Overall, the Raine Medical Research Foundation has distributed close to $2.2mill for research to commence in 2021. The Research Committee acknowledges the excellent work being conducted in Western Australia and extends best wishes to all applicants for the ongoing success of their research. Congratulations go to the successful recipients.
To view photos from the 2020 Annual Award Ceremony held on 26 November 2020, please click here.
Raine Priming Grants
The Raine Medical Research Foundation is pleased to announce that it has awarded five Raine Priming Grants (from 50 eligible applications – 10% success rate) for early-career scientists who are progressing towards an independent research career.
Dr Nicola Bondonno: Raine/Robson Fellow
School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University
Project: Is the source of dietary nitrate a determinant of its impact on cancer risk?
$10,000 – Travel Award
Dr Julie Ji: Raine/BrightSpark/Cockell Fellow
School of Psychological Science, The University of Western Australia
Project: Predicting self-injurious behaviour in young people – a novel cognitive science approach
$227,542
Dr Christian Pflueger
Centre for Medical Research, The University of Western Australia
Project: Advancing epigenome editing to understand hepatocellular carcinoma progression
$234,288
Dr Rhonda Taylor
Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research / Centre for Medical Research, The University of Western Australia
Project: Mapping muscle gene enhancers: An approach to improving genetic diagnosis for neuromuscular disorders
$224,806
Dr Flavia Di Pietro
School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, Curtin University
Project: Why does pain spread? An investigation of inhibition in the human brain
$160,000
Clinician Research Fellowships
The WA Department of Health and the Raine Medical Research Foundation are pleased to announce that three Clinician Research Fellowships have been awarded for Round 9 (from 11 eligible applications – 27.3% success rate) to clinicians who wish to develop their research capability while continuing some clinical duties.
Ms Jessica Nolan
Department of Physiotherapy, Osborne Park Hospital
Project: Determining best-practice rehabilitation for lateropulsion after stroke
$234,288
Dr Stephen Macdonald
Emergency Department, Royal Perth Hospital
Project: Improving survival from sepsis: A translational research platform for the future
$405,808
Dr Mon Ohn
Department of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, Perth Children’s Hospital
Project: NIGHTOWL
$422,315
Research Collaborations Awards
There were 23 eligible applications for the 2021 Research Collaboration Awards, of which seven were successful (30.4% success rate).
Healy Research Collaboration Awards
The 2021 Healy Research Collaboration Awards for early-career medical research have been awarded to two recipients:
Dr Lauren Blekkenhorst
School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University
Collaborating Institutions: Erasmus University (The Netherlands), Deakin University (Melbourne)
Project: Dietary nitrate intake and its associations with cardiometabolic, cognitive and mental health outcomes
$29,832
Dr Alexander Tang
School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia
Collaborating Institutions: University of Otago (New Zealand)
Project: Developing novel treatments for stroke
$22,987
Cockell Research Collaboration Awards
The 2021 Cockell Research Collaboration Awards for mental illness research have been awarded to two recipients:
Dr Zachary Howard
School of Psychological Science, The University of Western Australia
Collaborating Institutions: The University of Newcastle (NSW), Australian National University (Canberra)
Project: Uncovering the causes of perceptual inference deficits in patients with schizophrenia
$16,500
Professor Penelope Hasking
School of Psychology, Curtin University
Collaborating Institution: Stanford University (USA)
Project: The role of emotion regulation in mental illness
$20,427
Charter Hall / Cockell Research Collaboration Award
The 2021 Charter Hall / Cockell Research Collaboration Award for child and mental health research has been awarded to:
Dr Cele Richardson
Centre for Sleep Science and School of Psychological Science, The University of Western Australia
Collaborating Institution: Flinders University (Adelaide), University of Reading (UK)
Project: Bright light therapy to improve sleep and mental health outcomes for young people with depression
$20,600
BrightSpark Research Collaboration Awards
The 2021 BrightSpark Research Collaboration Awards for child health research have been awarded to two recipients:
Dr Jess Reynolds
Centre for Child Health Research, Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia
Collaborating Institution: Garvan Institute of Medical Research (NSW)
Project: Challenging the core autism phenotype – investigating motor impairments in children on the autism spectrum using whole genome sequencing
$30,000
Dr Lieke van den Elsen
School of Molecular Science, The University of Western Australia
Collaborating Institution: South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (Adelaide)
Project: Does lack of colostrum feeding in neonates lead to impaired growth and immune development, and enhanced disease susceptibility in later life
$29,296
Publication Prizes
There were 11 eligible applications for the 2021 Publications Prizes, with five Prizes awarded (45.5% success rate).
Raine Research Prize
The 2021 Raine Research Prize for the best published research by an early-career medical researcher was awarded to:
Dr Daniel Knight
Medical, Molecular and Forensic Sciences, Murdoch University
Publication: Evolutionary and Genomic Insights into Clostridioides difficile Sequence Type 11: A Diverse Zoonotic and Antimicrobial-Resistant Lineage of Global One Health Importance. mBio. 2019 April 16;10(2).
$5,000
Strachan Memorial Prize
The 2021 Strachan Memorial Prize for the best published research by an early-career clinical researcher was awarded to:
Dr Samantha Lee
Centre for Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Lions Eye Institute, The University of Western Australia
Publication: Associations between optic disc measures and obstructive sleep apnea in young adults. Ophthalmology. 2019 May 17;126(10)1372-1384.
$5,000
BrightSpark Research Prize
The 2021 BrightSpark Research Prize for the best published research in the field of child health research by an early-career researcher was awarded to:
Dr Akila Rekima
School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia
Publication: A role for early exposure to house dust mite allergens through breast milk in lgE-mediated food allergy susceptibility. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2020 January 17;145(5)1416-1429.
$5,000
KY Wong Memorial Prize
The 2021 KY Wong Memorial Prize for the best published research in the field of cardiovascular health by an early-career researcher has been awarded to the top two applicants:
Dr Lauren Blekkenhorst
School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University
Publication: Association of dietary nitrate with atherosclerotic vascular disease mortality: A prospective cohort study of older adult women. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2017 May 31;106(1)207-216.
$5,000 – top prize
Dr Lee Nedkoff
School of Population and Global Health, The University of Western Australia
Publication: Differences in stroke risk and cardiovascular mortality for Aboriginal and other Australian patients with atrial fibrillation. Medical Journal of Australia. 2020 February 6;212(5)215-221
$1,650 – runner-up
Link to Past Recipients
