system. He has driven the development of a comprehensive consumer involvement program to design and create a cell transplantation therapy for repairing chronic spinal cord injury which is now progressing to a clinical trial.

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• News
• 14 May 2025

Leading through crisis: upholding research integrity in unprecedented times

When Professor Fabienne Mackay stepped into the role of Director and CEO at QIMR Berghofer in late 2020, she expected challenges—navigating a global pandemic, leading a major organisational restructure, and steering a world-class research institute through an evolving funding landscape. What she did not anticipate was facing one of the most significant cases of research misconduct in Australian history.

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• News
• 2 May 2025

Recognising outstanding contributions to NHMRC’s Principles of Peer Review

Professor Philip Batterham, recipient of the 2025 NHMRC Peer Review Excellence Award (senior/experienced category), exemplifies what it means to be a fair, transparent and enthusiastic peer reviewer. Abiding by our Principles of Peer Review, Professor Batterham has continued to show an unrelenting commitment to providing rigorous assessment of applications for grant funding.

• InFocus
• Media release
• 29 April 2025

Recognising excellence in identifying and overcoming mechanisms of immune evasion in cancer

Recipient of the 2024 NHMRC Fiona Stanley Synergy Grant Award, Professor Marie-Liesse Asselin-Labat is investigating how cancer evades the immune system and how immunotherapies and cancer vaccines can be enhanced to improve treatment outcomes. Professor Asselin-Labat PharmD, PhD, is a Division Head at WEHI, leading a team that studies the interactions between immune and tumour cells in lung cancer, and how external factors can trigger the disease and treatment response.

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• News
• 24 April 2025

Recognising excellence in cancer cachexia research using fruit flies

Associate Professor Louise Cheng, recipient of the 2024 NHMRC Marshall and Warren Ideas Grant Award, is a group leader at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and the Department of Anatomy and Physiology at the University of Melbourne. Her lab utilises the fruit fly (Drosophila) to study how tumours grow at the expense of other tissues in cancer cachexia- a metabolic syndrome affecting up to 80% of people with advance cancer.

• InFocus
• News
• 17 April 2025

Recognising excellence in turbocharging treatments for type-2 diabetes

Recipient of the 2024 NHMRC Marshall and Warren Innovation Award, Associate Professor Garron Dodd, is globally acknowledged as a top authority in metabolic neuroscience. His research led out of the Metabolic Neuroscience Laboratory at the University of Melbourne has been pivotal in advancing metabolic health both in Australia and internationally, aiming to create innovative therapies for obesity and type-2 diabetes.

• InFocus
• News
• 15 April 2025

Recognising outstanding scientific imagery beneath the skin’s surface

Associate Professor Arutha Kulasinghe, recipient of the 2025 NHMRC Science to Art Award, is bringing together the rigour of heath and medical research with aesthetically powerful art. With a focus on cutting edge spatial biology and genomic techniques, Associate Professor Kulasinghe is dedicated to unlocking the secrets of individual cell interactions, leading to personalised treatments for several diseases, including cancer.

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• News
• 1 April 2025

Centering Indigenous research excellence now and into the future

NHMRC is committed to improving the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through funding research of the highest quality, integrity and excellence. We also encourage applications across our grant funding program that address Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health.

• InFocus
• News
• 6 November 2024

At the intersection of science and art

There’s an area of health and medical research, where scientific discoveries are made and are accompanied by artistic imagery that holds both aesthetic power and major promise for further breakthroughs. This area lies at the intersection of science and art.

• InFocus
• 16 October 2024

Unified responses to youth substance use and mental disorders

Australia, like many other countries, is facing increasing rates of mental disorders and substance use. Globally, substance use, depression and anxiety disorders are among the leading causes of disease burden in young people. Yet they are treated in isolation, stalling discovery, prevention and treatment.

• InFocus
• 15th Edition
• 10 September 2024

Upskilling gynaecology surgeons for better, less invasive surgical procedures and happier patients

Hysterectomy is the most common major gynaecological procedure Australian women will require in their lifetimes. Yet, up to 2 in 10 patients have developed severe complications following outdated open surgery.

• InFocus
• 15th Edition
• 3 September 2024

$60 million in funding announced for new Centres of Research Excellence

An investment of $60 million will support researchers to pursue collaborative research that aims to improve health outcomes by translating health and medical research into policy and/or practice funded through the National Health and Medical Research Council’s (NHMRC) Centre of Research Excellence (CRE) scheme.

• InFocus
• Media release
• 30 August 2024

Research Excellence: Structure, function, and modulation of peptide hormone G protein-coupled receptors

Professor Patrick Sexton is the Professor of Pharmacology at the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and is the Director at the ARC Centre for Cryo-electron Microscopy of Membrane Proteins. Professor Sexton is a leader in progressing our understanding of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), particularly allosteric modulation and biased agonism, and applying cryo-EM to study structure and dynamics of GPCRs. He is a Clarivate Analytics highly cited researcher and an elected Fellow of the British Pharmacological Society (BPS). Professor Sexton is also the co-founder of Septerna Inc and DACRA Tx and has been the recipient of many awards for his scientific contributions that have had major impacts on biological chemistry research.

• InFocus
• News
• 17 July 2024

Celebrating a 25-year legacy of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research with NHMRC

Professor Yvonne Cadet-James, the pioneering researcher, academic, mentor, registered nurse and midwife is celebrating a 25-year legacy of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research at the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).

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• News
• 12 July 2024

Research Excellence: Advancing health equity of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population

Associate Professor Odette Pearson is of Eastern Yalanji and Torres Strait Islander descent and coleads the Aboriginal Health Equity Theme, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute. Her research focus is improving chronic disease and ageing outcomes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through policy and guideline development and implementing and evaluating real world health and social interventions. Aboriginal leadership, governance and community and cross sector partnerships are foundations of her research. A/Prof Pearson has received the Lowitja Institute Patricia Anderson Leader in Aboriginal Research (2023), UniSA Alumini Award for Research in Aboriginal Health (2022) and The Diane Ranck, SAHMRI award for Leadership in Research (2022).

• InFocus
• News
• 8 July 2024

Research Excellence: Developing novel gene expression control mechanisms for ALS gene therapies

Professor Roger Chung is the Professor of Neurobiology and Neurochemistry, and Deputy Dean (Research and Innovation) in the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences at Macquarie University. Professor Chung’s research employs a multi-disciplinary approach to understanding the biochemical, molecular and cellular mechanisms that underpin how neurons respond to injury or neurodegenerative disease, and how non-neuronal cells (glia) are involved in modulating this process. Professor Chung is the co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of CelosiaTX and also leads the Neurochemistry and Molecular Therapeutics Group within the Macquarie University Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research.

• InFocus
• News
• 21 June 2024

Research Excellence: Driving the transition to high value testing to benefit the health of all

Professor Katy Bell is a clinical epidemiologist and health services researcher at the Sydney School of Public Health. Professor Bell’s research evaluates the clinical effectiveness of healthcare, with a focus on medical tests used for screening, diagnosis and monitoring chronic disease. She is an NHMRC Fellow, and a member of the Medical Services Advisory Committee Evaluation Sub-Committee which critically assesses the evidence supporting applications for new listings on the Medical Benefits Scheme. The quality and impact of Professor Bell’s work has been recognised by awards including a Robinson Fellowship through the University of Sydney (2023) and an Australasian Epidemiological Association Mid-Career Researcher Professional Development Prize (2022).

• InFocus
• News
• 13 June 2024

Australian innovators create superior surgical screws for orthopaedic surgeries

Not all orthopaedic implants are created equal. Surgeons repair bone fractures using metal plates and screws but sometimes the screws loosen and the surgery needs to be repeated. Previous expandable screws increased screw fixation strength but were more difficult (or impossible) to remove and increased surgery time.

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• News
• Ten of the Best
• 15th Edition
• 12 June 2024

Research Excellence: Strengthening the evidence base for suicide prevention

Professor Jane Pirkis is the Director of the Centre for Mental Health and Community Wellbeing at the University of Melbourne. With a background in public health, Professor Pirkis has worked in the area of suicide prevention for over 25 years, contributing to knowledge about which interventions are effective in preventing suicide. Professor Pirkis’s work has also emphasised media-based interventions and interventions that involve restricting access to means of suicide. Professor Pirkis is the recipient of The University of Melbourne’s Marles Medal (2021) and is also the recipient of a Distinguished Alumni Award at the University of Tasmania (2017) and has received a Lifetime Research LIFE Award through Suicide Prevention Australia (2010).

• InFocus
• News
• 6 June 2024

Research Excellence: A new paradigm for how APOE genotype affects brain lipid homeostasis and dementia risk

Professor Anthony Don is Professor of Medical Biochemistry in the School of Medical Sciences at the University of Sydney. His team develops and applies advanced mass spectrometry methods to investigate how alterations to brain lipid metabolism with ageing lead to dementia, develop neuroprotective therapeutics, and discover new biomarkers for demyelinating diseases. His research has uncovered deficits in lipid metabolism that destabilise myelin in the course of normal ageing and early in Alzheimer’s disease pathogenesis. He also developed and coordinates the popular masters-level unit of study, Advances in Disease Diagnosis and Treatment.

• InFocus
• Media release
• 30 May 2024

Research Excellence: Pioneering Early Cancer Detection through Nanotechnology

Dr Jiayan Liao is a dedicated researcher specialising in the field of nanotechnology, nanomedicine, biomedical engineering, and their applications in medical diagnostics. Dr Liao’s research focuses on developing innovative diagnostic tools for early cancer detection, leveraging photonics, fluorescent nanoprobes, and artificial intelligence for precise detection of single-molecule biomarkers in diseases and cancers. Dr Liao is contributing to the advancement of diagnostic methodologies and technologies, aiming for non-invasive, early detection methods to improve patient outcomes.

• InFocus
• News
• 16 May 2024

Research Excellence: Solving Australia's Hypertension Treatment Problem

Professor Alta Schutte, SHARP Professor and Principal Theme Lead of Cardiac, Vascular and Metabolic Medicine at the University of New South Wales and The George Institute for Global Health, focuses on implementing effective scalable interventions for global blood pressure control. Appointed Co-Chair of the National Hypertension Taskforce in 2022, she was recognised in 2023 as the Leading Researcher in Vascular Medicine by The Australian. Notably, she received the 2022 Harriet Dustan Award from the American Heart Association and the 2023 Peter Sleight Excellence award from the World Hypertension League. Her impactful work extends to improving cardiovascular health in Australia and beyond.

• InFocus
• News
• 12 May 2024

Research Excellence: Designing adaptive strategies to drive tuberculosis towards elimination

Dr Romain Ragonnet is a Senior Research Fellow in the Epidemiological Modelling Unit at Monash University. Dr Ragonnet specialises in the mathematical modelling of tuberculosis (TB) and COVID-19, and his notable contributions include the first-ever quantification of TB mortality and self-recovery rates. Dr Ragonnet has advised various governments of lower-middle-income countries in the Asia-Pacific region to assist the local control of TB and COVID-19. He also initiated and led multiple cross-disciplinary collaborations, creating a strong network of world-leading experts that spans mathematics, medical ethics, biostatistics, economics, and clinical trials.

• InFocus
• News
• 16 April 2024

Research Excellence: Unlocking molecular vulnerabilities in childhood brain cancers

Dr Sean Humphrey leads the Functional Phosphoproteomics Laboratory at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. Dr Humphrey’s research uses cutting-edge mass spectrometers to create detailed molecular maps that capture how cells communicate and process information by regulating proteins. Dr Humphrey completed his PhD at the University of New South Wales before moving to Germany to undertake post-doctoral training at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Munich. Dr Humphrey’s research pinpoints key molecular signals that are dysregulated in human disease, uncovering a myriad of new targets for future therapies.

• InFocus
• News
• 8 April 2024

Research Excellence: Epidemiology and equity of kidney failure in Australasia

Dr Johanna Birrell is a general physician and advanced trainee in public health medicine. Dr Birrell has trained in both Australia and New Zealand and has a particular interest in rural health, Indigenous health, and health services research. Dr Birrell is completing her postdoctoral studies at the University of Sydney with concurrent clinical work. Her research explores geographic variation in kidney failure epidemiology and access to care across Australia and New Zealand. Dr Birrell has received awards including the Royal Australasian College of Physicians 2023 Aotearoa Trainee Research Award for Excellence in the Field of Adult Medicine and the Gerry Murphy Prize in 2022.

• InFocus
• News
• 3 April 2024

Growing up and getting stronger: improving the long-term health of premature babies

In the early 1970s, Professor Lex Doyle watched as ventilators were introduced in Australian hospitals to help premature babies breathe.

• InFocus
• Ten of the Best
• 14th Edition
• 21 February 2024

Accelerating change in driver safety screening

While many older Australians value the independence of driving and continue to do so safely throughout their lives, for others, the changes that occur with aging may take them off the road.

• InFocus
• Ten of the Best
• 14th Edition
• 20 February 2024

Harnessing the power of natural immunity to extend vaccine protection

Associate Professor Linda Wakim is focused on using our body’s own immune defence system to improve vaccines by providing longer lasting protection against viruses.

• InFocus
• Ten of the Best
• 14th Edition
• 26 January 2024

Community-designed and delivered suicide intervention

Warning: Some people may find parts of this content confronting. If this material raises any distress, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, Call 13YARN or Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800.

A self-described grassroots Aboriginal researcher, Professor Maree Toombs is responsible for developing the first Indigenous-led and designed suicide intervention training program in Australia, creating space for connection to traditional lands and culture as part of life-saving support.

• InFocus
• Ten of the Best
• 14th Edition
• 24 January 2024

Fighting biofilms with a Trojan Horse

Dr Nicky Thomas started his career as a pharmacist. During his PhD, he was investigating how encasing medicine in lipid droplets could improve its efficacy when he was asked: can this lipid technology be used to treat biofilms?

• InFocus
• Ten of the Best
• 14th Edition
• 17 January 2024

Improving fertility treatment through innovation

Professor Robert Gilchrist is a part of a bench-to-bedside research success story, innovating existing infertility treatments to offer a less invasive and cheaper alternative to in-vitro fertilisation (IVF).

• InFocus
• Ten of the Best
• 14th Edition
• 10 January 2024

Mentors inspire an Indigenous research career with impact

Professor Cath Chamberlain, a Palawa woman of the Trawlwoolway clan (Tasmania), received an NHMRC Early Career Fellowship in 2014 to find culturally safe ways to improve cardiometabolic health outcomes in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mothers.

• InFocus
• Ten of the Best
• 14th Edition
• 3 January 2024

Driving change in aged care pharmacy practices through data

Having practised as a hospital pharmacist by day and a residential aged care pharmacist by night, Dr Lisa Pont naturally began to think about how pharmacists could work differently as part of her research.

• InFocus
• Ten of the Best
• 14th Edition
• 21 December 2023

Enhancing future pain treatments using venoms

Professor Richard Lewis and his team from the Institute of Molecular Bioscience at University of Queensland made a notable discovery early in their research after a lab assistant observed one could milk cone snails for venom much more quickly if you gave them 'a poke or two'.

• InFocus
• Ten of the Best
• 14th Edition
• 13 December 2023

Delivering a legacy of culturally safe maternity care

Professor Rhonda Marriott AM, a descendant of Nyikina people of the Kimberley, has devoted five decades to nursing and midwifery in clinical, academic and research roles.

• InFocus
• Ten of the Best
• 14th Edition
• 6 December 2023

Research Excellence: Supporting healing and recovery for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander survivors of childhood sexual abuse

Dr Graham Gee is an Aboriginal-Chinese man, also with Celtic heritage, originally from Darwin. His Aboriginal-Chinese grandfather was born near Belyuen on Larrakia Country. Dr Gee is a clinical psychologist and has worked at the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service for 11 years before taking up a research position at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. His early career research focused on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health, social and emotional wellbeing, resilience and complex trauma. In 2022, Dr Gee commenced working in partnership with several Victorian Aboriginal services dedicated to healing child sexual abuse. Read more to find out more about Dr Gee’s research, in his own words.

• InFocus
• 18 November 2023